Wool Skirt

Despite the fact that this skirt was made for a different collection at a different time, the recycled wool of the skirt matches the recycled wool of the jacket. Marras indicated that the materials came from a suit of one of his uncles, adding another layer of meaning to his inspiration and suggesting that his motivations and politics are not just satirical but based in personal memory and history as well. In this pastiche, he pays homage to the humble plebeian practice of patching as much as to native Sardinian influences.

The exaggeratedly long train is anti-functional and backed by a canvas resembling an ordinary house painter’s drop-cloth, painted in an abstract expressionist style. Complete with patches from the lower sleeves of a man’s suit, buttons and all, the obvious basting stitches emphasize the ordinarily concealed mechanics of construction. At the edge of the train, heavy beadwork is applied to fragile netting, which also covers the entire area of the canvas; and the sides of the train are edged with gaudy machine-made lace. Altogether the outfit is a medley of contradictions that raise questions well beyond the borders of fashion, while giving a theatrical presentation appropriate to the defile of the runway.