Plan C (Q2110)
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Italian woman fashion brand
- GC S.r.l.
- Plan-C
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Plan C |
Italian woman fashion brand |
|
Statements
Carolina Castiglioni launched Plan C men’s alongside women’s at this year’s Pitti Uomo. The artsy installation was conceived with longtime collaborator Duccio Maria Gambi, a designer and sculptor who has worked with Castiglioni on the set-up of the label’s stores in Tokyo. Japan is a big market for Plan C, as the country’s edgy aesthetic resonates with the streamlined codes Castiglioni has infused into her brainchild. “In Japan, men have been buying from our women’s collection, so I thought it was time to give them proper attention and a dedicated offer,” she said.Castiglioni’s personal style has been the template around which she has built Plan C from day one; being partial to a certain boyishness and to sophisticated workwear, it was rather easy to pick references from the label’s archive that will suit a guy’s wardrobe also. Uniforms and functionality remained favorite key elements; tailoring with a relaxed edge, as well as the generous volumes of sporty outerwear were proposed for both genders.Indulging her affinity for artistic expression, the designer worked on a range of boxy tops and tunics in white canvas, one of the collection’s standouts. On their fronts, she reproduced a series of paintings made from photographs she took of her daughter Margherita, whose childish self-portrait scribbled at school serves as the label’s logo. As the saying goes, the apple never falls far from the tree.
12 June 2024
Carolina Castiglioni has a passion for contemporary art nurtured by her cultivated upbringing; her mother being Marni’s founder Consuelo Castiglioni, Carolina certainly has a trained eye. Her Milanese flat is filled with a carefully edited selection of best-in-class vintage furniture from the 1950 and ’60s, together with pieces from upcoming artists. No wonder her Plan C collections often reference the arts, one way or another.She recently paid a visit to Fondazione Burri in Città di Castello, which displays an exhaustive collection of Italian artist Alberto Burri, a painter and sculptor associated with the matterism and informal artistic movement of the ’50s. Castglioni was inspired by Burri’s powerful use of color and the forceful impact of his texture. She translated his color scheme into the collection’s reduced yet intense palette of saturated red and tobacco, with accents of yellow set against white and black; the spare, reduced aesthetic of Burri’s oeuvre also resonated with the designer’s flair for graphic lines and precise silhouettes.The rectangle was the geometric pattern Castiglioni worked around for the construction of a strong outerwear offering; rectangular panels were assembled to give shape to a masculine coat in thick herringbone wool, or wrapped around the waist, becoming circular asymmetrical skirts with loose panels that evoked undulating trains, somehow softening the workwear-inflected functionality and edgy plays on volumes the designer goes for.Also in the mix were voluminous cotton piuminos, roomy outdoorsy parkas with shearling details, and neat zippered leather jackets. Elsewhere, masculine-inspired tailoring was treated to softer undertones, with fluid silk blouses and wide-leg trousers. It highlighted the attitude of femininity Castiglioni has introduced to smooth the rigor of her design, without detracting from the artsy edge ingrained in her approach.
16 January 2024
Carolina Castiglioni introduced denim for resort, signaling that her Plan C offer is in expansion mode. She also smoothed the edges of the collection’s utilitarian feel to pursue a more sophisticated approach. Although done subtly, it was a perceptible shift.While keeping lines clean and graphic, Castiglioni worked on the details of each garment to make it more expressive. Cue the addition of asymmetry-creating side panels to ankle-grazing skirts and straight-cut slip dresses, and draped gatherings at the back that gave a sweatshirt its rounded shape. Playing with the functional, a trench coat in tobacco canvas was actually composed of two distinct pieces that can be worn separately—one an elongated waistcoat, the other a detachable cropped bomber. “The look is simplified, but only deceptively,” she pointed out at a studio appointment.Plan C’s sporty and slightly tomboyish attitude was also toned down a notch in favor of new tailored propositions, another first for Castiglioni. Masculine blazers were offered both in roomy and small-proportioned versions and paired with very short shorts in a palette of light pastels that replaced the bold color-blocking of past seasons. “It’s always rather pragmatic, but more elegant,” she said.The lineup was given a gentler touch via decorative textured surfaces like sequins, encrusted lace, fans of plissé inserts, embroidered mesh, and nylon with a liquid finish. Letting her softer side surface, Castiglioni loosened up a certain rigidity in favor of a more nuanced angle.
15 June 2023
Carolina Castiglioni softened Plan C’s edges for fall, giving a feminine, softer spin to the collection. Do not expect any twist to the girly though, as Castiglioni kept her workwear-inspired, utility-oriented ethos in place; she just amped up the eclectic factor, always with an eye to the tasteful sense of balance ingrained in her creative genes.A detachable bow was the feminine touch she added to sartorial suits, knitted pieces and hybrid outerwear, whose construction was also simplified while remaining interesting and slightly edgy. The silhouette remained precise but was less rigid, and the contrast between different fabrics within the same garment yielded fresh results. A voluminous coat combined black padded taffeta with tobacco brushed wool, while a greatcoat in salt-and-pepper tweed was bonded in furry teddy wool. On the same note, a fluid apron dress had patchworked panels in three different printed micro patterns—one replicating a delicate vintage lingerie motif, one geometric, and the third an abstract motif drawn as if it were lit from behind. Miniskirts and frilly bralettes worn over poplin shirts and roomy trousers, as well as overall smaller, reduced proportions, were also an indication that a more supple, lighter energy was at work.Castiglioni’s artsy spirit was showcased in the color block combinations that are a highlight of her collections. Pistachio and amethyst, lime and tobacco, along with accents of cerulean blue, mint, and black made for an attractive, musical chromatic palette.
16 January 2023
Carolina Castiglioni isn’t just passionate about design; she’s a true connoisseur. Her sprawling new flat in Milan overlooking the Castello Sforzesco is filled with a collection of museum-worthy furniture pieces, assembled with an offbeat, cultivated eye. Her Plan C line has the same purity of lines, refined functionality, and unconventional undertones as that apartment. To shoot the lookbook images for the fall collection, she had a set built to recreate a ’50s minimalistic interior inspired by Le Corbusier, a space defined by a series of movable panels painted in the saturated colors she favors.“Garments have to be functional, I don’t like when details are there just for aesthetic purposes,” she said at an appointment in her showroom, which is decorated with remarkable design pieces from the ’60s and ’70s. Castiglioni worked her rigorous approach on roomy silhouettes, focusing on inventive outerwear made in the substantial fabrications she likes, playing with block colors and accents of bold abstract prints.What was interesting was the designer’s gently deconstructed take on utility or sport-inflected outdoor pieces like anoraks, parkas, and trenchcoats of voluminous presence, styled with stretchy cycling pants and turtlenecks as underpinnings. On a more feminine note, there were sweeping long dresses with plissé panels in crisp cotton; a particularly appealing version was offered in a delicate floral macramé motif printed on rubbery cotton. Castiglioni likes an unconventional contrast; a sequined pencil skirt in a pale shade of tea was paired with an anorak in sturdy cotton canvas in tobacco, while a slender shift dress in macro sequins was trimmed with sporty knitted details at the neckline. A bold striped pattern printed on a three-piece suit also broke the collection’s rhythm, introducing a touch of eccentricity.
23 June 2022
Carolina Castiglioni isn’t exactly keen to talk references or to give hints about the inspirations and subtexts underpinning her collections. She bets on her own world and her own style; every season, she returns to her preferred set of parameters, repeating them with slight variations. At the very least, she’s rather reticent to talk about anything other than her work.For fall, she riffed on her repertoire of workwear-inspired outerwear staples, built on uncomplicated, roomy, architectural shapes enlivened by saturated color blocking, intarsia, patchworks, and play between feminine and masculine elements. Researching fabrics with a technical feel and interesting surface texture is one of Castiglioni’s pleasures. This season, she experimented with an unusual vertical-horizontal quilting pattern on techno taffeta for elongated, modularpiuminopuffers, as well as with round-shaped macro sequins silk-screen-printed in abstract florals, replicating the collection’s main printed theme. Another example was a cotton/nylon blend with a translucent liquid effect and a rubbery finish, made into a padded trapeze coat in a bold shade of cobalt blue.Contrasts played out across the collection. Dresses in floral-printed georgette ran counter to tailored coats cut with an industrial feel; a patchworked shearling bomber had detachable knitted sleeves. Custom-made printed macro sequins trimmed the hem of a felted straight skirt, while in their micro version they covered the front of a black sleeveless tunic. The offer was energized by Castiglioni’s favorite colors, bright shades of magenta, yellow, and cobalt blue.
20 January 2022
An artistic streak runs in the Castiglioni family. Carolina wouldn’t be Consuelo’s daughter if she didn’t love creative expression in some form. Her Plan C project was born with the intention of becoming a platform for her passions—not only fashion, but interior decoration, design, and architecture. That’s why, when offered to shoot her new lookbook in one of Milan’s architectural gems, she didn’t miss the chance.The Torre Velasca was built in the ’50s as one of the city’s first (and actually quite few) modernist skyscrapers. It sits in the pantheon of Milan’s landmarks, together with the Duomo and the Castello Sforzesco. Protected as an historic building, it’s now undergoing a lengthy renovation and is closed to the public. Castiglioni has loved the Torre and its mushroom-shaped silhouette since she was a child, so she was delighted to be granted access to the site. “It was such a privilege,” she said during a Zoom call. “We were given the keys of a huge penthouse on the 25th floor at the very top of the Torre. The view was so exceptional, we just couldn’t get enough of it.”Castiglioni favors clean shapes and generously cut workwear-inspired volumes updated with a sophisticated modernist feel—all of which looked at home in the fabulous location. For resort, she played as usual on roomy tailoring, adding inlaid belts, back velcro closures, and patched pockets for decorative utility. The unusual block color combinations of the clothes matched, by sheer serendipity, those of the beautifully tiled floor of the Torre’s terrace. They added an urban vibe to bermuda suits worn over hoodies and sweats, and energized tank top dresses and light round-cut dusters with drawstring parachute hems. Retro athletic accents are very much part of Castiglioni’s lexicon. Shoes were inspired by cycling, basketball, and boxing; sporty bombers were proposed in a few attractive masculine checkered versions.Averse to conventional representations of femininity, Castiglioni’s style leans towards the tomboyish. Even the most exquisite long flounced dress printed with delicate ikat flowers is worn with a colorblocked canvas varsity jacket, or pared down by an unpretentious sleeveless fleece sweatshirt. However, she did indulge in a bit of sparkle to spin the rather controlled attitude of the collection in a different direction.
It’s time to let ourselves go a little, is it not? An XL basketball tee and shorts ensemble was a shimmering delight in moss green and teal sequins; actually it was the collection’s standout.
18 June 2021
Carolina Castiglioni shot Plan C’s fall look book on the beach at Forte dei Marmi, an elegant seaside resort in Tuscany. Looking at the images, one feels longing for a life in which enjoying a walk on the beach, breathing the fresh air, and looking at a blue sky are all givens. That obviously isn’t the case at the moment, but as the saying goes, hope springs eternal.Castiglioni is looking ahead to a moment, months from now, when people will once more grant themselves permission to desire a special piece of clothing—and to reach for their dormant credit cards to pay for it. “Practicality and comfort have always been what my collections are about,” she said on a Zoom call from her studio in Milan. “For me, there’s no need to further highlight such concepts today just because.” She’s to be believed, as a penchant for the detailed practicality of workwear has always been well represented in her collections. Her fall offering revolves around bold everyday choices.Castiglioni’s delicate features belie a quiet determination. “I’ve always been a bit tomboyish,” she said. Her personal style was translated rather seamlessly into the collection; she’s adamant that she only designs what she likes to wear herself. Masculine undertones anchored the offering, complemented by a fondness for the sculptural and the energizing use of saturated block colors, which gave some vibrancy to the functional shapes she favors.Despite riffing on familiar territory, Castiglioni nevertheless added a slightly sweeter touch than usual to her silhouettes, which were a bit more shapely without being overtly seductive. Waistlines were enhanced and cinched by adjustable drawstrings, and a workwear-inflected jumpsuit was also proposed in a fluid evening version. Elsewhere, florals in vivid colors were printed on geometric-cut midi-dresses. They were a dash of graceful indulgence, which nicely softened an otherwise confident, efficiently inventive collection.
28 January 2021
“When the border between Italy and Switzerland was suddenly closed because of the lockdown, I was spending winter break in Engadin [Switzerland] with my kids. So I couldn’t come back to Milan,” said Carolina Castiglioni. “I got stranded in the mountains.” There are certainly worse ways to spend quarantine. “I know I’ve been privileged to spend time in such a beautiful place,” she acknowledged during a safe-distanced appointment at her label’s headquarters. Making the best out of the situation, her spring 2021 collection was a sort of grateful ode to the time she spent in Celerina, a small village near Saint Moritz, taking long walks and bicycle rides with her kids in the forest and along the lake.To keep memories of this extraordinary moment, Castiglioni, who’s an accomplished photographer, took pictures to chronicle the immersive feeling of being surrounded by such glorious natural landscapes. The images—from the melting of winter snow to the blooming of spring flowers in fields—were translated into collages, becoming patchwork prints that gave the collection its visual character.Plan C was born as Castiglioni’s personal take on style: a bit tomboyish, utilitarian, and imaginatively practical in a very Milanese way. Artsy, feminine flourishes are occasional and non-ostentatious, yet her reserved demeanor reveals a certain self-confidence. Bold block colors, oversized volumes, and silhouettes with a radical twist are testament to the strength of her design convictions. The simple yet structured shapes she favors were proposed for spring as a focused take on her style staples: geometric-cut, roomy tunic dresses with functional drawstrings; masculine shirts with detachable details; deconstructed outerwear with a light, inventive construction. Responsibly sourced fabrics were fresh and crisp to the touch, while retaining the substantial feel necessary for Castiglioni’s generous volumes.Castiglioni wanted to give the collection an optimistic vibe; besides creating patchwork shirts and dresses with her digitally reworked prints, she chose uplifting colors to communicate the feel-good energy she experienced during her full immersion in nature: “When I arrived in Switzerland, it was still winter. When we left, trees and fields were lush with green,” she explained. The chromatic spectrum spanned from snowcapped-mountain whites to forest greens and sunny oranges; herbarium prints were graceful nods to the bouquets her kids collected during their walks.
That spirit of wanderlust is captured by a short movie Castiglioni is presenting during Milan Digital Fashion Week. Shot by filmmaker Luca De Santis, it retraces the places where Castiglioni spent her lockdown, creating, through Google Maps Street View’s visual language, a sort of sentimental map of her (rather blissful) quarantine.
14 July 2020
Carolina Castiglioni staged a more elaborate presentation than usual for fall, moving away from the artsy-bourgeois comfort of her headquarters and decamping to a more neutral space, where she set up an abstract installation. Minimal metallic structures defined small “theaters,” as she called them, framing models standing on low plinths. But as always with Castiglioni, “it’s all about the family,” as she put it. Her children’s toys—a stuffed rabbit, a fat plastic airplane—were discreetly keeping models company, placed on the plinths’ corners. And pale shadows of kitchen tools—a colander, a ladle, spoons, and forks—and of her favorite tables and chairs were projected onto walls, like in a domestic shadow play. The tight-knit Castiglioni clan was, as usual, out in force.Despite all the family support and a few presentations already under her belt, Castiglioni still remains press-shy and reserved. Today she seemed to have somehow relaxed into her role though—and her collection seemed to have relaxed too. While still being partial to a play on construction and favoring bold utilitarian and uniform-inspired volumes supported by substantial masculine or technical fabrics, she has introduced more fluidity and ease. Castiglioni has a natural sense of elegance tinged with a tomboy streak and an edgy twist. Her floral skirts and dresses—there were a few very covetable ones in the collection—are feminine in an interesting but not obvious way, built with unexpected asymmetrical plays of ruches and plissés and printed with an unconventional choice of naïf patterns; they convey an artsy vibe more than romance or overt seduction. They were also often worn over matching pants or under strict, sharp-cut masculine coats—which just added to Castiglioni’s off-kilter take on the subject. The chromatic palette she favors is also very personal, whimsical in a bold, self-confident way: bright green, cobalt, yellow, red, bubblegum pink—primary colors as seen through the eyes of her two children. They’re often one of the designer’s inspirations; they were actually behind the creation of Bianca, a funny character sketched on rubber patches, appliquéd throughout the collection, from mannish felted-wool coats to the big square pockets of sharp-cut tabards. A picture Castiglioni took of her daughter Margherita wearing 3D glasses was reworked digitally and printed on T-shirts and canvas totes, or appeared as intarsia on the back of a sartorial trench coat.
Chez Castiglioni, family really matters.
21 February 2020
The entire surface of Carolina Castiglioni’s Milanese showroom, a modernist flat which served as an atelier for her grandmother’s business, was wrapped in thin sheets of plastic, almost erasing walls, floors, and furniture from perception. It felt like a gesture conveying a subtle message—a desire to keep the noise of the outside world at bay, allowing space to focus on the convictions, ideas, and beliefs that truly matter. Despite her delicate, patrician looks, the designer certainly has conviction to spare.Plan C, the young label she launched three seasons ago, is growing steadily and fast. “But not too fast,” said her father, Gianni Castiglioni, who invested in his daughter’s collections after exiting Marni together with wife Consuelo. “We pay close attention to production and distribution, picking the right partners and growing organically,” he said. It’s a savvy strategy for a niche label, which allows Carolina to pursue her own vision while carving a space in the marketplace. It’s a luxury not many young designers can afford today.Carolina might benefit from the family fashion expertise, but the look is her own. “I design only what I like to wear,” she said firmly. The staples of Plan C style are clearly defined: a flair for sportswear and workwear revisited with an artsy touch and Milanese practicality; a penchant for clear construction and vintage utilitarian shapes, smoothed by an off-kilter, almost awkward sense of romance.This season, the oversize volumes that in previous collections felt a bit overblown and challenging were toned down; the silhouette was controlled yet more feminine, with plays on plissé, fringe, and glossy finishes creating a sense of movement. Floral prints were wallpaper-y and exuberant, gracing maxi jumpsuits and billowy organza tiered dresses and worn under military-inspired belted jackets in Japanese canvas and trenchcoats with detachable color-blocked life jackets. The tomboyish attitude Carolina favors was tempered by a vibrant color palette of jade green, emerald green, and sunflower yellow.Small niche labels are what keep today’s fashion landscape lively and creative. Their points of difference energize the industry, bringing the conversation forward while appealing to customers looking for something unique. Plan C belongs to this new breed of independent spirits, ready to take risks to get their ideas across.
21 September 2019
Carolina Castiglioni launched her label, Plan C, only last season, yet the outing has already proved successful. The collection has been picked up by major international retailers, and a flagship store just opened in Tokyo. Yet at today’s presentation, Castiglioni didn’t boast and kept her usual cool. Dressed in one of her creations, a long, techno taffeta tiered black skirt and a dark chunky knit sweater, she said: “I just do what I like and what I’d like to wear.”The Castiglionis (a fashion dynasty, since Carolina’s parents, Consuelo and Gianni, founded Marni in 1994) are passionate about art and design; their taste, albeit cultivated, isn’t bourgeois or chichi in the least, but rather tinged with an idiosyncratic streak that the designer has inherited and translated her own way. Her aesthetic is artistic and expressive, and a touch experimental in its penchant for big, at times challenging, volumes and its high-tech–meets–artisanal take on elevated streetwear. The playful boldness in the use of saturated, vivid color-blocking and the consistent, thick-verging-on-stiff Japanese fabrications that she favors are becoming somewhat of a signature, showing that behind her composure, the young Castiglioni has chutzpah.Her Fall outing felt like an evolution toward a more accomplished proposition, with some softness creeping in, smoothing the edges of the utilitarian and mannish flair she favors. Cases in point were a feminine dress in pleated printed silk with trailing ribbons, and an oversize sweatshirt printed with graphic motifs worn over a striped knitted skirt in bright colors. A quilted pale yellow pouf miniskirt looked delightful, paired with an oversize Shetland ribbed cardigan; a long feathered necklace-scarf, wrapped around the collar of a voluminous herringbone-wool zippered waistcoat, added a touch of whimsy. Long, billowy gowns in techno duchesse satin appeared somehow regal yet ironic, worn with thick ribbed sweaters or oversize, patchwork windbreakers to unconventional effect.Fashion today is looking for distinctive voices, able to stand out and surprise with a unique, personal vision. Plan C seems to be on the right path.
23 February 2019
Carolina Castiglioni has an impeccable fashion pedigree; her mother, Consuelo, founded the cult label Marni in 1994 (she exited the brand in 2016); her father, Gianni, was the company’s CEO and the scion of a well known family that has provided luxurious furs to generations of well heeled Milanese ladies. Fashion is clearly in Carolina Castiglioni’s blood. It’s not surprising, then, that she wanted to take the baton and launch her own line, which she called Plan C. The tight-knit Castiglioni clan has been a support since day one.The young Castiglioni comes across as politely reserved, but she expressed a precise point of view in her first collection. “I like a play between feminine and masculine elements, oversize volumes, clean sculptural construction, and consistent fabrications,” she said during the presentation, held at the old headquarters of her family’s fur company, which she’d refurbished with a whimsical modernist look. “I like to wear what I design, so my collection, as creative as it could be, also had to be wearable.” She refrained from using the wordartsy, so often associated with her mother’s work at Marni: “Of course I have absorbed from my family a certain aesthetic, but my vision is deeply personal,” she emphasized.The collection read as a wardrobe of strong, individual pieces for the everyday, infused with a sense of unfussed quirk. Roomy outerwear—big parkas, boxy blazers, leather bombers—had a tomboyish charm, counterbalanced by more feminine, sculptural shapes. Long circle or plissé skirts, apron dresses with adjustable waistbands or quirky sundresses had a structured, disciplined silhouette, held firmly in place by the consistent fabrications that Castiglioni favors, together with an assertive palette of saturated colors. No flimsy, ethereal chiffons here; instead there were substantial textures like bonded cady, Japanese cotton canvas or crisp poplin, polypropylene knits, and Thermo-stitched houndstooth.As a first outing, it was definitely promising. The look was strong and confident, which is no small feat for a young designer. Yet the best part was when Castiglioni let loose her sweet, more sentimental, eccentric side, as in the lacquered canvas totes printed with her young daughter’s childish, scribbled portraits of her brother and her best friend. They looked utterly adorable.
21 September 2018