Romeo Gigli (Q5455)

Romeo Gigli is having a moment. The designer’s signature cocoon shapes are everywhere, and the “Gigliana” folder I keep is stuffed with references from established and emerging brands as well as student portfolios.Why now? If you had asked me that question when the pandemic hit, I would have attributed the Gigli references to the collective need for comfort, and softness. Clothes as a caress. From comfort I started thinking more broadly about the rounded shapes that we’re seeing (in the form of curved seams, puff skirts or dramatic capes) as part of a larger shift toward a feminine energy in fashion. This might be wishful thinking, but I like to think these circular motifs are representative of a fresh way of approaching the world in a more flexible, winding, non-binary way; the quick, straight-line approach, having revealed its limitations over time.Adding to this growing pile of evidence was hearing students and designers talk about how lockdown restrictions had required them to do creative problem solving, which often involved handwork. The pandemic, by necessity, highlighted the tactile aspect of making and materials. What resulted, often, were pieces that felt more personal, at a time when people were dressing primarily for themselves, favoring a separates-based, rather than total-look, approach to fashion.Gigli, a self-taught designer, brought a personal approach to fashion that was informed by his own experience wearing custom-made clothing, and concocting impromptu outfits for his girlfriends. He never designed in a void, and his focus was not on hanger appeal or photo shoots. The designer, who draped on a model, has said that he always had a specific woman in mind, and envisioned his clothes coming alive on a woman’s body. It’s shocking how rare this approach to fashion is now, and how often designers talk about “their woman,” meaning a type, rather than a person.Before we consider Gigli’s contributions to fashion, a bit of background is in order. The designer—who now spends much of his time in Morocco, working with local craftspeople—was born in 1949 in Castel Bolognese, the only child of a cultured and noble family of antiquarian booksellers. His mother wore Parisian couture; his father Savile Row suits. In the 1960s, he was sent to London to study English, but spent most of his time there with Italian friends, absorbing the spirited, free hippie vibe.