Milan Fashion Week was in full swing over the weekend, and amongst it’s many highlights were a bohemian rhapsody, a strip back to classic tailoring, creative homages to brand roots and a somber showing from Giorgio Armani due to current world events. Here are Voir’s fashion highlights of the weekend.
Giorgio Armani
Silence fell on the catwalk of the Giorgio Armani show this week as the designer made a conscious effort to not use any music in the show as a sign of respect for those being affected by the tragedies currently unfolding. This isn’t the first time the designer has altered his show to reflect current events, as the brand became the first to cancel a show due to the then developing COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, showing that even though clothes are the passion, it is the care and love for life that comes before all else.
The collection itself felt quietly optimistic in nature. An array of razor-sharp tailoring, the kind that is so embedded within the brands DNA, made its way down the catwalk in a sea of shimmering silvers, greys, blacks and blues. The undeniably cool colour palette had an air of futurism about it, the kind of future that was so commonly predicted within media from the 60s, metallic and with a straight edge. Whilst the collection was designed months before the current events unfolding, that theme of looking to the future and hoping for a better one could not be more relevant.
Watch the show here.
Dolce & Gabbana
The metaverse and digital fashion are hot topics for the industry at the moment, and D&G have taken note, with their show this week being a synthwave dream. With a runway lit up in neon blues, pinks and purples, the future was present from the start and the clothes only followed suit. Big silhouettes were a staple of the show, with gloriously exaggerated shoulder pads atop classic tailoring, furry hats so large they covered the entire head, and fur coats and puffers that completely swallowed the models’ bodies whole. If this is how the fashion of the future is going to look then the world has some seriously sleek style to look forward to.
Ferrari
The combination of fashion and technology continued with the Ferrari show. With clothes made from the fabrics found within the brand’s car interiors, there was a real blend of worlds on the runway. With a combination of suits and coats that are as slick as the cars themselves, and pitstop uniforms consisting of jumpsuits and overalls designed more for looking good than practical use in the garage, the Ferrari show was a unique mix of two avenues which don’t often collide.
Trussardi
A dramatic elegance graced the runway of Trussardi this week. Huge, sweeping coats fell across the models and created silhouettes that were simply divine, aided by the fact that most of them were black which added another layer of drama and sleek attitude to the garments. Despite most of the collection being black it didn’t feel like the catwalk was screaming out for colour, instead owning a cool sense of sophistication and glamour.
Tokyo James
Tokyo james brought a masquerade ball to Fashion Week this season, and the flair of his show was unparalleled. Models walked down the runway donning a multitude of different masquerade masks in a variety of bright colours, patterns and fabrics creating a sense of mystery and intrigue. The traditional theatricality of these masks was combined with some serious punk attire such as leather jackets, double denim and some crazy hairstyles that can only have been held up by multiple cans of hairspray. To top off a range of ridiculously slick and modern tailoring, brought some serious class to the show whilst still remaining playful with a variety of bright colours and patterns on show.
Ambush
Romanticism was a strong theme for this seasons Ambush show. Tastefully seductive silhouettes made by pristine tailoring and dresses combined with towering boots and heels exposing the skin played into the side of fetishism, whilst the numerous mini bags paired with the outfits, some in the shapes of hearts, played into the idea of a perfect romance itself.
Jil Sander
The one word that comes to mind to describe the Jil Sander’s collection is elegance. From start to finish, the runway was walked by a treasure trove of simply sophisticated tailoring, the type that will remain timeless and never age. This focus on timeless sophistication was a conscious effort of designers Lucie and Luke Meier, with Lucie telling Vogue Runway:
“We were thinking about elegance. We really wanted to focus on sculptural tailoring, almost couture-like, but we like this new energy, a very cropped silhouette.”
As you would expect, the tailoring itself was meticulous to its core. Boxy blazers, dresses, skirts, overcoats and even a couple of capes made their way down the runway, in a sea of wonderfully understated neutrals that added to an overall sense of sophistication oozing from the show. Jil Sander went back to a time when fashion was more about the craft and simplicity, but did so in a way that remained modern and fresh.
Marni
From a show rooted in the timeless simplicity of fashion, to one now which embraced the sheer capabilities of the craft. The Marni show was, frankly, wild and anything could go… and it did.
The collection embraced the theatricality of fashion with outfits that, typically, wouldn’t be worn out and about on the everyday but nevertheless were coated in personality, telling individual stories that you wouldn’t soon forget. The collection also borrowed from and paid tribute to a huge variety of different themes, movements and subcultures from across fashion history, from gothic, Victorian style outfits to bohemian fantasies, and New Romantics era boxy oversized suits to the rebellious nature of the punk movement. There really was something for everyone in this show.
Bottega Veneta
Before becoming a fashion house, Bottega Veneta was founded as a handbag business, and the first two looks of their show paid tribute to that in a subtle way that perhaps isn’t immediately obvious to the eye. Both outfits (a white tank top and jeans and white shirt and jeans) were made of leather. Whilst some eye might be raised on the sustainability and ethics of that practice there’s no denying that it is a uniquely thoughtful and a considerate way to pay homage to the brand’s roots and keep its history and identity intact in a way that fits its current form.
The collection as a whole was designed for those who have somewhere to be, which translated perfectly through the nature of the clothes. Clean, simple looks with an unmistakably high-end quality to them. Sleek leather suits and coats were a particular highlight of the show, coming in colours of black, brown and a dramatic red with these suits managing to be an equal balance of statement piece and everyday attire.
Dsquared2
It wouldn’t be inaccurate to call the Dsquared2 show this week a bohemian wonderland. From start to finish, the fashion house bombarded us with looks comprised of multiple clashing patterns, which shouldn’t work together, but did so effortlessly! A rainbow of colour which came from a palette plucked straight from the 70s with lots of brown, beige, orange, distilled greens and yellows and some classic burgundy, and layers upon layers upon layers. Seriously, so many layers.
It would be easy to combine all of this and have it be extremely overwhelming on the eyes, but creative directors Dean and Dan Caten avoided such a scenario and instead presented the nature of bohemianism in its truest, most natural and authentic form.
HUI
If there is one thing that was present more than anything else at HUI’s show, it was extravagant oriental prints displayed across a variety of garments. Spread across classic tailoring, stunning dresses and cropped jackets, these prints delivered a touch of organic Chinese culture to proceedings which made the show feel delightfully authentic.
Ermanno Scervino
Romanticism once again raises its head, this time thanks to Ermanno Scervino. Heart shaped motifs were present from the beginning, before once again, moving into some designs and looks that fell more on the risqué side. Bare shoulders and legs were aplenty and see-through slip dresses added even more playful mischief to proceedings.
Words By Andrew Coyle
Header Image: Dolce & Gabbana, Ferrari
