La Bella d’Alghero: Antonio Marras Stages a Sartorial Opera for AW25

Antonio Marras Presents AW25 'La Bella d'Alghero,' transforming a forgotten Sardinian opera into a darkly romantic fashion narrative in Milan.

By Jesse Scott

Antonio Marras unveiled a richly layered operatic universe for AW25, guiding guests on a dramatic voyage through La Bella d'Alghero. Set in Marras's Sardinian hometown of Alghero, the opera was performed for the first and only time, at the Rossini Music School in Pesaro, in 1892.

Giovanni Fara Musio's score has been lost, while Antonio Boschini's libretto was only recently located in Pesaro and at the Library of the International Museum of Music in Bologna. The story of its rediscovery was particularly moving for Marras, who is a true scholar of the arts and consistently weaves profoundly imaginative narratives into collections that connect music, film, and fashion.

Sardinian sensibilities are omnipresent in his work (for example, last season's collection was inspired by Hollywood star Anna Maria Pierangeli) and thus the opera was a natural source of inspiration as he continues to revive forgotten rhythms of his beautiful island on the Milanese runways.

Music and Art Merge in Magnificent Melodrama

_La Bella d'Alghero_is a quintessentially melodramatic opera, centering on two sisters deeply in love with the same man. The story ends with that man throwing himself off the promontory of Capo Caccia. Marras brought the haunting spirit of that opera to an immersive runway experience that combined music and art upon a textured tapestry of Pinstripe, Prince of Wales, herringbone, jacquard, and taffeta. The soulful soundtrack shifted between mournful, uplifting, and nostalgic, mirroring the emotional journey of the opera and keeping an exclusive audience, including Andrea Faccio, Olivia Palermo, Lin Lin, and, most memorably, Sharon Stone, riveted.

Meanwhile, Marras turned his silhouettes into a vehicle for his visual art; a Renaissance man, he personally created sketches and portraits to be replicated on the garments. The show notes mentioned "artistic mishaps," called "cioroddus" by the people of Alghero. Yet there was nothing remotely unfortunate about the deliberate series of brushstrokes that danced across these designs. Marras is one of the most detail-oriented designers in Milan (as one has to be to execute his grand visions), with every silhouette and symbol telling a story. This season saw the black rose, emblematic of dark romance and tragic beauty, serve as a key protagonist. Introduced as a play on the bouttonière in the first look, its stem wrapping around the bodice like a tendril (Look 1), it recurred on a series of styles ranging from tartan to sheer pinstripe (Look 12, 19).

Antonio Marras AW25, Looks 1, 12, 19 (Photos courtesy of Antonio Marras)

Black was the basis of Marras' palette, eventually giving way to white, grey, and pops of vibrant colors (Look 58, 59) as the expansive 89-look collection unfolded. A personal favorite look was a dramatic white fur that seemed to completely envelop the model and was emblazoned with a blood red rose/heart symbol on the left breast (Look 63).

Antonio Marras AW25, Looks 58, 59, 63 (Photos courtesy of Antonio Marras)

Other highlights included a cream dress with sketches of roses and spindly fingers snaking down the bodice (a touch of Coraline-style horror), and a voluminous black dress that spoke to Marras's technical prowess while bringing the collection and opera to their dramatic climax (Look 80). From men's looks, a streetwear-style sweater and pants set (the pants constructed with oversized pockets on the calves (Look 62), a richly textured long black jacket (Look 68) and an oversized suit paired with a surprisingly masculine-looking black bow (Look 52) stood out.

Antonio Marras AW25, Looks 80, 62, 68, 52 (Photos courtesy of Antonio Marras)

Antonio Marras AW25: An Intoxicatingly Dark Romance, Start to Finish

Jewelry, make-up, and hair (make-up by Riccardo Morandin and hair by Eugene Souleiman) exquisitely tied together the primary themes of the collection. Darkly frosted lips, bejeweled headbands, and tightly slicked back hair brought a sense of_Gothic noir_to the collection while also referencing the conversation between Catalonia and Sardinia. They reinforced Marras's role as a curator of a complete experience and his remarkable ability to synthesize every aspect of a production. He mentioned backstage that he is considering staging the first performance of La Bella d'Alghero in over 130 years - in his hometown. That's an opera that I would travel across the world for.