“I think fashion shows are overrated,” said Margherita Maccapani Missoni: “I’ve been going to them since I was two-weeks-old, so they are not my goal with Maccapani. Instead to present this collection I want people to enjoy a moment, to feel the storytelling and vibe.” She said this from a bamboo chair in the garden of Via Caltanissetta 3—the beautiful art deco former home of the Olimpia Milano basketball team— while a friend in a knit bodysuit cut figs on a moss-bedded floral display nearby.
She continued: “The idea here is that this house is lived in by a group of girlfriends. They’re tired of social expectations and constraints so they’ve moved in together to be a cultural hub. These are not teenagers: these are women who’ve decided to get together and get on with their lives.” As if on cue a young women in a rib knit cardigan (new category alert) and droopy-flower printed vest top with artificial boning (counterfeit corsetry) appeared on a balcony above and gave us a wave. The rooms upstairs contained various Maccapani mise-en-scènes; in the bathroom a woman in fishnets washed a floral catsuit in the basin; next door a DJ in a fringed wrap mini and bias crop T-shirt fine-tuned an upcoming set, and along from her, two friends—one in a stretchy floral print dress, the other in a body, opera gloves and a hoodie/snood/wrap—did a jigsaw puzzle.
The grown up grunge Maccapani is tilting towards is taking shape. Another development today was the announcement of a new partnership with eBay that will see Maccapani have a permanent shopfront—all Buy It Now, no auctions—that will see both garments and Missoni-curated vintage accessories sold on the platform. Today’s collection was styled against accessories—dubbed MaccaFinds—that the designer had previously sourced on eBay. These included a vintage Missoni shoulder bag, Murano glass necklaces, a Roberto Cavalli belt, and some rhinestone heels by René Caovilla. This was an interesting new experiment in shaping a DTC platform for this young but well-supported concern.
