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A sense of ambivalence set in across Milan Fashion Week this season as editors rushed from one show to the next, often to be met with a similar collection to the last. Designers leant into commerciality and safer collections amid global economic challenges — making for a fashion week dominated by fixed trends and repeated styles, from long coats to lingerie to a lot of olive green.
“As with the men’s AW24 shows in January, this season in Milan, what emerged was a remarkable coherence in the overarching themes of the season,” says Simon Longland, director of buying, fashion, at Harrods. “Despite the brands’ unique identities and creative approaches, there was a noticeable alignment in their interpretation of the major trends that dominated the Milan shows.”
In this season “limited by sameness”, attention was on the brands that did something different, says Vogue Runway’s Luke Leitch, noting Diesel, which opened the week with a show including 700 members of the public, patched in on Zoom on giant screens. The theme was transparency, so Diesel had live streamed its entire show prep process in the run-up. In the collection, the transparency theme continued, as creative director Glenn Martens experimented with acid-treated jersey and denim to partially dissolve fabric and reveal the wearer’s body or the padding within a puffer coat.
Designer reckonings, from Tod’s to Gucci
Many designers had something to prove this season, either presenting their debut or sophomore shows. At Moschino, Adrian Appiolaza presented a more wearable collection based on Franco Moschino’s archive. The collection featured fluffy knits printed with smiley faces or words like “peace” and “?” and clutch bags made from French baguettes. As the designer told Vogue, he had less than a month to prepare, so this isn’t necessarily a true debut. Nonetheless, it’s a hint that under him, Moschino will feel more every day without losing a sense of fun. At Tod’s, Matteo Tamburini picked up where Walter Chiapponi left off, while at Blumarine, Chiapponi pivoted to a more romantic, whimsical style with mixed reviews.
Sabato De Sarno presented his second womenswear collection for Gucci on Friday afternoon in a starry show attended by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Solange Knowles, Kirsten Dunst and Maude Apatow. Perhaps critics were hoping for some “spice” from this collection, but the designer seems adamant that collections should be about the clothes rather than fantastical themes. Just as with the Gucci men’s collection, outerwear was a focus, with longline coats (some embellished at the hem), monogram-embossed raincoats and waxed leather jackets in the house’s ancora red, olive green, black and camel. De Sarno introduced new accessories, from half-moon logo handbags to a platform version of the horsebit loafer and a selection of flat thigh-high boots in burgundy, black and green. As Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps noted, De Sarno’s debut collection has just hit stores, so the commercial success of the changing of the guard remains to be seen.
At Tom Ford’s blockbuster show, the second from creative director Peter Hawkings, there was a champagne reception and an A-list front row, including Uma Thurman and Sharon Stone. With an extra-long runway, towering high heels, crystal gowns and a mash-up soundtrack including Beyoncé’s Alien Superstar and Madonna’s Vogue, it was a “spectacle”, says Mytheresa womenswear, kidswear and fine jewellery buying director Katie Rowland, who noted the show as a highlight. “The collection felt iconically rooted in the brand’s history,” Longland adds. “Glamour, confidence, and swagger exuded from every look.”
Meanwhile, Simone Bellotti’s second collection for Bally was “very good”, says Leitch. “It was a great combination of oddness and effectiveness that felt relevant to the brand.” Previous designer and Rhude founder Rhuigi Villaseñor departed last May after less than two years at the helm.
“Real” luxury for the top spenders
As we’ve seen across men’s AW24, and the main ready-to-wear season in New York, London and now Milan, quiet luxury is evolving, giving way to bolder colour palettes and touches of glamour. But even as some brands move away from stealth wealth, luxury labels are still shooting for the top-spending shopper with high-ticket, heavily crafted garments and accessories.
It was Prada’s first womenswear show since the departure of longstanding design director Fabio Zambernardi. But as Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons took their bow, some showgoers backstage said it felt the “most Prada” of the Prada shows since Simons joined the house in 2020. Based on the bow, the collection was less buttoned-up than the AW24 men’s show. It was corpcore and quiet luxury with a twist. As models passed, sharp, demure skirt suits revealed printed silk backs in bold blues and yellows. Accessories were suspended from buckled arm straps and waistbands, allowing the Prada woman to go hands-free.
Miuccia Prada recently declared to Vogue that she finds the word luxury “vulgar”. But it depends on how you define it, Leitch says. “Luxury is the value that people want to attain, but it takes many different forms. Prada sells an ‘intellectual’ luxury that appeals to a clientele that aspires to appear unconventionally discerning; Dolce Gabbana or Versace are much more straightforwardly about quality and ka-pow.”
Alongside its usual high-glamour partywear, Versace featured handwoven tweed suits and coats and a lot of tailoring this season, which Versace says she’s pushing for the ready-to-wear offering. “The word luxury has been used a lot recently. Luxury, luxury, luxury. But this is real luxury. Most of these pieces will be handmade in the atelier,” said Donatella Versace at a press conference before the show.
“The pieces that demonstrate the ultimate vision of the brand and the collection — and in turn that are the most talked-about pieces from the shows — are often more limited and rare by definition,” Longland says. “This can be a result of embellishment or exceptional fabrication and construction. Often, they are truly artisanal and handmade. They act as investment pieces that will hold a place in a wardrobe for a lifetime.”
Bottega Veneta has always shot for the top spender. But this season, designer Matthieu Blazy wanted to scale back his conceptual pieces to serve his consumer top-end luxe in the everyday. It was “the show of Milan” for Longland. “Once again, Matthieu demonstrated not only the exceptional artisanal skills of the house but his skill as a designer. From structured to soft, the collection was full of pieces for people to truly covet. With an overall lighter touch this season, the collection felt utterly wearable.”
“Our clientele is prepared to invest in higher-priced items, but they must evoke an irresistible emotional connection or serve as timeless investment pieces,” says Mytheresa’s Rowland. “It’s worth noting that pricing trends are on the rise across all categories, underscoring the importance of perceived value for customers.”
Defined trends
Last season was the season of panties, and lingerie continued to trend across Milan. Dolce Gabbana’s all-black ’Tuxedo’ show featured lacy, delicate bra tops. Lingerie and visible bras were also spotted at Gucci, with lace-trimmed satin and velvet slip dresses and exposed lacy bras; GCDS; Tom Ford and Prada. “It seems that the sheer trend may have reached its zenith,” Longland says.
As predicted, red and burgundy were dominant colours across almost every show, including Gucci, Versace, Ferragamo, GCDS, Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta and Jil Sander. Bright purple is also a trend that is bubbling up, with hats and coats at Prada and gowns at Ferragamo. The mob wife moment also continues, with leopard print faux fur and separates at Marni, Dolce Gabbana and Walter Chiapponi’s Blumarine debut.
Footwear was maximised for AW24. Extra tall thigh-high boots were a major trend for men and women, seen at Gucci, Ferragamo and Roberto Cavalli. Decorative shoes were also front and centre, like the feathered styles at Ferragamo that would only be suitable for hopping in and out of a taxi.
New talents break the mould
On the final day of Milan Fashion Week, there was an injection of new blood, which provided some much-needed excitement. London-based designer Feben made her Milan debut, supported by Dolce Gabbana (part of its “supported by Dolce Gabbana” initiative, launched in 2022). Dolce Gabbana also helped Feben secure an all-star cast, including supermodel Ashley Graham, Vivienne Westwood’s granddaughter Cora Corré and rising star Dalton Dubois. This is the fifth time the house has sponsored an emerging talent to show in Milan, lending their atelier, production support and venue. Previous recipients include Miss Sohee, Matty Bovan, Tomo Koizumi and Karoline Vitto.
Avavav provided us once again with a viral show, and this time, the collection was inspired by internet trolls. The audience (and some strategically placed team members) were encouraged to throw rubbish at the models as they walked the runway — from empty cans to ketchup and eggs. At first, people were apprehensive to partake, but soon, the whole room was full of flying rubbish. “People trash my collections online anyway, so why not?” designer Beate Karlsson said backstage. As models came out, screens on either side of them played negative online comments the designer has received since launching her brand in 2021. During her bow, Karlsson herself took a cream pie to the face, thrown by Avavav CEO Johanna Blom’s husband.
London-based designer and artist Michaela Stark launched her new lingerie label Panty with a show at Fondazione Sozzani. Provocative label Sunnei stayed true to form with another conceptual show designed to go viral. This time around, as the models walked, an audio of their thoughts played out as if the audience were reading their minds. “Slay, slay, huh, huh, slay, slay,” resounded through the space as one model strutted. Another walked slowly, stone-faced. His internal monologue? “I need to pee. It’s the last show of the day, and I haven’t peed for hours.” At the finale, the models all reclined on the runway’s patterned carpet. As editors looked closer, it became clear that the models’ looks corresponded exactly with the patterns on the floor.
Save for some bolder moves at Diesel and Marni, it was the emerging names that brought variation and flavour to Milan Fashion Week this season. And as the week drew to a close, industry figures have bemoaned the similarities between the major collections. “Every show in Milan looks identical,” wrote fashion critic Osama Chabbi on Instagram. “Fashion’s democratisation had several perks, but the uniformisation of the creative landscape was one of the top risks of increasing access — womenswear is definitely more impacted.”
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