Missoni mines the Gypset vibe for Spring 2010

Angela Missoni must have been thinking back to the brand's 1970s heyday when she designed the spring Missoni show staged Sunday in the leafy courtyard of Milan University with students looking on. Between all the brash, 1980s-era bubble skirts and flashy embellishments this season, it was refreshing to see a collection that wasn't trying too hard.

Loose mesh, lace and origami-knits in soothing colors were draped and layered around the body in a seemingly haphazard way. Miniskirts were layered over bodysuits, transparent cropped tank tops over bandeaus, and long cardigans or duster over everything.  

It was about piling it on, just as the fall season was, but in a more organic way. (At the show, Margherita Missoni, Angela's daughter and the brand muse, epitomized the carefree look, wearing a knit bodysuit and tube skirt that were quite possibly intentionally worn without a bra or a slip.)

The models' ribbon and chain friendship bracelets, fringed pouch purses and sandals embellished with ankle bracelets could have easily been souvenirs from distant travels.

The show brought to my mind the new bohemians, or Gypset (gypsy jet set), as profiled in Julia Chaplin's recent book--chic global nomads like Jade Jagger and Devendra Banhart. (In New York, Proenza Schouler tapped into the Gypset vibe, too.)

Combined with the postcard-perfect sunny day, it was enough to make me want to ditch Milan and head for the Missoni compound in Sardinia. I'm sure a few of the students felt the same way.

-- Booth Moore

Photo: A look from Missoni's Spring/Summer 2010 women's ready-to-wear runway collection shown during  Milan Fashion Week. Photo credit: Peter Stigter and Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

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