While I had heard of many designers early on in life, like Dior and Balenciaga, I must shamefully admit that I had never heard of Missoni until their 2011 collection with Target. Once you recognise it, the house has a distinctive look. And when I spotted it amidst the 1970s and 1980s pieces at the Fashion Museum, it still jumped out at me. (It was beside an Emmanuel dress, the pair who designed Diana’s wedding dress- that says something.) So today I’m going to look at these understated but ultimately stylish pieces, Missoni knits!
Missoni, the Fashion House
In 1953, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni founded a small knit-wear company in Gallarete. By 1958, they released a debut collection using the Missoni name in Milan, and it was immediately popular. The company has survived through to the present, though its popularity wanes and waxes throughout the years. As I said above, I was introduced when I was reading about the 2011 Missoni x Target Collaboration! (They were a part of the 20 years of Target collaborations collection in 2019, as well.) Still, they have their dedicated fans!
Missoni Knits
The reason why people do keep returning to Missoni is their knitwear. Missoni knits are stylish and fashionable, luxurious, and comfortable. While I don’t know that most people associate Italian fashion with knitwear, it actually helped established Italian sportswear. Missoni pieces tend to have very distinctive patterns; once you’ve seen a few, you can easily spot more. The metallic colouring woven through these pieces is spectacular in person (but difficult to catch on camera). Although this ensemble is theoretically very casual, it looked the height of style and luxury. People are dedicated, and it is easy to see why!
Have you ever seen any Missoni knits? Are you a fan, or do you think they are out of date?
Cheers,
The Historian
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