MILAN, Feb 22, 2006/ FW/ --- The serene but giant Chinese screens on stage and the evocative notes coming from a bamboo xylophone belied the chaotic environ at the Just Cavalli show as guests arrived. All seats were taken, the standing room full, and the photographers impatient waiting for perhaps one of the most memorable shows staged by Roberto Cavalli.

‘Freedom, Positivity, Happiness, Fantasy, Creativity, Love’ were written in bold letters on the press notes. It then went on to say, ‘…this is the route taken by Roberto Cavalli to interpret the desires of the young generations of the Just Cavalli universe… A journey through various cultures to demonstrate that one can be inspired by diverse imaginations, playing with them, so as to become citizens of the world.’

And what a route he took! Roberto Cavalli brought his audience to the silk route, to where the trade winds travel, including the galleon ships that plied the Pacific and the Atlantic.

The Chinese contributed the Mandarin collar, seen on jackets and coats. In fact, the Mandarin costume became a velvet outer coat decorated with tone-on-tone stripes to that became evocative of the English Stuarts.

From the Stuarts came the thigh high boots, adorned with a bow, which was most definitely the contribution of the court of Louis XVI.

But Cavalli was not done with the East yet, as the kimono became the inspiration for blouses, capes and coats; the sleeves very recognizable, and the obi became the focal point as a belt.

Even the parasol made it. Very much a part of the Chinese and Japanese cultures to protect the ladies from the sun, the parasol came in animal prints, perhaps from African leopards or the Bengal tiger.

It’s truly the East meets the West, as the European corset was seen as bustiers, or part of the bodice, even done as an armor-like ensemble paired with a page-boy trouser.

This was a collection for making personal statements of fashion. As again the press notes said, Roberto Cavalli is ‘inviting young people to invent their personal look, with their own character and knowledge of fashion.

Just Cavalli

Just Cavalli

Just Cavalli

Just Cavalli