There, at the front of the room, an “election attendant” sits stoically behind a desk. Clad in all denim, with dark hair slicked back, he extends an open hand. I know what to do. We’ve been instructed ahead of time. I hand in my card, and in return, receive a large sheet with several parties to choose from: love, nature, family, music, dream, union, and world. Just like the Italian schede elettorali, or ballot papers, party symbols are enclosed within white rectangles. All I have to do is pick one. 

The pin-drop quiet of the room is startled by the sound of my footsteps as I approach the models posing in the center. Some sitting, some standing, they’re perfectly still — as though they’ve assumed carefully planned positions for a portrait. Warm light drapes over the faces in the front line, casting a butterfly-shaped shadow on their noses and cheeks. There’s something about this theatrical lighting that reminds me of The Fourth Estate — one of the inspirations behind the collection — in which Italian painter Giuseppe Pellizza da Volped uses light to highlight a crowd of striking workers marching towards hope.

Behind the models, there’s one detail that’s impossible to ignore — a curtained voting booth. It’s all part of Palermo-based brand Casa Preti’s spring-summer 2025 presentation, dubbed “Ex Voto,” during Milan Fashion Week. “The setup symbolically evokes the act of voting, offering guests the chance to step into a voting booth and make a choice,” creative director Mattia Piazza explains in the press release. “It’s a simple yet powerful act that reflects love for oneself and the community. This dialogue between personal choice and collective responsibility … is reflected in the garments of the collection, inspired by freedom and radical change.”

A Dream Ticket

As I step into the voting booth and close the curtains behind me, something swirls in the pit of my stomach. Is it excitement? Is it anxiety? Perhaps a mix of both? My eyes skim over the parties once again: love, nature, family, music, dream, union, and world. Sure, these might be broad and vague concepts, but to me, this exercise is symbolic of much more — especially as, thousands of miles away, my adoptive country readies itself for the election of a lifetime. 

In Italian elections, I learned, you vote by drawing a mark over the chosen party, so I make my selection by checking “sogno,” or “dream.” We’re encouraged to leave a thought or a word behind that explains how we are feeling, so I jot down a quote by poet and journalist Carl Sandburg: “Nothing happens unless first we dream.” Then, I fold the ballot in half, pull the curtain back, and exit the voting booth.

Give me Liberty!

Now that I’ve fulfilled my duty, it’s time to take a closer look at the garments. Anchoring the composition is an elongated white dress — leading the pack like the flag-waving, bare-breasted woman from Eugene Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, another painting Mattia was inspired by. In a nod to the masterpiece, the designer shows several tailored looks that mirror its color palette — the tricolor of the flag, the blues of army coats and their epaulets, the flecks of orange. 

Bright, citrusy oranges are balanced with clean whites, grays, and delicate pinks. The juxtaposition is striking. What’s more, Casa Preti is also playing with form, with silhouettes showcasing the designer’s knack for tailoring and proportion. I see several pieces that are articulate and rigorous in the way they’re cut — while maintaining a certain softness. Think: gently sloping shoulders, wide-rimmed sleeves, rounded necklines, and lots and lots of volume.

Most striking is the way Mattia twists and folds fabric to build a sense of dimension in an otherwise simple button-up, and how he wraps it around the shoulders to remind us of the figure of Liberty in Delacroix’s painting. Even more references to the theme play out on sharply cut blouses, where triangular lapels fold over like a dog-eared page. Knee-length denim shorts feature side panels, bringing to mind electoral cards. The stripes and grids of ballot papers appear as prints.

After The Vote

More guests — or should I say voters? — are arriving at the polls, awaiting their turn to cast a vote. I submit mine into the ballot box, a small, satisfied smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Imaginary or not, it feels nice to have participated in an all-important collective activity. “We have always been in favor of rights and freedoms, and now more than ever we feel the need to translate this fundamental but simple concept that concerns our liberty: the vote,” the press release reads.

The election attendant stamps my original registration card and hands it back to me — a little civic duty souvenir to take back home. (Much like the round sticker we get back home, this stamped card evokes that proud, communal feeling.) Oftentimes, when brands program audience participation into their presentations or shows, it’s either a hit or, in all honesty, a profound nonevent. Casa Preti’s concept shows us that when a performance has something to say, and says it well, it will be remembered.