By Aaron Kok - published
Anyone who has been tracking the news would have heard of the phrase “luxury slowdown” in the last few months. Indeed, as global spending on luxury items tightens amidst a wider conversation about the looming shadows of a recession, fashion has not been spared from the cooling of markets.
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It is also in the depths of this wider consumerist context that we find ourselves in during fashion week. All through the cities prior to Milan, there’s been a significant drawback on imaginative, dramatic clothing in favour of practicality and long-term sensibilities.
Yet Milan, with all of its reputation in history and heritage, chose to swing the pendulum the other way. We, as fashion insiders, are all the more grateful that they did. Across many runways, the large response to the world around us—with its wars and troubled times—was to remind everyone of the simple and daily joys of dressing up, and to focus on the personal as a way of feeling some semblance of control.
The week started off strong with Kim Jones at Fendi, whose collection was an homage to the heady years of the 1920s. The Roaring Twenties seemed to be a big focus for designers this season, but for the House of Fendi, it held greater significance because the first Fendi store was opened in the heart of Rome in 1925. And in Jones’ hands, the flapper-chic image conjured by the idea of the ’20s was given a touch of modernity befitting of the Fendi woman of today. Even the way the models were styled—dishevelled hair and some carrying two Fendi purses—all spoke to the contemporary muse that Jones had in his head when creating this collection.
Early in the collection, we saw the iconic Art Deco lines that many associate with that era done on a series of sheer Lurex and silk dresses. Some had the requisite flapper fringe, but what set the looks apart from feeling too old-timey was the use of Red Wing boots that lent a grounded appeal to the overall look. This wasn’t the waif who would get drunk in the punch bowl; rather, she’s a woman living in the 21st century and stomping the pavement getting stuff done. Other standout looks included neatly-tailored coats and jackets—a must-have for an Italian brand—as well as lush bathrobe-resembling dresses and sheer separates festooned with thousands of shiny cabochons that would offer you a myriad of styling possibilities.
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The ’20s also played up in the collections of The Attico and in Andrea Pompilio’s collection for Onitsuka Tiger. In the latter, show notes nodded to the collection exploring what style means for the youth of today. This then brought out the dialogue of gender-bending style and androgyny, which manifested itself in freeing cuts, looser shapes and plenty of lace and sequins for a good dose of glamorous fun. Drop-waisted knee-length frocks breezed gaily in the wind as models made their way down the winding runway, whilst Pompilio imbued his evening pieces with a sense of sportiness—see a polo tee given dimensional embellishments as one example—that would appeal to the always on-the-go young’uns of today.
On the topic of fun fashion, whimsy was a big conversation in Milan this season. Leading that pack was Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons at Prada. In essence, the collection was a study on algorithmic dressing, and the rejection of homogeneity that one faces when being caught in a tech-fuelled loop of same-same fashions. Everything and anything really went into the collection. There were sunglasses that covered two-thirds of the models faces and will guarantee to go viral once it’s available in stores next March, and plenty of textured dresses—bouncing quills of black and white feathers worn underneath a gaudy orange track jacket, anyone?—as well as “Prada-isms” that include ugly-chic leggings worn underneath sheer skirts and distressed leather pieces covered in heavy metal rings.
The key message Prada and Simons were gunning for was that fashion cannot be fit into a feedback loop that is governed by algorithms and AI. Fashion is a multi-linguistic, hyper-creative space and there’s room for everyone and every type of style. Sexy, mini bralettes? Yes! Silver skirts with giant circular cut outs? Why not! Boyfriend-fit poplin shirts worn with leggings? Go ahead! It was an extraordinary celebration of what makes fashion loved by so many.
Marni was another house that delivered an eccentric highlight of the week. For a few seasons now, Francesco Risso has been riffing on the House’s codes and mixing in his own exploration of art-as-fashion. Last season, he sought to remake the texture of fur with singular strokes of acrylic paint brushed on painstakingly by hand. This season, he reminded the fashion crowd of his mad-and-magic capabilities by bringing you down a rabbit hole of wonder.
His starting point was cotton, a fabric so humble and so often forgotten in a world that favours fine silks. This quotidian fabric laid the foundation for his entire collection, which started off with quiet and simple tailoring that you had to do a double-take on the show invite to ensure you were in a Marni presentation.
Models walked out to live piano scores, but as the tempo and the intensity of the melodies crescendoed, so did the drama. At the midway mark, the flip switched, and out came models with giant origami-like hats, fishtail skirts nipped in tight at the knee before exploding into a flurry of ruffles, vibrant rosebud patterns, bushels of what looked like paper-like confetti being strung together into a boa scarf and the occasional Renaissance print of naked bodies set against a painted frame. If it all sounds kooky, it was, but in a way that left a smile on everyone’s face as they left the hall.
Bottega Veneta also didn’t hold back on the eccentric, with Matthieu Blazy exploring the childlike awe we all had when we were young fashion lovers scouring through the closets of our parents and playing dress-up. Guests were seated on low animal-shaped beanbag chairs to force them to look up at the models—as if they were at the viewing height of a four-year-old—and Blazy imbued his collection with plenty of humour without losing sight of what the Bottega Veneta customer wants from him.
There were matchsticks that were gilded and sewn on as fringe, little frogs that climbed up heeled sandals, rabbits that fronted plastic-looking grocery bag-shaped totes and floral accessories that were actually yards of leather woven together. Not to mention, the clothing was a riot of colour and textures, delivering artsiness and alternative ideas for the crowd that loves a creative approach to everyday clothing.
Marching on to Gucci, where Sabato De Sarno’s runway was about as joyous as it gets. Bathed in sunrise colours—ancora red, vermillion and yellow—the collection that De Sarno sent out was an homage to Jackie O’s timeless style. “Casual grandeur”, De Sarno put it, and this was translated into standout looks such as a floor-sweeping coat worn with baggy jeans and a Gucci Web-trimmed tank top, shimmering sequinned separates and matching jacket-and-mini skirt sets. The Jackie O effect came by way of the styling, evident in the silken scarves that wrapped around the models’ heads, or the oversized sunglasses that the ex-First Lady was wont to wear.
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Still, De Sarno flexed his love for clean lines and tailoring in many looks that were wholly his own, as opposed to being overly-reliant on his muse. De Sarno knows how to cut a great coat, and two peacoats that he showed featured wavy lines of swishy beaded fringe cascading down the front.
Elsewhere, he played with the hyper-sexy, and sent out a series of micro-mini skirts that came with a peplum hip cutting. When worn with De Sarno’s boxier jackets and popped collars, they felt cool and perfect for the modern-day Jackie O’s.
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Ferragamo also had a moment this season. Under the direction of its young creative leader Maximilian Davis, the Italian house sought to exalt the brand’s highly-loved ballet flat in a collection that played on the codes of, well, ballet.
But straightforward as it sounds, there was something light and fresh in the collection that left an impression on this writer. Davis layered up on the knits so that models looked like they were leaving practice, but when deconstructed, these knits will make for fabulous separates that you can pair with just about everything you already own.
The silhouettes that followed the early knitwear looks were a celebration of the joys of movement. These were easy, liberated shapes—think balloon-shaped dresses, silky slips that flowed close to the skin without hugging, capes that billowed down the runway, and lively fringe that danced merrily as the models walked. Sure, there were some body-hugging looks towards the end, but the strongest looks were those that telegraphed a sense of comfort, ease and effortlessness that today’s customer will appreciate.