Ingenue Nouveau

On the left, Writing Atlas (1903) by Julius Hoffmann. On the right, a look from Antonio Marras Spring 2010 RTW collection.

This book from the Jugendstil period reminds me of the work of Gustav Klimt in particular, as does the outfit, which shows and reveals a lithe female form as so many of his paintings did. Klimt also loved to engulf the body in fabric—and at times to have young skin look like ruffled, ivory fabric.

The Marras collection is made for the ingenue. So many effortless, ivory, sheer items (some far too sheer) that, depending on how you view them, seem innocent or sexy. They are definitely not cute. They are too seriously concerned with form—like the font and decoration on the book—to seem cute. The colors are exceptionally refined, too—cream, burgundy, and, elsewhere in the collection, navy, mint, black.

On a more superficial note, I like the notion of using burgundy as an accent in spring. Such a refined complement to mint.

Lastly, I'd like to direct your attention to this movie, my favorite of David Mamet's, The Winslow Boy, which features some of the best hats ever captured on film, including a stately straw one.