Fashion month has brought us to Milan where creativity meets functionality. Here, designers have conquered the ability to create incredible editorial pieces that are not only luxurious, but highly wearable. Milan fashion week continues the stories of brilliant colors, plays on texture, lavish furs, and fanciful hats that we have been seeing this season. What Milan has introduced this season is the idea of the masculine/feminine mix with females dressing as males allowing for an incredibly sexy look. Let’s take a closer look at some of what Milan has to offer us for the fall and winter of 2011.
Prada
Miuccia Prada is one intense individual that always delivers us the most unbelievably creative clothes we could possibly imagine. This season Prada was all about young innocence. Miuccia took the clichés of worldly feminine glamour such as sequins, snakeskin, fur, and the color pink, and made them innocent again. The collection displayed a mod/ 20’s feel of dropped waists, straight silhouettes, low-slung wide belts, shift dresses, and big-buttoned coat dresses. There was an intriguing contrasting of textures of fur, snakeskin, and especially with the plastic pailletted dresses that resembled mermaids. Miuccia seemed to have been referencing retro trends and shapes, but she gave them a modern sensibility ending with a fun and funky collection. This season, Prada leaves us with the ability to innocently dream and have fun in our clothes.
Dolce & Gabbana
Pretty boys and girls were on display this season at Dolce & Gabbana. Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana took the masculine/feminine mix and ran with it for this season creating strong flashy looks for the “boys” and glamorous chic looks for the girls. The “boys” donned boxy double-breasted jackets, vests, crisp shirts, suspenders, low slung trousers, porkpie hats, and oxfords all cut in jacquard and lace. The girls wore long sleeved sheath dresses stitched up in bands of lace as well as corset dresses, and billowy floor-length chiffon dresses all in varying versions of star prints. As the show progressed, both “genders” got fancier with the addition of colorful sequins, crystals, and fur. The heavy presence of the stars was explained by the designers that it was a symbol of the woman because she is a star. We will all certainly feel like stars next fall/winter in the sexy menswear pieces and elegant dresses and separates.
Gucci
Strong luxurious sex appeal with a 70’s flair is what Gucci provides us for this season and it’s nothing short of what we expect. This season marked Gucci’s 90th anniversary and it showcased the signature glamour Gucci is known for. Designer Frida Giannini explained her influences for the collection were Anjelica Houston and Florence Welch. The clean tailored collection was full on 1970’s with intense colors of ocher, scarlet, bordeaux, amber, and violet to name a few. Looks included culottes, pussy-bow blouses, snug sweater vests, velvet blazers, and shirtwaist dresses. Fedoras with feathers adorned some of the girls along with beautiful colored fur collars and stoles. The glamour quotient ran high this season with fur, python, and patent leather. For evening, the inspiration of Florence Welch could be seen in the extremely long, draping dresses of chiffon that dipped low to the navel and slit high to the hips. The completely sheer dresses had the model’s matching briefs on display. The upper parts of the dresses were voluminous with delicate hand dyed silk flowers. Gucci gives us an intense does of glamour for next fall and winter and we welcome it with open arms!
Marni
This season, Marni showed a more mature collection than those in the past. The quirk was still present, but there was much more of a graceful quality to it all. Designer Consuelo Castiglioni went for severe elegance with the influence of dancer Martha Graham and modern architecture. We saw long clean lines injected with varying prints and unique takes on textures with beading, pom poms, and jewels. Fur was also present and we also saw something new for Marni with the inclusion of matching. There were looks that included pieces that were all cut in the same cloth; even some of the bags matched the clothes! This is Marni we are talking about and although it may have grown up a bit, it still had its kicky eccentric moments most notably seen in the sleeves of a shift dress completely composed of black paillettes. Also, the leathers were bonded giving them armor like appearance while the furs were playful in emerald green and diamond-patterns. Next fall/winter, when we’re feeling quirky, we will definitely be looking to Marni for inspiration!
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