Fashion from the capital: MSGM 2016

CEBU, Philippines - Massimo Giorgetti quickly found an audience for his upbeat contemporary brand MSGM, launched four years ago. Street style types scooped it up – its bright colors and loud prints are irresistible to photographers – and now the label is found in hundreds of stores across the globe. His success landed him the plum assignment of creative director at Emilio Pucci.

At home at MSGM today, he tried something new, swapping much of the quirky sweetness of previous seasons for a more tomboyish, wannabe badass spirit. His notes mentioned Catherine Hardwicke’s skateboard movie “Lords of Dogtown,” but he could’ve just as easily been channeling another subculture turned mass culture, like grunge or punk, thanks to the shredded plaid separates, an oversize hoodie, and long knit pants that pooled at the soles of high-top sneaks.

But Giorgetti didn’t fully commit, and heavy silver chains wrestled with bows as the show’s dominant decorative motif. They first dripped from long tunics and laced up the would-be seams of chain-mail tees and skirts. (MSGM’s full-body collars could make “50 Shades of Grey’s” Anastasia Steele blush.) Bows, meanwhile, adorned waistlines and hips, trailing ribbons past the knees. Ruffles were supersized, too. Up until now, the magic at MSGM has been in the mix, but this season Giorgetti’s usual irreverence came off more like indecision.  (FREEMAN)