Of Samurais and the Owl ... Etro Fall/Winter 2010-11

I never knew how amber smells like. The only thing I know about amber is that it is a kind of semi-precious stone (although it is not literally a STONE by nature) with a vivid hue that exudes opulence and utmost magnificence. But at the Etro runway show in Milan last February, Etro immortalised the scent of amber into a collection of immaculate womenswear for its loyal female fans to own and don this autumn/winter.

Set in a Wunderkammer (according to the Etro website, Wunderkammer is a set of ‘rooms of wonders’ owned by each Etro family member, housing unique pieces and objects) perfumed with amber and absinthe, the Autumn/Winter womenswear collection 2010-2011 appeals to a refined and versatile collector whose taste inclines to an informal luxury, wrapped in the voluptuous caress of D’Annunzio-style robes and flowing kimonos.

Mini-robes draped over the double-breasted blazer are teamed with Sarouel-inspired pants, revisited from the view of luxury home wear, where the fur coats and cocktail frocks become cardigans. Apart from that, the spirit of neo-colonial is evoked through tweed pencil skirted suit, with the skirt falls below the knees and alternates with the wrap over effect of the draped version, embracing a kind of softness that favours lightweight yet corporeal and stretch fabrics.

Paying homage to a new tradition, Etro also unveils a new construal of the Paisley motif by presenting symbols that are sacred to the East Asian culture such as dragons as well as totems that are influenced by the evocative iconography of the samurai. Completing the autumn/winter Etro woman’s look are a host of delectable pumps in velvety textures, short army boots fastened with the knots of obi belts and jewelleries festooned with onyx, jade, coral and sodalite embellishments.

In the men’s section, Kean Etro looked to the owl as his muse for the autumn/winter menswear collection. In other words, Kean perceived the world of menswear through the eyes of an owl. The suits and the jackets describe a-rithmetic movements of change, the sleeves ergonomic, shaped like armour, the bag pockets made of pigskin or Lucchesia fabric from which emerges the crowned head of Apuleius’ “Golden Ass”.

Velvet tuxedos illuminate the misty night. For outdoors, Jackets in leather and suede the colours of the undergrowth, purple, green and brown, pulled in at the waist, knitted cuffs and structured sleeves: leather down jackets, reversible “upside-down” sheepskin sweatshirts, blouson jackets with heat-fused linings in lozenge-patterned fabric imprinted on leather.

For those who are constantly on the go, the bottoms of trousers and the edges of the jacket and coat sleeves are made with “fasteners” such as knitted cuffs, gaiters, frogs, external and intarsia elastic or cut on the bias of the same fabric.

Shirts are doused in the mellifluous colours of small pheasants, rabbits and hares, which lose themselves in the peaty grasslands. While algebraic rhythms and logarithms design animalier motifs on graph paper in walnut, mauve, raspberry, thrush, hedgehog and iguana. Cuffs and collars edged with flocks of wildlife birds traced in ink in a gravure-effect glade.

For accessories, the scarves and the ties are adorned with prints of the forest animals of the Northern Hemisphere in early November, while the squirrels popping their heads out of the pocket-burrow replace the handkerchief. Quilted rectangles appear across the bags, while shoes are done in “barriqued” saddlers’ leathers. To accessorise your Etro shirts, cufflinks in smoothened and polished stones or jewels decorated with woodland animals will certainly spice up your Etro man look.

The Etro autumn/winter 2010-11 collections will be available at all Etro boutiques and selected multi-brand boutiques and fine departmental stores worldwide soon.

*Photos by style.com

Etro - 3rd Floor, Parkson Pavilion, 168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.