Milan Fashion Week SS23 is a moment in fashion that favours tailoring, luxury fabrics, sophistication and great style. Here we bring you six highlights of Italian brand shows, which give an idea of the fashion mood in this dark period of war and economic crisis.
But before we go to the runways, it’s interesting to know what’s happening on the streets of Milan.
Street Style Milan Fashion Week
The Italian woman loves big accessories and statement pieces, and accessories are a significant investment in her wardrobe. And just like we saw at Copenhagen Fashion Week, in Milan, the fashion tribe has adopted cargo pants + blazers as the ideal uniform for autumn. In addition, the transactional season welcomes double denim looks and the colour block combination. And to inspire your autumn wardrobe, consider the belt as the season’s great accessory.
Prada
Miuccia and Raf Simons named the SS23 collection “A Touch of Crude.” And they refer to the raw reality we live in. All black paper-covered walls austerely highlighted the show. Following this idea, Prada opted for a collection stripped of all excesses.
Highlights: Skinny-legged silhouettes, organza coats and dresses like peignoirs and nightgowns.
Gucci
Alessandro Michele, who has been designing for the brand since 2015, created a show called Gucci Twinsburg. Yes, all the models walked the runway with their twin brothers. For me, the symbolism of having two people who look like one makes me think about the identity crisis many live in today with the massive predominance of social media. In this transparent world where we expose ourselves more and more and in great detail, we are all two people; the public and the private. So in that sense, we all have a twin sister, ourselves.
Highlights: We love the Chinese kimono-inspired looks. And we will be wearing leopard tights with snakeskin boots.
Moschino
Designer Jeremy Scott could have designed the costumes for the Barbie movie with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. It was going to be just perfect. But although colourful and funny, Scott’s collection is inspired by the crisis we live in. The designer himself explains, “I’ve been thinking about all the things in the news, and obviously everyone globally has been talking about inflation, and so I made a completely inflatable collection!”
Highlights: pool floats as accessories, inflatable plastic heart, cartoon prints
Max Mara
Designer Ian Griffiths got his inspiration from two women, Renée Perle, lover and muse of photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue, and Eileen Gray. Ms Gray designed her own modernist house, the Villa E-1027 in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, in 1929. Who was always around was Le Corbusier, who painted murals inside the villa, so it was wrongly credited with its excellent design. The two women were seen as muses, but in fact, they were creative souls with work of their own and ignited the creativity of the men around them.
Highlight – David Bowie-inspired high-waisted trousers and androgynous looks
Onitsuka Tiger
Creative Director Andrea Pompilio presents the Japanese brand’s second year at Milan Fashion Week SS23. Onitsuka Tiger is the dialogue between fashion and sport, heritage and innovation. Like Prada, this collection also shows simple silhouettes without too many details and frills. It’s a stylish athleisure that you should look at closely when updating your wardrobe.
Highlights – Waistcoats with belts, chic and colourful training suits
Fendi
Kim Jones went through the archives of the Italian luxury brand and reached Karl Lagerfeld’s collection from the late 90s early 2000s. Y2K is the inspiration that permeates the entire show and looks.
Highlights – cargo silk pants with the double F logo in metal.
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