Last season Fashionlines described the Marni girl as a modern day Sylvia Plath, bubbling with Prozac induced bliss. This fall our heroine seems to have stopped taking her meds. Perhaps, lip-syncing to the unforgettable Rolling Stones tune “Paint It Black” our once jubilant darling now proclaims, “No colors anymore I want them to turn black.”

The quaint quality that makes Consuelo Castiglioni’s clothes appear as if they were tailored by a naïve teenager taking home-economics classes is preserved in the slightly slapdash, positively unstructured lines of this collection. Indeed, following Miuccia’s lead most designers are jumping on the black bandwagon, but seriously variety is the spice of life. Given the prevailing ‘funeral parlor’ look of the season, innovative use of bright hues and amorphous silhouettes could have been Consuelo’s ticket to distinguishing her work and carving out a lasting niche.

Marni’s knee-length coats (casually belted around the waist), loose-fitted egg shaped skirts, boat neck Alice in Wonderland dresses, box pleated checkered kilts and mini fur capes, conquered by the gravity of gloomy blacks, browns, greens and earthen tones, are quite depressing. Yes, black is the new black, but sans the impeccable tailoring, crafty construction and architectural details, the color of the moment appears out of context. Hopefully, Ms. Castiglioni will soon recognize that her strength lies in the quiet dignity with which she manipulates zingy tints in the context of rounded volumes.