Call it when Gustav Klimt met Led Zeppelin. Stranger pairings have happened in fashion, and in the hands of Peter Dundas and his Roberto Cavalli girls, it sorta makes total sense. The opulence, grandeur and pile-on of velvet and fur was there for both the artist and the band.

Denim hasn’t been that big a player this season, and yet it looked pretty darn good at Cavalli and not even remotely out of step with its gilded surroundings. With everything Seventies feeling fresh again, Dundas’ references were spot on, from the velvet military jackets to the way he used long skinny scarves. These girls could easily have been groupies or girlfriends for the band or extras in a Sofia Coppola movie

Prints pulled in the whiplash curls and tendrils of Klimt’s Art Nouveau contemporaries. And the chi-chi lounging attitude of sheer luxe gowns and beaded columns could have passed for the off-duty wares of Klimt’s rich subjects.

It was fun, fast and well-done, but it did feel a little too dead-on Seventies, which made moments where he eased up all the better. Like pairing killer python boots with a beaded wrap dress cinched with a pirate belt.

But all things have their place in the world. And lamé, velvet, lace, fringe, patchwork, leopard, python and all that glitters and sizzles is the Cavalli way of life. And for all the retro flare, there’s a modern kind of humor in the mix of gold lamé military jacket decorated with monkeys.

From: Harper’s BAZAAR US