MILAN, Sep 22, 2007/ FW/ --- The mysterious Normaluisa’s quirky sense of humor hit it right on the spot today as she presented her Spring 2008 womenswear collection with rose petals and plastic chairs from Kartell as backdrop.

Aside from the fact that Normaluisa presented a very beautiful collection this season, she also partnered with Kartell and mixed two divergent elements, modernity (courtesy of Kartell’s plexiglass chairs) and romanticism provided by the red rose petals on the runway.

As already have been mentioned here before, the fashion world is on the verge of change as the end of the first decade of the 21st century draws near. Normaluisa, like most of her peers is experimenting with the use of new materials, even divergent ones to create the new look, texture and/or silhouette.

As part of her partnership with Kartell, Lorenza Luti created plastic headbands for the collection that was worn by every model and paired with every piece in the collection. And, it worked!

Tunics with ¾ sleeves were crafted from embossed fabric, silk chiffon tank dresses were paired with soft knitted cardigans, drop-down waist box pleated minis rolled the hem for volume were matched with scarves folded like cummerbunds to act like a normal belt. Collarless blouson jackets were proposed without collars while empire dresses were layered with tiny die-cut fabric for a retro-medieval yet very modern look.

If the collection reminds you of Jacqueline Kennedy, yes… you are right. The timeless charm of the former American First Lady was seen throughout the collection. The innocence and hopefulness of that era was successfully translated into clothing.

But, don’t leave your seats yet, because Normaluisa is not finished still. As most of her fans know, Normaluisa does not take a bow at the end of the show. Instead, she gives her audience a surprise.

This time, the surprise was Marie-Antoinette, a bigger than life animated photo of the last French queen was projected on the wall. Her lips moving and giving the audience a wink, she said, ‘Merci beaucoup! Au revoir! She was also wearing a Kartell plexiglass chair as a hair ornament.

Now, if you are thinking that all of these elements are disjointed, think again, because actually, everything is related. The chairs, though they might be plastic are based on Louis XVI furniture.

Jacqueline Kennedy’s maiden name is Bouvier, due to her French ancestry. Partly because of this, Jackie Kennedy had always felt a bond with France, which was reinforced by her education there.

Hence, a Jackie Kennedy-inspired collection ending with Marie-Antoinette winking and saying thanks and goodbye has certain logic to it.

Today, after this presentation, another adjective had been added to describe Normaluisa – mysterious, quirky sense of humor and purveyor of intellectual fashion.

Normaluisa

Normaluisa

Normaluisa

Normaluisa