In Milan, waiting for the next big thing
It may not be a design think tank like Paris, but Milan can usually be counted on to bring trends into focus. As one magazine editor put it: “I usually leave knowing what I’m going to wear next season.” But when fashion week ended here Friday, a clear picture had yet to emerge from the runway haze.
Pretty was obviously popular, as it always is. Nearly a dozen designers opened their presentations with a white dress, and lace was at a premium. Pants were out, belts were in. In fact, if you buy one thing to update your look for spring, buy a belt, one trend analyst advised. Skinny satin, wide leather or simple grosgrain ribbon, the belt is the new beaded necklace, which replaced the bangle bracelet, which was the new brooch. You follow?
Most Italian designers stuck to the tried-and-true, reprising signature looks. It could be that they were expressing frustration with fashion’s frenzied pace. (Among the industry crowd last winter, there was a running joke that the brooch died before it even landed in stores.) Or it could be that everyone was waiting to find out which way the wind would blow.
Miuccia Prada’s all-white dresses with subtle appliques, pleats and trompe l’oeil creases offered hints of change. The runway is in a constant dialogue with the street, and Prada’s hidden details come from the same impulse as the in-the-know trend sweeping street wear, which has apparel brands such as Modern Amusement, Trovata and Ed Hardy incorporating coded messages and even fictional back stories into their designs that only the wearer and select others can decipher.
If Prada was the most quietly thought-provoking show, Dolce & Gabbana made the most noise. In the two decades since Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana started their business, they have become the go-to guys for clothes that scream confident sexuality, from corseted dresses to razor-sharp suits (worn over bra tops, of course). All the while, they have captured that dichotomy in Italian culture: tradition versus the Mediterranean free spirit.
Their 20th-anniversary show was the week’s hot ticket, held at the former Metropol theater, recently converted to the new company headquarters. The show began with a retrospective film that laid out in black and white how far the designers have come, from their first collection of simple black jersey dresses to the $700 million-plus mega brand they run today.
It wouldn’t be a Dolce & Gabbana show without an elaborate set, so the stage was transformed into a country barnyard with bales of hay. Music blared as a platform ascended from beneath the floor along with a dozen models in saucy, curve-hugging red lace dresses -- one with a corseted top and an impossibly skinny ruffled skirt, another in red and white gingham with eyelet trim, and a third in tulle dotted with roses.
For daytime, the designers referenced Sicilian handicrafts. A ladylike black suit with a boxy jacket and pencil skirt was trimmed in white lace, a duster coat was embroidered with delicate wildflowers, and a simple shift dress was embellished with doily cutouts.
As the show progressed, it became more of a costume drama. Evening gowns were out of the antebellum South, with gingham, eyelet and petticoats galore. One creation involved a white feather-flecked hoop skirt trimmed in black lace. Skipping down the runway in bare feet, the models seemed to have trouble keeping straight faces. Instead of so much country camp, it would have been nice to have a reminder of the duo’s strong, sensual tailoring with a few of their signature suits.
The celebration continued that night, when the designers hosted a party in a converted warehouse on the outskirts of town for 1,000 of their closest friends, including Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Guests sat at cabaret-style tables, drinking Dom Perignon and nibbling strawberries, as dancers from the famous Paris Lido performed. Around midnight, Donna Summer took to the stage in an overblown white fur stole and a sparkling silver gown, entertaining the crowd with her “Hot Stuff.”
There wasn’t any fanfare at the Fendi show, although there should have been. Designer Karl Lagerfeld produced one of the most exciting collections the house has seen in years. From the first white tulip skirt with doily-like cutouts, Lagerfeld picked up where Yves Saint Laurent’s Stefano Pilati left off last season, putting the emphasis squarely on the waist. Wide belts in black patent leather or translucent plastic with horseshoe-shaped buckles were fastened over full white skirts and fitted jackets. Other skirts came in solid red or blue silk with high waists and were worn with frilly cap-sleeve, printed chiffon blouses.
White lace was everywhere, and it didn’t look saccharine. Jackets were inset with lace, sleeveless blouses were edged in it, and a rectangular-shaped bag was covered in the stuff. A pearl gray halter dress was a perfect example of Fendi’s new lightness, embellished with clusters of fabric hanging like wisteria. Fauvist color combinations were a bit over-the-top, but a delicate ruffled peach chiffon dress hit the sweet spot. Keeping in mind that Fendi is first and foremost a fur business, the hem was trimmed in blue fur. We’ll see if any of the clothes actually land in stores.
Often, one looks to Miu Miu for a more wearable version of Prada. This time around, dresses were the star of the Miu Miu show -- creased, pleated and stitched to achieve intimate details and altogether more real than what was shown in the main line. A-line styles in yellow or pink op art-starburst prints were layered over white T-shirts, while striped shirtwaist dresses with Empire waists were shaped with smocking. Crisp denim was fashioned into a loose shift with the same wide-set shoulder straps that appeared at Prada. Add to that the parade of fabulous glam rock gold glitter platform shoes and starburst print Mary Janes, and this may end up being the most influential of all the Milan shows.
It was fitting that Donatella Versace presented her understated collection at Milan’s Borsa, or stock exchange, because it was surprisingly salable, playing up the strengths of the house with modest proposals. Taking inspiration from the natural environment and modernist architecture of Palm Springs, Versace blew up palm fronds on a silk jersey print shirt, worn with slim, sand-colored pants. Jersey day dresses were impressive, including a group in navy that ended (yes, really) below the knee, while a luggage-brown leather biker jacket managed to look refined rather than raunchy. The swimsuit cover-up in a touristy Palm Springs motel print should make a splash at retail.
For evening, Versace eschewed the flesh and flash of the past and went for subtlety instead. Gently skimming the body, draped ombre chiffon gowns recalled shades of a desert sunset. But the finale was the real stunner -- a gown with a full skirt in a degrade silk palm pattern the color of the night sky.
If only Roberto Cavalli had had one-tenth of Versace’s restraint.
Loosely organized under the theme of a resort vacation, his collection varied from a nautical plastic raincoat with red crocodile trim to a taxicab-yellow fringed leather jacket; from cabana stripe trousers to a billowy sundress with a beach umbrella print; from draped chiffon gowns in Rastafarian colors (yellow, red and green) to a sheer black tube dress with a sequin snake slithering around the torso.
Could be Cavalli has racked up some serious frequent-flier miles. More likely, though, he -- like so many Italian designers -- is still trying to decide where he wants to go.
