Monday, March 02, 2015

Highlights from Day 3 of Milan Fashion Week

Highlights from Day 3 of Milan Fashion Week:

Molly Bair at the Giamba show. Photo: Imaxtree
Molly Bair at the Giamba show. Photo: Imaxtree
Fashion Month is a marathon, not a sprint, and after two weeks of nonstop runway action in New York and London, we've made it to Milan. Read on for our highlights of day two of Milan Fashion Week.

Blumarine

According to her show notes, Anna Molinari's latest offering for Blumarine was inspired by sophisticated travelers, and with her woman's nomadism comes an "innate nonchalance" and a "disregard for rules." This meant the collection had a little bit of everything mixed together, like it was pulled from a suitcase packed for a journey with no particular destination. There were cozy turtlenecks and fur coats for a wintertime jaunt; some smart belted coats for on-duty days; minidresses in silk or sparkling embroidery for night and long, languid evening gowns ideal for a fancy affair. Disco vibes came through in the lurex, chainmail and shiny tinsel-esque dresses — many with very short hemlines — which were likely influenced by her muse for the season, Warhol superstar Baby Jane Holzer. The Studio 54-ready lurex gown with rainbow stripes was by far my favorite piece.

Giamba

Fall 2015 marks Giambattista Valli’s second season showing a collection for his youthful offshoot, Giamba, on Milan’s fashion calendar. With his flair for all things feminine and delicate, we knew there were certain things we could expect, and these came in the form of floaty silk minidresses with a floral motif, hints of candy-colored pink fur and sweet, intricate lace pieces — one of which was dip-dyed in yellow and pink, like an ombré Easter egg.

What we did not expect, however, was the edgy turn that the Giamba girls took for fall. Before the show, Valli told Suzy Menkes that his ladies are “Instagram Lolitas,” which could explain the knee-high black buckle boots, floral tights overlaid with fishnets, strappy (and vaguely stripper-esque?) patent platforms and black leather harnesses that were paired with a handful of looks. While the beauty look was kept fresh and simple, the models had face tattoos drawn on for an extra element of rebellion. As it turns out, the Giamba girls are not so innocent — and we’re digging it.

Tod's

We’d like to take just a moment to talk about the coats in Alessandra Facchinetti’s latest collection for Tod’s, because they’re seriously beautiful. The show opened with a pink leather trench coat, accented with an asymmetrical zipper and whipstitched leather belt. That stitching detail carried through much of the collection, lining the pockets and lapels of another blush tone overcoat in a contrasting shade of white, as well as on a sporty black parka (that was accented with panels of leather) to add some polish. A pink shearling with an intarsia pattern of simple geometric shapes closed the show, and we’re fairly confident that anyone stepping out in one of these Tod’s toppers — no matter how bitterly cold it is outside — would feel like a million bucks.

Etro

Last season, designer Veronica Etro went full Coachella on us: fringed bags, tribal prints, flowy boho dresses — the whole nine yards. But for fall, she left the festival campground behind in favor of something more cozy. According to the show notes, she was inspired by home interiors, specifically tapestries, luxe upholstery and rich wallpaper, and elements of each were mixed together in every single look. The designer must have been hanging out in very wealthy people’s abodes, as the collection was over-the-top opulent.

There were patchwork coats, pants and dresses that combined a myriad of different materials and textures — suede, leather, velvet, python, jacquard and sequins, to name just a few — head-to-to geometric prints that recalled fancy carpet patterns and a moto-like jacket constructed from strips of ribbon. It was a lot to digest, but the coats were the real standouts, especially those in a solid color, save for a wavy, intarsia or embroidered design along the bottom.

Marco de Vincenzo

Marco de Vincenzo is easily one of the buzziest designers showing in Milan right now, and the designer took his audience somewhere far over the rainbow for fall. The pieces I was drawn to most were the most straightforward: knits, silk tops and dresses with vertical stripes in a range of bright shades were fun and looked easy to wear. Although they were simple, a few got an extra kick from being done up in lurex towards the end of the show. The color play appeared on triangle-patterned coats and on the piping of skirts, jackets and blouses as well, giving otherwise classic pieces a joyful (and surprising) update. We’re not sure if the ROYGBIV gradient sunglasses will be produced or were just used for styling purposes, but we’d love to see what the world looks like through those babies.

Posted by Nelio Inacio at 10:18 AM

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