Milan Fashion Week: The Moments That Had Everyone Talking

by Freya Drohan

Moschino celebrates Franco Moschino’s legacy

In the wake of creative director Jeremy Scott’s departure, Moschino decided to mix things up with a palette cleanser of sorts. In honor of the 40th anniversary of fashion’s funnest brand, four super stylists were enlisted from around the globe to put their creative spin on mini collections which were presented in a salon-like format (despite the colossal size of the venue). First, legendary Italian force Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele studied the designer’s signature codes and investigated how they would work in the real world of today, accentuated by her influential styling. Gabriella Karefa-Johnson put her thinking cap on in terms of how to make his ’90s hits feel au courant with her ‘NOWstalgia offering’ which saw supermodels including Adut Akech, Adwoa Aboah, and Precious Lee pound the runway to a Beyoncé beat which made your clavicle bones shudder. Katie Grand’s section exploded onto the runway, as the revered stylist took the notion of ‘loud luxury’ and asked who gets to decide what is good taste. Grand also onboarded dancers from Studio Wayne McGregor to showcase the offering, with the performers hitting the elevated catwalk with such gusto and intent to the sounds of The Prodigy that it evoked the type of cheeky in-your-face energy Moschino is known and applauded for. As the audience caught their breath, Lucia Liu’s selection calmly floated down the runway, with her pieces nodding to the quieter side of Franco Moschino’s creations from 1983-1993: his adoration of all things soft and feminine. As part of the milestone anniversary, Moschino has also teamed up with The Elton John Foundation to launch a limited-edition t-shirt ($250) commemorating a cause close to the late designer’s heart, with proceeds benefiting the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Gucci resets

There were two words on everyone’s lips from Friday onwards: Gucci debut. With an undeniably mammoth task ahead of him to wipe the slate clean, Sabato De Sarno divided opinion with his inaugural collection for the multi-billion dollar house. A recently-released, pared-back campaign starring aughts muse Dario Werbowy was already sending people into a tizzy about what was to come, prompting predictions of a return to Gucci’s 1990s heyday, hopefully fused with something we couldn’t yet put our finger on and didn’t yet know we had to have. When all was revealed, there seemed to be just two schools of camp: those who thought the resulting collection was exactly what the brand needed, and those who yearned for more opulence and extravagance, with rarely anyone in the middle ground. Where most people unite, though, is an agreement that the collection is incredibly sellable. Being too close to the fashion industry, being bombarded with concepts all the time, and trying to hunt out the revolutionary like a bloodhound can mean that we forget what the wants, needs, and desires of the luxury world shoppers or those making their first emotional purchase. It’s evidently what the brand had on the agenda too, as a sample line from De Sarno’s show notes reads, “It’s a story of joy…of real life…these are desirable to collect, not for a museum but to enrich everyday life.” And perhaps many will find a must-have in these 56 looks that speak to them, whether it’s lacquered logo hot pants in the new signature oxblood shade, a simple gray hoodie, or the fold-over knit encrusted with rhinestones. Denim seemed particularly enticing, and maybe the back tab in the aforementioned maroon shade is an IFY, YK status symbol in the making. Regardless, the slate has been wiped clean, and the success will ultimately lie in the sales.

Versace brought all the supers to the yard

Leave it to Versace to create a custom venue the size of a small mall in just one day, in order to show its Spring Summer ’24 collection on a star-studded cast. As the likes of Kim Jones, Demi Moore, Pierpaolo Piccioli (both with their dogs!), and Gabrielle Union watched in delight, Donatella sent a staggering 75+ looks down the runway with a varying checklist of references. In particular, sweet ’60s numbers which harked back to a Fall ’95 collection by Gianni, which felt innocent and covetable for the moment with embellished shift dresses, tweed sets, checkered suits in a pastel palette, silk hot pants with flippy hems, and pea coats with rounded shoulders and Peter Pan collars. Some Versace chainmail reared its head (give the girlies always searching on 1stDibs.com what they want!) most notably on Claudia Schiffer and Gigi Hadid, as did great embellished denim, going out tops, and exposed logo boxer shorts in candy pink. Though this is the brand that bet big on ginormous satin platforms lately, it seems we’ll still be lusting over flat shoes for the foreseeable, if Donatella (and Kendall Jenner) have anything to say about it, as those strappy silver peep-toe versions proved extra effective on the mirrored runway.

 

The Attico takes to the runway for the first time

While their personal style and mega-successful brand The Attico is the first word in cool girl dressing, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini want you to know that you too can indeed sit with them. Parlaying the commercial success of their slicker-than-slick partywear-meets-streetwear label into its first Milan Fashion Week show, the duo, who were famous street style figures before launching the line in 2016, looked to the very meaning of the brand name for a jumping off point. ICYMI, The Attico means penthouse, and after-dark, behind the velvet rope nightclub energy has always abounded within the ready to wear and accessories. Invites to editors teased an experience billed as ‘The Morning After” (including a cute branded espresso cup) with apartment numbers as their seat assignments. Wisely choosing to show on the street which broadened the scope of who could join in on the fun—and paid homage to where it all began for the two fashion figures—guests were seated on plush velvet sofas while they enjoyed martinis or ginger shots. The collection was full of epic outerwear, I’m sexy and I know it dresses, and killer accessories which are already available to shop, and unsurprisingly selling as hot as the front row attendees who wore them to the show.

Prada sets the bar

If you want to predict where trends are going and the look and feel of aesthetic ideals in the immediate future, one knows to get the magnifying glass out and take a closer view at Prada. If there was one show everyone was breathless about, it was Miuccia and Raf’s latest installment in their collaborative journey—not to overlook design director Fabio Zambernardi’s contribution, who joined them for their bow as he’s signing off after being Mrs. Prada’s right-hand at the company since the 1990s. While designers tend to wax lyrical about the myriad inspirations and references in their collections, Mrs. Prada, while arguably the most exhaustive when it comes to the moods that her clothes speak to, insisted that it was about straightforward beauty and ease of wearability. Consider us sold. Echoing the men’s collection, nipped-in blazers were a standout piece, particularly when jazzed up with streams of metal fringe, but it was the way that organza caught the wind and floated ethereally behind models that caused collective gasps. We’ll probably spend until next season figuring out how to emulate this breathtaking beauty with our own approach to getting dressed—just in time for the label to spin things on their head again.

The industry fêted at the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards

Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana brought all the big names out on Sunday evening for the CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards, presented in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative of United Nation Agency ITC and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Hosted at the grand Teatro Alla Scala with the hilarious Sabrina Impacciatore of The White Lotus fame on hosting duty, the black tie cocktail event and seated ceremony honored homegrown and international innovation in the field of sustainability, circularity, human rights, and environmental justice. The night’s big winners were as follows:

The Visionary Award: Edward Enninful, presented by Adut Akech Bior.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation Award For Circular Economy: Gucci’s Circular Hub’s Denim Project, presented by Sinead Burke to Jean François Palus.

The Climate Action Award: Manteco, presented by Samata Pattinson to Matteo and Marco Mantelassi.

The Education of Excellence Award: Valentino’s Nurturing Talents, presented by Elodie to Pierpaolo Piccioli and tailors.

The Bicester Collection Award For Emerging Designers: Ahluwalia, presented by Chiara Ferragni and Laurent Vinay to designer Priya Ahluwalia.

The Craft & Italian Artisanship Award: Dolce & Gabbana’s Sartorial craftmanship & Grand Tour of Italy, presented by Bianca Balti to Alfonso Dolce.

The Biodiversity & Water Award: KERING’s Regenerative & Climate Fund for Nature, presented by Julianne Moore to Marie Claire Daveu.

The Human Capital & Social Impact Award: Chloé, Fair Trade luxury, presented by Kulsum Shadab Wahab.

The Groundbreaker Award: Candiani, Coreva ™, presented by Coco Rocha to Alberto Candiani.

The Humanitarian Award For Equity and Inclusivity: Donatella Versace, presented by Marco Mengoni.

The celebration welcomed over 1,300 VIPs, including designers, celebrities, models, executives, and industry professionals such as Jessica Chastain, Jeremy Strong, Tracee Ellis Ross, Remo Ruffini, Alessandro Sartori, Marco De Vincenzo, Alberta Ferretti, Massimo Ferretti, Stefano Canali, Marco Mengoni, Maximilian Davis, Angela Missoni, Daniel Del Core, Francesca Ragazzi, Khaby Lame, Tamu McPherson, Caroline Trentini, Mattia Stanga, Candela Pelizza, Drusilla Foer, Paolo Stella, Brett Staniland, Scott Staniland, Andreea Cristea, Tina Leung, Andrea Adamo, Pelayo Diaz, Olivia Palermo, Johannes Huebl, Mario Boselli, Luisa Boselli, Stefania Rocca, Fabrizio Cardinali, Marco Gobbetti, Jean-Francois Palus, Nicola Brognano, Ginevra Mavilla, Tamara Kalinic, Larsen Thompson, Veronica Ferraro, Carlotta Oddi, Niccolò Oddi, Chiara Boni, Lorenzo Serafini, Matteo Ceccarini, and Eva Riccobono, among many others.

Images: Courtesy

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