MFW Women’s Spring Summer 2018 Recap

The first Green Carpet Fashion Awards, signaled the Eco Age of Made InItaly, and  “draw the curtains shut” for this Milan Women’s Fashion week; Hosted on September 24th, at Teatro alla Scala of Milan, demonstrated how the fashion world is indeed evolving  through an eco-friendly approach, with sustainable values.

“ …The awards, culminating at an event at La Scala on 24th September, will be centered around Italian producers that champion community and social justice, traditional craftsmanship, responsible supply chain management and innovation and technological transformation…” (www.eco-age.com)

As tradition has it, the Milan’s WFW schedule was composed by 5 days full of shows, presentations and events where big and new names, “expressed” their “fashion forward eye” for the next season’s trends.

Prada's youthful soul and heart sprang through her SS18 Women Collection:

The best female Rockabilly, punk rock and heavy metal music version for SS18 was exhilarated through comic-strip illustrations capturing the essence of the SS18 Prada Woman. A muse with a tough attitude and fearless of life. A fighter with assertiveness and a strong personality ready to face anything unjust.  

“For women, to be strong, because there is still so much against us. And so we need a lot of cleverness, intelligence and strength.” (Miuccia Prada)

Alessandro Dell’Acqua, founder and creative director of No. 21, revisited the brand’s DNA stylistic codes, responsible for the brand’s success during the 90’s.

For the SS18 Women Collection, Dell’Acqua presented a taste from his signature style codes infused with a new, contemporary, fresh, glamorous and sensual vibe; 21 looks in shades of nude and pink, paillettes, sheer dresses with lingerie details, plumage, embroideries, boyish cropped knitwear with detached leather hoods,  leather parkas and shirts, were only some of the show’s high highlights.

The SS18 Gucci Women Collection by Alessandro Michele was more of an experience rather than merely a show. It engaged the audience’s senses through an intensely dark and contradictory context where the Gucci global powerhouse extravagantly ran the show.

Faithful to the brand’s identity Michele celebrated the SS18 Woman with glitter and glam, ’80s shoulders, English tweeds, vintage pieces, and Walt Disney’ characters.

“When you see the show, you will see what I’m trying to do: I want to stay in my aesthetic…When I’m working on the collection, I’m already thinking about the space, and the music and the light. I think it’s no longer time to just talk about the clothes. In the beginning, it was something that allowed me to reflect my idea of beauty. Now it’s more than beauty. It’s a state of mind. It’s an idea of community and a really deep expression…”

( https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018-ready-to-wear/gucci )

We cannot talk about debuts without making reference to Jil Sander and Roberto Cavalli. The former, helmed by the Swiss-Canadian couple, Luke and Lucie Meier, presented a collection interpreted through a poetic minimalism with asymmetric touches. Asian, folk, contemporary and metropolitan inspirations unveiled a rigorous elegance loaded with tradition, modernity, heritage and innovation.

The latter’s debut with the well-known Menswear designer Paul Surridge, was a reinterpretation of the Cavalli “genes”; A fierce, magnetic, and modern woman with an unparalleled sensuality and femininity who has the know-how for long embellished dresses, as well as being a lover of easy and comfortable daywear that embrace and exalt the female body.

Blush, blue, white, black and nude were some ofthe colors that led this new female exoticism.

“This is for you, Gianni”… This show is for him, from beginning to end…”

The Versace show? Boom. Let’s start with the comeback of the supers: Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer rewrote fashion history.

To celebrate the life and work of Gianni Versace, the runway became a fashion trajectory. Turning back time, 20 years after the murder of the legendary designer in Miami, Donatella Versace “finally found the courage to really go to the archives and pay tribute to Gianni”.

Turning back time, together with fasting forward, Gianni’s creative legacy- per his memorable and iconic collections as Vogue, Warhol, Icons, Baroque, Animalia, and Native Americans - was once again applauded.

Marco de Vincenzo Ready-to-wear collection heralded the Sicilian attitude. The designer’s memories from his homeland were declared through simplicity, contrast, playfulness, sexiness and lots of femininity.

Embroideries, embellishments, chiffon panels, knitwear, high – cuffed flares, fun fringe tops, deep reds, yellows, bright purples and burnt orange colours, did the trick.

Fausto Puglisi SS18 Collection was all about the “It’s the new Fausto”.

It was not sparkly and it was not wild. In fact, the designer abandoned his iconic references, evolving his vision of femininity as more feminine and less sexy. A show of romance expressed in white cotton lace, and linen, ruffles and broderie anglais done in “silent” tones.

The Austrian designer ArthurArbesser - just appointed as Fay’s creative director - went “soft”; inspired by Heinz Stangl artworks, Arbesser presented a collection from where emerges a more conscious and mindful femininity.

“First of all, I thought spring needed to be a little bit more feminine so I started already with a more womanly idea in my mind…I grew up surrounded by his paintings, he was a good family friend… so I referred to his colorways, his mad graphics, there is a certain eroticism in his paintings…”

 (http://wwd.com/runway/spring-ready-to-wear-2018/milan/arthur-arbesser/review/)

The Lucio Vanotti collection put forward a refined color palette of gold, aqua and light blue, copper, white and black, all framed by a 50’s feeling as if the models were stepping out of a film d’epoque.  Asymmetries or broken geometries, full skirts, folded sleeves amongst other sought details.

Francesco Risso for Marni went for a “Treasure Hunt”; “a multitude of women, surfing through a multitude of worlds.”

An unconventional beauty; a playful act of daring choices.

Fabrics and silhouettes of various origins coming together to offer a new definition for the creative euphoria. Risso designs surpassed the expectable stylistic challenges, entering new creative magnitudes.

Evviva Milano!

Words    Alessandro Ieva, Annie Markitanis

Content Editor    Annie Markitanis