In Pictures: Late Roberto Cavalli honoured in star-studded show

The first fashion show of Roberto Cavalli to be held since the passing of the brand’s namesake founder took place during Milan Fashion Week yesterday, and with it came a homage to Cavalli’s extensive archive in what became a star-studded yet bittersweet runway.

The brand is currently under the creative direction of Fausto Puglisi, who this season took inspiration from ‘Zancle’, the ancient name for the city of Messina in Sicily, where the designer was born.

Puglisi fused his experiences growing up in Messina with an “American-inflected vision”, referencing his ties to the US as a means of escape as the region where he took his first steps in fashion before returning to his home country.

These sentiments were reflected in the SS25 collection put forth in Milan, where everything from dresses to jewels incorporated details reflective of Messina – see the texture of fishermen’s ropes, the sunset and sea blue colour palette and the breezy pieces in froissè silk – while continuing to emphasise the drama synonymous of the US.

The story Puglisi seeked to shape was that of a “new Cavalli”, which emerged from the views of Zancle and came “charged with a summery ease and a deeply steeped love for the wonders of nature”.

To really mark this next chapter, Puglisi ended the show with a homage to Cavalli himself. Here, the late designer’s supermodel muses – Mariacarla Boscono, Karen Elson, Natasha Poly, Isabeli Fontana, Joan Smalls, Eva Herzigova and Alek Wek – were brought out for a grand finale, each sporting looks derived deep from the archives of Cavalli itself.

Among these were three asymmetric zebra print slip dresses from AW 2000, a black leather and chiffon siren gown from FW03 and three feathered gowns from FW04, all described in shows notes to have captured the “essence of Roberto’s untamed creativity and his love for wild glamour”.