For the Everywoman, timeless and personal
Milan grows up and covers up. That was the takeaway from the fall/winter 2010 collections, which weren’t as much about in-your-face showmanship and trends as they were about the value of heritage and craft.
Facing competition from the glut of inexpensive fast fashion available at places such as H&M and Zara, where knockoffs of runway styles hit the racks long before the originals that inspired them, designers are redefining luxury as something timeless and personal.
For many who showed during Milan Fashion Week, which ended Monday, that meant returning to what they had become famous for in the first place, designing clothes that won’t go in and out in a season, and emphasizing the human touch.
This season, we saw larger-sized models at Prada, celebrity outcasts Lindsay Lohan and Courtney Love front row at Roberto Cavalli and the Internet inviting everyone to the party, with more shows than ever being streamed live. It was almost as if the fashion industry had joined together in a chorus of “Kumbaya.” Maybe during the upcoming Paris shows, Vogue’s Anna Wintour will serve milk and cookies.
A cynic might say that all this inclusiveness is just good business when business isn’t good, especially now that consumers are getting fatter and older. Or that feel-good fashion could itself be a passing trend. But whatever the reason and the outcome, it was refreshing.
Personal touch
Dolce & Gabbana opened its show with a black-and-white film of seamstresses from its atelier painstakingly sewing each bead and button. It was a reminder of why a designer jacket costs so much, and what you are really getting when you spend $2,000 at Dolce & Gabbana versus $20 at H&M.
On the runway, the clothes were an elegant representation of the duo’s timeless design codes. Superbly tailored jackets worn with lacy underthings, crochet knit suits, a mix of leopard print and polka dots, floral embroidered coats, and the Sicilian-style black lace corset dresses that started it all.
At Gucci, the winning formula for designer Frida Giannini was not the latest flashy trend ready to be copied. Instead, it was luxe, 1970s-inspired sportswear in a soothing neutral palette. Among the offerings: skinny, straight pants with fold-over waists; asymmetrical silk skirts and dresses with modest cutouts; and a glove leather shift dress with beaver fur at the neckline. Outerwear was strong too, including a fox-trimmed suede topper and a camel coat with a removable knitted mink lining.
Need more evidence that the Gucci rock chick has grown up? Python-patterned Chantilly lace dresses and a shift sparkling with ombré tortoise-colored sequins looked to be for the woman who hits home just before the sun rises.
Fantasy island
In a season when there has been so much talk about “real” clothes, there was plenty of opportunity for Giorgio Armani. It’s a pity he did not seize the moment to show what he can do -- and has done -- for the Everywoman. Instead, he concocted yet another party time fantasy, dwelling too long on the bad ideas, such as funny fringed hats and jarring, two-toned cocktail dresses (Note: Orange and black should be worn together only on Halloween), and not long enough on the good. The new Armani jacket, which fastened at one side with a wave effect, and drawstring shorts, for example, could have been fodder for the what-to-wear-to-work discussion too.
Smartly, Cavalli returned to the Gypsy style for which he is known. This was a fur- and animal print-laden collection that was feral but not ferocious. Wearing fur pelts and fur-fringe scarves piled on top of brocade coats, muted snow leopard-print chiffon harem pants tucked into peep toe booties, and backless chiffon dresses with billowing skirts, this season’s Cavalli women were more mythical hunters than man hunters. Still, he could have used a few more ideas -- five pairs of harem pants on one runway show is enough.
“Primeval blankets” is how designer Angela Missoni described her approach to knitwear, which also had a warrior/protector feel to it, thanks in part to daughter Margherita Missoni’s jewelry designs -- metal collars reminiscent of those worn by the Masai. Sweater coats and ponchos worn back to front, unzipped so they slipped off one shoulder to reveal sexy camisoles; patchwork knit skirts fastened like kilts with enormous pins at the hip; and sweater knit booties with spurs made for a compelling boho tribal look.
