February 21st was a fashion celebration full of both ethereal and spicy outfits, all joined by the technique of patchwork, mixing patterns, and a most otherworldly atmosphere – either romantic and fairy-tale-like or alien and cosmic.
Antonio Marras
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Antonio Marras invited us to his fairy tale, as the show began with a theatrical performance of an Italian romantic story, starring Filippo Timi and Anna Della Rosa, who wore impressive, patterned garments themselves. With an ivy-covered bower as the central scenery prop, the show included sensual, mesh, flowery dresses and breathtaking, theatrical, fuzzy jackets, mantles, and accessories. The governing idea behind many full-length dresses and mantles was to combine heavily patterned fabrics to create an original, mesmerising whole.
https://www.instagram.com/antoniomarrasofficial/?hl=en
Marco Rambaldi
Flowery patterns on mesh dresses, varied combinations of textures, and playing with forms and fabrics were also the main ideas of Marco Rambaldi’s new collection “Memento Amori FW24.” Have a look at this playful pistachio dress with bikini-shaped ornaments, a set composed of a mesh top, vegan leather pencil skirt, and velvet patterned jacket, or a half-transparent, turquoise, crochet dress with a silver, silk tie, long black socks, and a comfy zip hoodie. In this mixture of wool, leather, mesh, and velvet, Rambaldi maintained a romantic vibe of his comfy, yet elegant and sensual looks.
https://www.instagram.com/marcorambaldi_/?hl=en
Sarawong
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Ethereal, magnetic, nymph-like – these words best describe the collection “Blossoms Sand,” presented in Milan by SARAWONG. From full-length flowery dresses to a vegan leather jacket paired with a sequined skirt, SARAWONG combined sensuality and elegance with a magical touch. Look at the hypnotising facial expressions and vivid makeup of the models wearing delicate ecru velvet dresses or transparent white lace skirts – not forgetting about the massive, fuzzy hats, following the trend of fluffy fabrics and oversized, almost theatrical garments that we get to see in multiple shows.
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Diesel
Diesel offered a more industrial, alien, and cosmic vibe than the other shows – but remained very sensual at the same time. There the patchwork got even more intense, and the fabrics even fluffier and heavier. The show was surely one to be remembered, with models wearing (fake) fur jackets, ripped flowery full-length dresses, patchwork jeans, and lion-like headscarves, walking with 1000 online viewers’ faces in the background. Diesel’s Creative Director, Glenn Martens, arranged this unusual show scenery, “creating a live mega-voyeur experience for everyone”. What added even more to the originality of the show was the avant-garde makeup and coloured contact lenses, creating an alien-like atmosphere. And maybe this time the show wasn’t about romantic fairy tales and nymphs, but it was still otherworldly and sensual – just a little bit edgier, and with a dose of industrial, cosmic vibes.
https://www.instagram.com/diesel/?hl=en
February 22nd proved that the 20th century still has much to offer to contemporary designers, inspiring them to rework the old forms. Day 2 of Milan Fashion Week brought 70s-like, oversized suits and jackets with padded shoulders, classy trenches, forever young turtlenecks and vests, all in basic colour palettes – black, white, grey, beige, and navy. However, the shows weren’t a mere tribute to the old days – the traditional forms of garments were experimented with, and bright and neon colours also found their way onto the runway.
Calcaterra
Basing the collection “Materia” on considerably oversized, grey and brown suits and classic looks, Calcaterra experimented with the outfits, going for unconventional necklines, asymmetry, and artistic, flowery embellishments put on shoes and trenches, which gave them a fresh, avant-garde look. The traditional suits you’d normally wear to the office got a haute couture touch, thanks to the layers of silky fabrics, slit skirts and blouses. Trenches got gigantic pockets, and two-part, folded bags completed the outfits.
https://www.instagram.com/calcaterrad/?hl=en
MM6 Maison Marigela
https://www.instagram.com/mm6maisonmargiela/?hl=en
MM6 Maison Margiela also opted for 70s-inspired sets of big trenches, smart turtlenecks and avant-garde bags (see the triangular red one!). Vests got prolonged, padded-shoulders jackets got a black, silk edging trim, paired with ripped green jeans, and the classic 70s suits looked like coming straight from a colourfest. Elegant, long black coats were turned into vests, completed by black, massive leather boots.
https://www.instagram.com/mm6maisonmargiela/?hl=en
Moschino
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Moschino’s debuting creative director Adrian Appiolaza offered a deconstruction of classic, old-school office looks, with models wearing shirts made into dresses, cotton boxer shorts, and carelessly worn ties in the show “Collezione 0.” Next to smart, black coats, there were paper boat hats and lingerie-inspired skirts. Good, old baggy jeans and comfy sweaters got a fresh look thanks to maxi ruffle skirts in red and pink.
https://www.instagram.com/moschino/?hl=en
Tom Ford
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Tom Ford’s show, directed by Peter Hawkings, was a celebration of the 70s iconic style at its fullest, with models looking like Hollywood divas from the era, wearing beige furs, golden sequined dresses, belted trousers, and brown square sunglasses. Ford experimented with classy maxi dresses, making them purple and transparent or glittering from top to bottom. The elegant, tailored suits were presented in velvet and satin, while the reinvented all-leather looks included skinny jumpsuits and crocodile-like, beige sets. Turtlenecks were both in modern, transparent mesh jumpsuits and as part of classic outfits with navy, gold-buttoned pea coats.
https://www.instagram.com/tomford/?hl=en
GCDS
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The show by GCDS was the most extravagant composition of the old and the new, titled “Toys For Adults.” The Creative Director, Giuliano Calza, prepared classy leather sets and elegant white suits on the one side, and red fuzzy dresses, Hello Kitty bras, Polly Pocket, and Chucky accessories on the other, which were to help us rediscover our inner children: “beautiful kids, broken inside, tormented by expectations, suddenly forgot how to play. Gcds is a dream, is creation, but we all live with current demons in burgundy times,” explains Calza. And so, smart, padded-shoulders jackets were ornamented with huge roses, velvet evening dresses were accompanied by edgy Hello Kitty bras, and white suits followed sensual lingerie mesh sets.
https://www.instagram.com/gcdswear/?hl=en
Written By Julia Sulkowska
Header Image By Mia Washbrook
