Marni: The Modern Day Diary of Princess Margarita Theresa of Spain?

Perhaps it is because I was studying into the wee hours of the morning for my Art History exam during Fashion Week, or perhaps it is because my brain tends to organize fashion and art in the same pile of creative cultural records in my head, but I cannot help but notice the uncanny, yet delightful, similarities between the Fall 2009 Marni collection, and the elaborate wardrobe of Princess Margarita Theresa of Spain. 

Our visual record of Princess Margarita is almost entirely through Spanish Baroque artist Diego Velazquez's work. In the mid-1620s, Spain's King Philip IV named Velazquez the official court painter. Princess Margarita, Philip's favorite daughter, quickly became the focus of Velazquez's efforts. When she was born, the Princess was promised to her cousin, a member of the Austrian royal family. In a grand romantic gesture of arranged marriage, King Philip arranged for Margarita's portrait to be painted as gifts for her young Austrian fiancé.

The Baroque period in Spain was a time of drama and ornate details -- the fabrics heavy, the colors rich. The Spanish Empire was almost unbelievably powerful. Pockets were deep and elaborate clothing was becoming increasingly more accessible. Dresses made of metallic thread, heavy tapestry-like cloth, and jeweled details were the prize of royal closets. 

It is without question that pieces from the Marni collection are strikingly similar to some of Velazquez's most famous portraits of Princess Margarita Theresa. I'm not yet sure what the similarity means, if anything at all, but I do know that there's something antique, something lavish, and something opulent about it all. 

Infanta Margarita Theresa in a pink dress, Velaquez. 1654.

Marni Fall 2009

Queen Margarita on horseback, Velazquez. 1634-35.

Marni Fall 2009