Grace Jones is always a fun place to start a collection. Then again, the average woman does not have the height or presence of the 80s icon. But Jones and other influences of the era are what inspired Milly s Michelle Smith, who brought something wholly different to a week full of 70s references.
Smith has been working sporty fabrics for a few seasons, and she hit high notes this time around by backing melton with neoprene, which allowed her to create exactly the kind of structure and silhouette she wanted in a belled fuchsia cape, for instance, or a color-blocked full skirt. This mash-up of luxury-meets-tech worked especially well on black jackets with trench-like details and subtle knit textures, and all the black sculpted capes and skirts that closed the show. Interestingly, Smith always brought these semi-futuristic pieces back to earth by pairing them with a wool or cashmere neutral. But where the message got lost was in the satin pieces—especially one sleeveless top with what looked like a built-in origami cootie catcher—which didn t hold up against the more sculpted looks.
