In a dim room inside Milan’s Bagni Misteriosi, the Italian maison Erika Cavallini introduced its newest chapter. Along the walls, a video installation of clips, images, graphics, and quotes from the house’s runway history served as a time lapse—reflecting on its past while acknowledging its new realities. The newly appointed head of design, and Erika Cavallini’s 10-year protégé, Laura Palmieri used these archives as references to forge a path toward the brand’s future. For her first presentation, the Spring 2020 collection, the designer reimagined aspects of the house’s core codes in both imagery and sartorial references.

Beyond the black curtains of the entrance peeked a series of mint blue doors, each hosting a refined silhouette of the Erika Cavallini woman. “The doorways are representations of both an exit and an entrance towards a new direction for the brand,” Palmieri explained. For this new direction, Palmieri amended the typical Erika Cavallini woman, handpicking aspects of the brand’s core assets to create new narratives.

The brand’s signature oversized silhouettes were trimmed down to simpler versions with touches of modern day elegance. Skirts and dresses were lengthened to under the knees. Jackets and blouses have been proportioned to reveal just enough skin.

“The woman is a bit more sensual than and modern than the oversized silhouettes we have been used to. We have kept the concept of playing with oversized scales, but simply in moderation,” stated the designer. “Instead of full body silhouettes, we are offering more balanced versions where the oversized values are either featured in the top or bottom fractions, but no longer both. As a result the looks are cleaner which renders the woman more sensual than ever.”

The inclusion of past runway and backstage imagery collaged and printed on several dresses and sweaters was another special feature of the collection. This inspiration stemmed from Belgian artist Katrien De Blauwer, who describes herself as a photographer without a camera and uses processed images to create mesmerising collages.

“This vision of leaving the photography and content of the house’s past shows from outside photographers and creating something new and open for interpretation and discussion was what we were aiming for,” said Palmieri. Of course this pre-collection is simply just an introduction of what is to come as we intend to expound on this new refined narrative.”