Ones to watch: Marani’s literal take on interior design

Date July 18, 2011

Body-morphing architectural design dates back to pannier skirts and wasp-waist corsets. Today, Paris-based Italian designer Alberto Marani has brought building aesthetics to fashion in the most literal way possible: printing them onto clothing. The designer transposed images of interior spaces onto the basic and uncomplicated dresses in his Winter 2011 collection.

The son of an architect, Marani followed suit, studying in the field until he took up fashion design at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture Parisienne. After gaining some experience alongside Gianfranco Ferré and working for four years as chief designer at Dior, he launched a small collection of knitwear that reached cult status among fashion insiders. Soon after, Marani expanded said collection to include finely tailored pieces.

Marani’s ultra-streamlined Winter 2011 collection features only a handful of dresses. High necklines, long sleeves, knee-length hems and the absence of a defined waist characterize the shifts. Marani continues to draw from his father’s line of work (even his logo takes a cue from the famed Le Corbusier). Like a ’20s meets ’60s mash-up of basic shapes, the collection keeps it interesting with the use of inspiring prints. Images of contemporary spaces—featuring bulky office chairs, sleek picture frames and wooden storage units, transposed over panels of black, camel and red—adorn the dresses in a similar vein to Mary Katrantzou’s Spring 2011 show (though Katrantzou went back to the ’70s). The next time shopping for clothes wins out over fixing up the house, invest in Marani. He’ll satisfy both.