Blumarine is the core brand of fashion powerhouse Blufin, founded by Anna Molinari and her late husband, Gianpaolo Tarabini. In recent years, it has become a true powerhouse in the fashion world and a truly favored brand for all lovers of the Y2k and 90’s style.

Blumarine was born in 1977 in an Italian town, Carpi, in the providence of Modena, named after the couple’s love for the color blue and the sea that represents that. In 1981, Blumarine made its first appearance in Milan Fashion week, in which it was named Designer of The Year. The runway show was young, fun, and throwaway. Sexy yet prudish, the clothes always represent an appealing curiosity and ambiguity.

Popular fabrics have included lace, brocade, chiffon, and fake fur, either as accessories, or core elements that dominate the entire look. Accessories are essential to this brand- hats worn with schoolgirl pigtails, large feather boas, or even the occasional top hat. Ruffles and handkerchief hems often reoccur on shirts, cuffs, and necklines in collections. While the use of color was extremely popular in their ’90s collections, especially in their teenage sister brand Blugirl, black has recently become their dominant color of choice.

Blumarine is a very eclectic and adventurous brand with many directions in collection themes. One common theme portrayed in many of Molinari’s lines is the belief in the dual personality in every woman: coyness combined with passion, or the little girl combined with the temptress. An example of this is the utilization of the classic flannel, jeans, and pigtail look seen in their spring/summer show in 1993.

Their spring 2023 collection was especially popular, with their innovative combination of y2k fashion and the little mermaid. Bleached treatments had added a sandy and lived-in feel to the denim strapless long dresses, corsets, and bell bottom pants, whose flair was amplified by ruffles fluttering at every stomp. Cargo pants reprised the same ample silhouette, making for an urban invention of a mermaid’s tail.

To conclude, Blumarine is the most versatile, directional, and playful brand in the design world. Their pieces are unique and controversial and speak to the time in which it was created in. If you haven’t taken a look, be sure to do so! Here are some of my personal favorite pieces for sale right now:

FEATURED

EXPLORE VANITY STORIES