THE FALL COLLECTIONS / MILAN : Striking It Rich
The crowd loiters after a great fashion show, milling backstage as if fairy dust were being served with the champagne. Following the Gucci collection, the magic on the runway lingered in the atmosphere. A spell had been cast, convincing everyone here to preview fall styles that exciting clothes can possess transformative powers.
If the men and women wearing Gucci Creative Director Tom Ford’s designs looked sexy, wealthy and cocksure, then anyone donning his sleek clothes would acquire the same attributes, wouldn’t they? How else to explain the international throngs that flock to the Gucci boutique on Via Montenapoleone, the Rodeo Drive of Milan. The buying there is so frenzied that the store occasionally fills to capacity and the front door must be locked, leaving eager shoppers lined up outside, clutching their impotent plastic currency.
The Gucci spring collection in the stores now, and the fall ’95 line that preceded it, took a colorful trip back to the ‘70s. Ford, the influential American who helped bring back screamy prints, hip-huggers and other mercifully forgotten elements of post-Vietnam War style, delivered a more classic, opulent collection for next season.
“Rich is back,” whooped Andre Leon Talley, the flamboyant Vanity Fair style consultant, as a model paraded in a big-collared blond faux beaver coat over white flat-front pants and a tight shirt unbuttoned to the waist. A group of winter-white pieces, including an ankle-length A-line skirt belted with a thin circle of black leather, could be enjoyed by someone with a laundress on staff. Yet they don’t hark to a bygone era of glamour. Without clear reference points in Ford’s designs this time, clothes look really new.
There were long, tight-bodiced sweater dresses in navy, strictly tailored pantsuits of brown or navy twill worn with dark shirts, and black suede pants paired with a black shirt and a long suede coat lined in shearling. The furs in the collection were mostly fake mink and beaver, dyed lush jewel tones or bleached pale. Faux pony skin, tinted navy, brown or black, was used for handbags, belts and a high-heeled, ankle-strapped platform shoe that anchored long skirts, slacks and even stirrup pants. (Ford ignored short skirts completely.)
The clothes were lean and simple but not unadorned; new Gucci belts accompanied nearly every outfit. A wide belt that fastened with a large, dull gold rectangle engraved with a small double G logo was a standout, especially when done in the oddly hairy pony skin. Even the stunning long-sleeved white crepe evening dresses that closed the presentation sported gold belts, riding on the hips or traversing a naked back. The white gowns, strategically bare and heartbreakingly slinky, proved that Ford succeeded in defining modernity, the most elusive quality in fashion.
The banner of deliberate bad taste that Ford dropped was aggressively hoisted by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, celebrating 10 years of designing under their Dolce & Gabbana label. They combined kitschy floral prints, animal markings, ‘50s mink stoles and lingerie in a very young, cheeky collection. A hip-riding circle skirt printed with bright red cherries and worn with a flesh-colored Merry Widow and leopard-spotted sandals isn’t exactly work wear, unless your place of business is a very hip massage parlor.
But there was such exuberance and humor in Dolce & Gabbana’s collection--bras and waist-cinchers regularly popped into view--that it’s almost a shame to think the looks will be toned down for real life.
Another young American designer working in Italy, Rebecca Moses, has energized the Genny collection. There were ‘70s influences in the line, but Moses managed to make jumpsuits, tie-dyed velvet wrap dresses and evening pajamas that were neither ugly nor a costumy joke.
Alan Cleaver and Keith Varty of Byblos went another decade back in time. They still seem entranced with Jackie Kennedy-like silhouettes--neat little A-line dresses with chrome accents, such as square buckles at the ribs.
Knee-high zippered boots of various heel heights showed up in most collections. With short, A-line skirts, the effect was very “That Girl.” At Genny, tall snakeskin boots were worn with gray flannel suits and dresses. Max Mara, the popular sportswear company often described as an Italian Ellen Tracy, offered the boots with chunky heels in suede for day, in satin and velvet with cut velvet evening outfits. The luxurious bathrobe coats Max Mara is known for looked newest in charcoal gray, at a length just below the knee and tied above the waist.
Since the sleeveless sheath has gained year-round acceptance and the idea of particular colors being appropriately autumnal has been all but abandoned, many of the fall clothes lacked the cozy tweediness typical of the season. Coral, orange and lime were as plentiful on the runway as burgundy, brown and camel.
So the rich textures of the Ferragamo styles were especially welcome. Narrow brown tweed suits were topped by long-haired reverse shearling jackets, and plasticized leather coats covered brightly printed satin shirts tucked into full-legged Prince of Wales checked trousers. The flat Ferragamo loafers had a kind of sockless in Miami nonchalance that made all the tight boots seen elsewhere look tough and forced. Boot fetishists, of course, would not agree.
Next: Gianni Versace, Prada, Jil Sander, Moschino, Giorgio Armani.
