Modern Vintage Sighting: Etro Spring/Summer 2012 Futurist Revival

When I mentioned in the last post that the Jazz Age revival on the runways for 2012 was more literal than it has been in many years, I wasn't kidding! The spring/summer 2012 collection from Etro not only put a modern twist on the 1920s silhouettes, but adapted the works of futurist painter Fortunato Depero (1892-1960) for the prints. This gives us a collection that captures the vivaciousness of the 1920s with less a sense of the impending doom of the Great Depression.

Whereas other collections have favored more mellow tones and softer prints, giving the impression of thoughtful commentary on modern economic times and their relation to the Jazz Age, the Etro collection is full of the carefree attitudes that would lead to the economic downturn without a sense of 20/20 hindsight. None of the impending doom or gloom as seen in some others.

However, it should be noted, that artist Depero's futurist style of painting went rapidly out of favor when it began to be tied to fascism (a movement which would lead to world war), so perhaps the use of his works as inspirations for the prints, despite their bright energy, is Etro's more hidden and surprising reference to today's less than optimistic economic and political climate.