MILAN, Sep 27, 2009 / FW/ — It’s about style, it’s about being true to one’s self, it’s about a refusal to compromise simply because others are doing it. Manuela Arcari made it possible to link summer and winter “without forgoing label’s history and stylistic rigour.”

Ter et Bantine Spring 2010

From the winter collection, summer pieces were born. Jackets were given three quarter and short sleeves while gray and beige were done in lighter shades. It means turning oversize sleeveless jackets into dresses, and wearing large male cut waistcoats against the body.

The main theme is the play of opposites with either very short or even midi lengths, and clinging or wide forms that swirl around the body. Hieratic, pencil slim, longuette dresses stand out against maxi T-shirts made of stiff fabric that seem to dance on the body.

Silk fabrics are bright, while cottons are intentionally opaque and virtually mute. The silk sheen is contrasted by the dusty fané effect created by certain dyeing processes, intentionally imperfect. Contrasts are driven further to verge on the trompe-l’oeil effect of necklines.

Double-faced dresses with a high-necked, nun-like front leave a bare back behind. Toned down sexy features appear at a second glance, with allusive refinement as a pleasant surprise.

In seeking a personal concept of understated elegance that is rooted in the illustrious history of fashion, Manuela Arcari is the ideal interpreter of the ultimate need for soberness.

Adapting rigour for summer means linking up to the winter collection to propose a wide range of jackets, developing them with three quarter and short sleeves. It means turning oversize sleeveless jackets into dresses, and wearing large male cut waistcoats against the body.