Etro’s Organic Couture

“She’s a free spirit — an artist in the middle of nowhere putting things together that are washed or burned out,” said Veronica Etro. “I call it ‘Organic couture’.”

Others might label the Etro show “hippie de luxe” but that does not quite sum up the lovingly lived-in materials worn on the runway as the hypnotic “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors played in the background.

Jim Morrison bringing fashion back from the Seventies — again? Veronica Etro’s offering seemed more convincing than most this Milan season because the mix and meld of fabrics and their original creation are all symbolic of the brand.

Sandals and boots dripping with suede fringing are Etro’s way to go. But there was so much more in the show: the graphic shape of a Native American poncho, and dresses with faded patterns and elegant shoes to move from California dreamin’ to the global world.