Casablanca Fall/Winter 2021
Casablanca’s Fall 2021 ready-to-wear collection is a full 1970s Wonderland fantasy. Fittingly titled Grand Prix, the collection pays extensive homage to Monaco's famed connection casinos and formula one racing. Designer Charaf Tajer gleefully plays with gendered style expectations, punctuating his menswear with pearls, bows and soft silhouettes, while also giving the womenswear line plenty of structured suiting — in addition to the obligatory slinky casino numbers.
While the casino pastiche can be a bit on the nose, the motifs are nevertheless their own form of escapism, and combine into some interesting re-imaginings. The chunky diamond patterns featured in the lineup are of particular note, morphing the play-card image into a harlequin-esque impression.
The wearer becomes a spectacle, a self-aware joker. There is certainly no shortage of cheek in Tajer’s designs, making it clear this is the exact persona of a Casablanca loyalist. The self-made enigma takes nothing seriously except their own leisure. This is epitomized by statement pieces like the psychedelic racetrack jumpsuit or the intentional color clash of a fuzzy two-piece leisure outfit.
Brightly colored and hyper-patterned statement pieces steal the show, but it’s Tajer’s immaculate tailoring that cements the line as pure luxury. The pants especially fit flawlessly, and the material pools and drapes like magic. The richness of the color palette transports the viewer into a fantastical throwback fantasy.
The mixing of materials and texture creates ultra-luxe ensembles that elevate the pattern play from visual gag to true statement piece. Silhouettes strait from the 1970s further up the opulence, creating a heady narrative of high-stakes nights and fast-paced days set against the backdrop of the label’s eponymous city.
The black-and-white pattern play seems like an obvious choice for a playing card aesthetic, but where the collection really shines is when it sets those ideas to full color: tangy scarlets, sharp greens, powdery blues. And the forays into highly literal textile design (like sweaters depicting a Formula One race) create an air of irreverent luxury. With so many ideas and impressions swirled into a single collection, Tajer takes a gaudy gamble — one that ultimately pays off.