Milan is always a city that I look forward to during fashion month, but if I’m being truthful, I was left feeling a little deflated at the offering this season. Looking through the collections from some of the world’s biggest designers, I thought everything felt a bit recycled (this doesn’t include Prada fyi). The clothes felt as if they had already been presented and explored before, thus lacking a story or tale to tell for their inspiration. Perhaps it’s because these are established brands that, having found what works for them, have chosen to offer variations of the same style in updated colors and separates. Now there’s no rule to say that designers have to innovate and show something wildly different each season from the last and after all, what’s wrong with pleasing the existing customer base? But, it just didn’t excite me and give me that thrill that the Paris collections usually do. What are your thoughts on this? Do you prefer it when a brand sticks to ideas and pieces that it does best, like Dolce & Gabbana, or do you prefer to see something new explored each season, like Prada?
However, feeling a bit uninspired, I looked to some of the smaller names and newer brands at Milan and was SO excited at what they were creating! For instance, Jil Sander, Attico, Marni and No.21 really stood out to me and I loved what they had to offer. Which just goes to show, it’s not all about the big players!
If you’re new to my Fashion Week month series, then I’m rounding up my favorite looks from my top designers that I would love to wear myself. Also, be sure to catch up on both New York and London if you missed them!
Versace: Donatella Versace knows how to make a woman look both strong and sexy. There were some amazing explosions of colour and print combinations, but I was instantly drawn to the luxurious, black evening dresses. You know I have a penchant for slip dresses at the moment, add a cowl neck, spaghetti straps and side split and you’ve made my perfect dress! It’s also made me consider wearing sheer tights again, what do we think?
Prada: Muicca Prada delivered such an incredible collection this season, I absolutely love this collection for its contradictions, for lack of a better word. For instance, this feminine sheer dotty dress worn with boyish boxer looking pants underneath it was the perfect mix of sweet feminity and the subversive. It was a great combination of conservative dressing with a youthful touch.
Fendi: Moving away from logos and slogans this season, Fendi presented a collection full of brown neutrals. This collection was all about practicality in style, so there was lots of pockets (hallelujah) and toolkit style belt bags. Also, whether you hate them or rate them, biker shorts are here to stay for another season.
Jil Sander: I love all the clean and simple cuts at Jil Sander. A minimalist collection and brand, the pieces were exquisite, functional and modern classics. There was definitely a sense of freedom and ease this season and I love how the designers experiment with simple styles for a contemporary look. This black wrap dress with jutting square sleeves, worn with a box bag effortlessly cradled under the arm, was a favorite look of mine.
SHOP SIMILAR ITEMS:
Marni: I love how Francesco Risso combined feminity with toughness in his Spring 2019 collection, which I feel was really summed up in the look I chose here. The pencil skirt and bardot top paired with the extreme cat eye sunglasses, thick gold choker and matching bracelet perfectly balanced the opposing masculine and feminine forces.
No.21: It was hard to pick a favorite look from this collection! I loved all the colors in this show, from blush nudes to dark teals, this collection was uber feminine and strong which a sense of empowerment for the wearer. I think the combination of orange and pink works really well here and is definitely a combination I want try in the future!
Attico: The Attico is a fairly new brand on my radar, although I’m not sure why because I absolutely LOVE their aesthetic! You have to give them follow them on Instagram for inspiration. The brand is a vintage-inspired line and the two designers are clearly big fans of old school glamour. I absolutely love this silver metallic jumpsuit as a favorite piece from the collection.
Alberta Ferretti: The idea of Escapism and adventure has been a huge theme throughout Spring 18 and that was seen here again at Alberta Ferretti. Inspired by 70s safari rangers, high-waisted khaki oversized shorts and waist-tied cardigans featured here. I love v-neck tops and this lace satin skinny-strap vest is right up my street (so many of these this season!)
SHOP SIMILAR ITEMS:
Fashion Week looked a lot more colorful in Milan and it was fun to see a mix of color and print on the pavements. Thoughts on the visor sunglasses trend? I don’t know if I could pull it off, but it certainly does make me want to book a ski holiday! Again, Hawaiian shirts were seen and I love the combination of them in animal print too. Yellow trousers and skirts, orange dresses and shirts – color block these items with blues or greens. Top of my wishlist are these Mango knee-high snakeskin boots, they’d look great paired with an oversized white shirt.