Francesco Ragazzi’s obsession for Stateside youth cultures has made an eastbound leap for spring: his boys and girls trading their California-dreaming skater lives for a sweetened “Miami Vice” off-duty attitude.
Presented via look book imagery, he titled the Palm Angels collection “Welcome to Miami,” the city of anything-can-happen, neon signs and a sleazy past — all attributes the designer is charmed by and tried to embed in a redux of Palm Angels’ youth-minded garb, stripping off only a few of the most obvious flashy references.
Cue candy-hued boxy tailoring with strong lapels and pristine trenchcoats, a ‘90s-inflected tribute to Miami’s hedonism in Technicolor shades from the previous decade.
Workwear denim pants punctuated the lineup — boasting star prints or shiny surfaces — paired with ‘80s-style denim or leather biker jackets. They mingled with palms, hibiscuses, and shark prints galore, on shirtdresses, ankle-cropped pants, camp shirts and scuba-looking leotards.
A series of vintage photos drawn from the Getty Images archive — think diners flashing neon signs, offshore yachts decked in the American flag, cash and a scared-to-death face — appeared on flimsy slipdresses and workwear suits.
They were part of a collaboration between the brand and the photo agency — hence the watermark printed at the hems. They heightened Ragazzi’s youth-brimming trip to the Magic City.
Source: WWD