The curtain closes on Milan Fashion Week 23/24, which among debuts, returns and surprises definitely left its mark. Multiple brands brought a breath of fresh air, focusing on unexpected novelties, while others rummaged through historical archives combining innovation with heritage. Here are some of them:

Gucci chose a mustard-yellow carpet where to show the first women’s collection without Alessandro Michele’s guidance, letting the models out of an elevator. The creative team mixed codes on the table, offering Tom Ford’s feminine silhouettes with Michele’s expressive freedom. Faux fur, black lace dresses, the GG crystal micro bra, pencil skirts and embroidered flowers on shirts brought a runway show under the spotlight under the banner of memories and past traces of one’s DNA to prepare for the arrival of the next creative director in September.

Dolce&Gabbana during this fashion week did a punctilious job of cleaning up the “extra” to rather focus on sensuality with white, red and black. No prints or excessive colors and lights on the runway, but sensual minimalism with fishnet stockings and sheath dresses. An implied eroticism. The face of the brand always remains Kim Kardashian, front row at the show in a dress (skirt and top) studded with fiery red crystals. The exhibition at Palazzo Reale Kim Dolce&Gabbana confirms the importance of her presence for the brand.

Red was also chosen by Ferragamo, now the brand’s representative color. During his second run-through, Maximilian Davis offers a défilé that looks to 1950s Hollywood with a modern twist. In addition to red, black yellow and blue cover the bodies of the models full skirts, lace-up suits (for him) and studied slashes in the fabrics, giving a glimpse of the iconic red.

Second try also for creative director Filippo Grazioli at Missoni, who rummages through the past to modernize it. A print of roses from a 1984 show is captured on see-through lupetti and catsuits. The house’s signature zigzag pattern remains, reworked in warm, earthy tones, paired and matched with surprising prints and matches. The motif is also taken up in a metallic version, elaborated on a maxi coat laced at the waist. Dresses with V-necks hint at fitted, soft silhouettes placing the definition of a strong yet delicate woman at the center.

Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta decided to tell individual stories, without giving coherence to a single narrative. Overall, his 81 looks were diverse, with the intention of bringing to the stage a polyphony of different looks with, as the one common element, Italian know-how. Sheer robes, house shoes, layered dresses with floral or de-constructed embroidery, and skirts “rolled up” at the waist parade down the runway to kick off a “parade in Italy, a procession, a strange carnival, a crowd of people from everywhere and everywhere,” the designer comments.

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons dedicated the Prada fashion show to love and “care.” One year after the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia, the white lily pin that accompanied the invitation seemed to be a sign of the somber anniversary. The union of the two talents emerges on the catwalk, alternating iconic distinctive elements. The vibe revolves around the 1960s, with revisited parkas and duffle coats, origami on mini shirts, pointed ballet flats (already decreed the season’s new must-have), and the reinterpretation of uniforms.

Emerging designers also stood out. Andrea Adamo brought his love for his homeland (Crotone) to the stage with colors reminiscent of clay, concrete and dust, total nude. Tailoring seems unfinished, where the sartorial construction remains loose, with overlapping looks at times. Luca Lin, for the first time alone at the artistic helm of Act N.1 after the farewell of co-founder Galib Gassanoff, presented a line that explores and pays homage to the human’s ability to “heal, rebirth and imagine the future.” Marco Rambaldi showed Supernova, in a riot of hearts on wide-open slits and semi-transparencies in fluid bodies, while Cormio chose a soccer field to bring his concepts of femininity and feminism to the runway.

What was your favorite show?

Article by Giorgia Dallasio
February 28, 2023