The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Is Marni SS27's Muse The second collection by Meryll Rogge for the Italian brand

In 2007, in a review of the film Elizabethtown (2005), American critic Nathan Rabin wrote that Kirsten Dunst's character embodies the «Manic Pixie Dream Girl», meaning she "exists solely in the fevered imagination of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Judging by all the actresses and characters who have since been saddled with this label — Natalie Portman in Garden State, Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer, Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — the eccentric, offbeat, and unbalanced personality of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl goes hand in hand with an equally outlandish sense of style.

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl coined by Rabin in 2007 seems to be the very muse behind Marni's SS27 collection, just presented on the runway at Milan Fashion Week against a backdrop of sky-blue wallpaper. The collection — the second from creative director Meryll Rogge — contains everything the cinematic archetype could need: A-line dresses in 1970s prints, chunky enamelled earrings, ballet flats (with a heel) personalised with oversized straps and knee-high socks in the strangest colours, striped capri pants, afghan coats à la Penny Lane (another MPDG of the silver screen) from Almost Famous, waistcoats and pencil skirts with an inordinate number of buttons, and a generous dose of rhinestones.

If last February's FW26 announced Marni's return to its roots — with Rogge's creative direction bringing back to the runway everything that had made the brand an icon in its early years — here the Belgian designer has injected a little more personality. She has done so while still respecting the Maison's aesthetic codes, with its nonconformist colour combinations and sartorial quirkiness, but in this SS27 collection a distinctly Belgian savoir-faire emerges, one built on aesthetic intellectualism.

And yet, amid accessories and footwear that are sure to make a strong impression within the OTB group — such as the oversized handbags layering different patterns, or the suede boots with velcro fastenings — something feels missing from this collection. Perhaps a more daring hair colour, if we think back to Ramona Flowers' look; perhaps more edge; or perhaps a stronger story underpinning it all. Because every self-respecting Manic Pixie Dream Girl needs a moving past, or at least a couple of intriguing enough anecdotes to account for her wonderfully unhinged personality.