The barrage of performance artists in crocheted balaclavas, courtesy of Italian contemporary artist Aldo Lanzini, was a sign of things to come. Angela Missoni, in the spring Missoni collection shown in the cloisters of one of Milan’s oldest universities, wore a zany take on the traditional graduation ceremony garb. Oversized “mortar boards” were affixed to many of their heads while their gowns were billowing, academic-style robes. Missoni has always been colorful, but even this collection gave new meaning to that adjective. A true cacophony of patterns emerged–or burst, rather–onto the runway via kaleidoscopic stripes, zig-zags, diamonds, triangles and circles. At times it was near sensory overload. Oversized coats trailed over long skirts, split trousers came with bandeau-tops, and cropped pants with voluminous, pleated tunics. Underneath the long hems, were glimpses of brightly-patterned, knitted sandals, on square, fluorescent red or lime heels. Perhaps the most convulting? Many pieces mimicked “message boards,” printed with slogans such as “raw-like sushi,” “jungle boogie,” “give me your honey, baby” or “shaking all over.”
