Off the runway: Marni’s A/W 2014 menswear projection

Marni’s Consuelo Castiglioni scrapped the catwalk this season and replaced it with a film presentation for A/W 2014. Projected onto white geometric structures scattered around the house’s dimly lit, industrial showroom in Milan, the screening focused on models crossing paths on a virtual runway.

On film, their slightly transparent projections overlapped - a nod to the creative director’s cut and pasted concept of mismatched menswear from all walks of life. For the collection’s inspiration, Castiglioni studied changing menswear silhouettes and blended iconic elements into a quirky melange of utility and luxury.

Fitted jackets were paired with baggy pants, while oversized fur collars rested off-kilter on shoulders, conjuring a refreshingly youthful naiveté, hidden in a classic grey and brown palette. High-water trousers and the use of fur similarly alluded to a playfulness characteristic of the brand. Flashes of print came from shirts and rucksacks designed in collaboration with artists Christophe Joubert, Francois-Xavier Tavy-Sacley and Stefano Favaro. The joint effort was celebrated by the fabrication of a glass artist’s box, entitled ‘Casetta’, exhibited in the showroom’s garden.