Etro, Diesel, Fendi
Day one of Milan Fashion Week was all about fresh starts according to our editor Hetty Mahlich. Live from Italy, she breaks down all she saw at Etro, Diesel, and Fendi. Dubbing Etro her favourite show of the season, she gushes about creative director Marco De Vincenzo’s impeccable styling that reminded her of the fashion-forward street style indicative of Milan. Then she discusses Diesel’s success under Glen Martens’ revival, which celebrates the honest style of his audience. Finally, she praises the fresh start she saw at Fendi defined by colour-blocking and minimal silhouettes.
Prada, Moschino, Tom Ford
Day two at Milan Fashion Week was about unveiling the essence at a brand's core, asking what's left of a 'brand identity' once its creative director jumps ship.
Tom Ford staged a show without the man himself, with his successor, Peter Hawkings, deciding to hark back to the glorious 1990s, paying tribute to Ford's 'sex era' just as Jeremy Scott's input was also nowhere to be seen at Moschino. Instead, the brand brought in four stylists to interpret the house for its 40th anniversary - as expected, all took dramatically different approaches. For Prada, although there was no evidence of trouble in paradise, the brand's beloved design director Fabio Zambernadi took his final bow after a collection that Mahlich thought was a celebration of 'key Prada-isms', noting a touch of Miu Miu present, too.
Bottega Veneta, FERRAGAMO, Bally
To round up Milan Fashion Week, Mahlich focuses on three brands that all carry immense heritage and the young designers tasked with their makeover: Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta, Maximilian Davis at FERRAGAMO and Simone Bellotti at Bally. What did they all have in common? To Mahlich, the answer is simple. 'This was all about 'bringing beauty and creativity with practicality and crafts'.
A spectacular show of craftsmanship was witnessed at Bottega Veneta this season through its trompe l'oeils, which, once again, left people guessing 'leather or denim' but not for too long as the show was then flooded with designs all bearing the brand's hallmark Intrecciato weave. Mahlich also notes that 'paddling pool blue' seems to be the colour of the season, which was seen on Bottega's signature bags, dresses, shoes and fringing, as well as looks at FERRAGAMO, which played with the idea of the 'Italian renaissance' as a metaphor for FERRAGMAO'S own renaissance under Davis's direction. Although such a shade of blue was absent at Simone Bellotti's Bally debut, the collection was all about wearable essentials that double down as desirable clothes - a motif that felt palpable throughout Milan Fashion Week thanks to the city's relationship with true craftsmanship.