I recently attended an event at the historic Berkeley City Club and wore this Marni dress. While I didn’t intend to do a blog post, I couldn’t resist capturing the windowpane check print on film. The club’s gothic architecture and moody lighting was the perfect backdrop for a dress that achieved it’s own icon status.
About the Marni Label : The hallmark of the brand is its juxtaposition of textures, bold prints and colors.
Marni is an Italian luxury fashion label founded in the mid-90’s by Consuelo Castiglione. The hallmark of the brand is its juxtaposition of textures, bold prints and colors.
As a latecomer to the fashion scene I first became aware of Marni when it launched a collaboration with H&M in 2012. It was a crazy time of designer collabs (who could forget Missonigeddon) with people camped out overnight. When the doors finally flung open, crowds bumrushed the racks, snatching up duplicates of items they would later sell on eBay for a profit.
The Marni at HM launched with similar excitement, but a (thankfully) more controlled queueing system. Although the website was flooded, with patience I selected a few pieces on the H&M website and eBay from the comfort of my home. From time to time I still check eBay for items from this collab; which is how I stumbled upon this Marni dress.
About the Marni Dress : This summer I finally came across the Marni dress on the Outnet for 50% off.
While the Marni dress isn’t from a high street collab it is no less a crazy-iconic item due to it being worn by Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour. Not to mention an eye-popping price tag. I fell for the print after seeing the blouse version in a Net-A-Porter styling tutorial. Posted on YouTube, the tutorial was a how-to-style featuring photographer (and style icon) Tamu McPherson of All The Pretty Birds.
Aside from the print, which speaks for itself, the split cuffs always reminds me of how unique the dress is. And while it’s not necessarily the most practical feature (don’t order soup with this), the bell sleeves are not something you see everyday.
This summer I finally came across the Marni dress on the Outnet for 50% off. And instantly added it to my “Wish List”. However, I later scored it from (you guessed it) Ebay for less than a third of the Outnet’s price. Although this dress is unfortunately not available (unless it resurfaces on a resale site), I love this chocolate silk Marni dress that is also at a reasonable price point.
The “Little Castle” : I was thrilled to learn this California Historical Landmark was designed by architect AND engineer Julia Morgan.
I was fortunate to be in the perfect place at the perfect time, and wearing the perfect Marni dress. The Berkeley City Club and Residences, located a stones throw from the UC Berkeley campus. I was thrilled to learn this California Historical Landmark was designed by architect (and engineer!) Julia Morgan. “Her interpretation of Moorish and Gothic elements in the Berkeley Women’s City Club created a landmark of California design”. The BCC was referred to as the “Little Castle” due to the resemblance to Hearst Castle which Ms. Morgan was building for the wealthy news magnate, around the same time.
Although Ms. Morgan was no stranger to fashionable clientele I wonder what she would have thought of another female engineer (myself) photographing fashion in this place she designed and engineered!
XoXo,
Kairee Tann, (civil engineer and fashion blogger) TenKeyPieces
