Milan Fashion week is known for seduction, glamour and the infamous ‘made in Italy’ pride. This season did manifested exactly that. Here is our MFW digest covering 5 runways that stood out to us:
Dolce & Gabbana has always had very diverse and inclusive model casting, and this season was exactly that. Walking down the runway included the likes of Isabella Rossellini, Monica Bellucci, Carla Bruni and Lady Kitty Spencer. The collection played on the brands initials ‘D&G’ transforming it into ‘DNA’. Which makes sense, considering Dolce & Gabbana collections never seem to stream away from the brand DNA, whether aesthetically you like it or not, they have followed their identity and concept coherently. Likewise this season expressed the known patterns and colours of the brand, it included subtle changes such as: the shapes of the pants, necklines and maybe some graphics – but again, not major changes. It was evident that Dolce & Gabbana are not planning to stray away from their religious references, Sicilian heritage, slogans, crazy prints and fun colours. But then again, that is what the brand was built upon, so why change it?
An important and awaited runway debut was the one of Roberto Cavalli, dubbed as a brand that was irrelevant and almost failing – there were a lot of expectations. Paul Surridge, the creative director, was very assertive about his goal for the Spring 2019 collection “I just wanted it to feel younger, fresher and in a context that young women feel they are closer to the brand.”. And he hit the nail on the head in saying that.. but did he achieve it? There was an energetic and sporty feel to the collection, it was not a ‘sexy’ collection as one would usually describe Cavalli’s old collections. However the looks showed a lot of skin. There were some easy-on, easy-off one-shoulder micro-minidress in a graphic prints, cropped blouses worn under deeply scooped tank and some cut out dresses. The colours were kept to a neutral feel, paradoxical to the colour scheme of Roberto Cavalli before. The collection did not spike a lot of interest or talk, but we think any start is a good start.
When you think of Giambattista Valli your mind travels to a fantastical party or a wild glamorous trip, a romantic dinner by the sea or even a breathtaking gala event. That is the magic of the brand and the designer. The Spring 2019 collection reflected the designer’s travels to India. The white tailored dress, some sort of caftan – which was inspired by Yoko Ono. The collection was made of a lot of white pieces, tunics, a velvet tiger-stripe pantsuit, the Mughal Tree of Life prints and embroideries. And even though the collection was inspired by travels, it was very obvious that the designers’ focus was on who he dresses and that is always a successful approach to create collections.
Every runway, Versace is keeps your eye on the clothes – whether through the sparkles, detail or colour. The collection screamed the 1970s with the multi-coloured stripes that were repeated throughout the collection. The show was a confirmation of the woman that Versace stands for. From almost neon dresses worn with sneakers to patchwork panty-hoes, the collection was for the girl who likes to have fun. The collection might even remind you of Clueless, a classic favourite of the 90s babies, but it is taken up a notch in terms of colours and patterns. All in all the collection was very reflective of the brand today and where it wants to go.
For a more playful approach to fashion you can always rely on Moschino. Jeremy Scott based the Spring collection metaphorically and physically on the concept of how fashion is moving way to fast and designers are not managing to keep up – the garments had scribbles on them like unfinished sketches, he stated “I couldn’t get it done this season! All I have are sketches! So, I’m showing you the sketches of the collection”. He put those scribbles on ‘cute’, allow me the word, cocktail/lunching dresses, and that mix is what brought the fun to the collection. Scott’s muse Gigi Hadid closed the show as bride, her train carried by butterflies (fake ones attached to a canopy carried by boys in black gimp suits). While the collection was fun and endearing, there is an obvious statement behind the collection, and it was about the fashion industry’s speed.
In conclusion, there was a lot of variety to the Milan Fashion week, from minimalism to maximalism, from brands choosing to stay in their identity and brands choosing to send a message to society. It is always refreshing to see fashion in all its dimensions.
By Camilla Ottaviani