The new era opened in Gucci and Etro, Emporio Armani taking flight, and Prada, which put the basic principles of fashion on the table… Milan Fashion Week, which spanned several days, was short but full of innovations…
We are turning our route to Milan Fashion Week before Paris Fashion Week, which will start with a few fashion shows today. After Pitti Uomo’s seminal presentations in Florence, Milan was surprisingly quiet this time. Despite the innovations on the horizon, the cheers and crowd created by the K-Pop group ENHYPEN in front of the Prada fashion show, almost like the debut of stadium concerts! The only move that can be made to make a fashion show sound today is to invite a K-Pop idol.
Let’s start with the most talked about this season: each star of the “White Lotus” cast was at a different fashion show in Milan. Theo James was first in Giorgio Armani, Will Sharpe was in Emporio Armani, Sabrina Impacciatore was first in JW Anderson, together with Italian director Luca Guadagnino…
Sensual Fashion
Coming back to the collections… The dominance of feminine silhouettes referring to fluid gender roles that we have been accustomed to seeing for the last few seasons continued. As we saw at Fendi and Dolce&Gabbana fashion shows… Even though skirts and dresses are back on the shelves for now, the fact that the designers focused on was sometimes sensual tailoring skills that reveal the body. Dolce&Gabbana featured deep-cut blouses, see-through shirts and corsets. At Fendi, Silvia Venturini took Fendi back to the 70s and disco days. Disco is already having an impact on all creative industries, from music to fashion, after the pandemic. With the songs of Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer flowing in the background, we saw one-shoulder asymmetrical and glittery tops. Fendi was balancing between masculine and feminine energy. But the star of the fashion show was undoubtedly baguette-shaped bags and umbrellas…
Philosophy of Fashion
If we go back to Dolce&Gabbana once again… The duo, which is not approved by the new generation members of the fashion world today, nevertheless managed to garner praise with this collection and get a passing grade years later. The names of his collections were “Essence”. They approached fashion from a philosophical point of view and went down to the foundations of Italian fashion, Dolce & Gabbana. Stefano and Domenico weren’t the only couples with a philosophical approach to fashion, but under the rising/lowering ceiling during the fashion show at Fondazione Prada on Sunday, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons invited guests to talk about the outfits. “Let’s Talk About Clothes” was the name of the collection. Since the day they started to build Prada’s vision together, the duo started to show a closer and minimal look to clothes by focusing on the most basic parts of fashion. This collection was no different from the previous ones. High collars, exposed blazers and coats, puffer coats and puffer singlets were displayed under the art deco chandeliers. In notes shared after the show, Miuccia said: “The most honest thing we could do was make designs that could benefit consumers.”
New Beginnings
In the wake of Alessandro Michele’s sudden departure, Kering has yet to choose his replacement. Frankly, Kering’s work at this time is not over. After all, the Balenciaga scandal has not yet concluded. The first collection was presented collectively by the Gucci design studio. Still, there was a confused story. Minimal and 90s’ silhouettes alluding to the Tom Ford era were featured on one side, and a bit more of a disco and grunge mix of Alessandro Michele’s geek designs on the other. The effect of Hedi Slimane cannot be ignored in the collection that collides with different styles. The show, which opened with a white t-shirt, continued with oversized trousers and jackets.
The new era did not just start at Gucci Hub in Milan… Marco De Vincenzo paid homage to Etro’s past in his first men’s collection, not only interpreting the DNA of this well-established design house from his own perspective, but also exhibiting rare pieces and fabrics from the archive at the show area. . In the first collection he prepared for the De Vincenzo fashion house, he opened the curtain with the usual Etro silhouettes, perhaps avoiding the risk, perhaps because this was the way he preferred. The colors of the 70s and the psychedelic graphic details of the period were everywhere, from shirts to trousers.
Young Spirit
JW Anderson’s new collection opened with two underwear models carrying rolls of fabric in their hands. Right after, we saw models carrying pillows. The pillow was the key piece of Milan this season. Because the invitation to the Prada fashion show was also in the form of a pillow. Handling men’s fashion from a strange point of view, Jonathan Anderson was exhibiting his fashion show in Milan for the second time after his London days. Tomatoes were painted on the models’ bodies, and frog-shaped slippers were a nod to the British Royal family. As if Anderson is the only designer enjoying the crazy rhythm of the fashion industry today…
On the other hand, Matthew Williams, who could not meet the expected momentum in Givenchy, was swimming in gothic and dark waters once again in his own brand, 1019 Alyx 9SM. Inspired by the Dead Poets Society, the MSGM fashion show featured graphic prints and the influence of 80s’ punk bands. He continued Y2K on DSquared2. The show even started in a young man’s bedroom…
Classic Always
Zegna combined Italian craftsmanship with Scandinavian minimalism. In the collection, it alternated between mustard and smoked tones. Giorgio Armani had his eye on the 70s, especially in suits (we saw a lot of 70s vibes in Milan this week). In Emporio Armani, the inspiration was the air force and the 30s. Top Gun costumes were accompanied by cropped trousers. While Tod’s, presenting its collection in Villa Necchi, took us to the 40s, Magliano was the brand that was recently on everyone’s radar and talked about.
