Mood board: Milan’s designers are going grunge. We’ve had exaggerated bovver boots at Bottega Veneta, horror film prints and moody stripe sleeves at Prada, and beanie hats and tartan slips at Versace. There was also a sense of Smells like Teen Spirit behind Simon Holloway’s A/W 2019 collection for Agnona, which counterbalanced the incredible luxury of the house against a more rebellious attitude. In an entirely neutral colour palette (sure to earn autumn trend bonus points) that meandered from taupe to charcoal, his cashmere coats, roll-neck dresses and slouchy trousers, were served up with long tartan skirts, unbuttoned mannish shirts and plaid jackets. Holloway was particularly inspired by early work of late photographer Corinne Day for The Face magazine and a famed grunge story in American Vogue, by Steven Meisel and Grace Coddington from 1992.
Best in show: Pixies fan or not, there’s an incredible amount here to covet. Particularly appealing was a collarless tan overcoat with a subtly asymmetric silhouette, and an umber grey mélange suit with an oversized fit, paired with a matching roll-neck.
Finishing touches: At the show’s finale, Holloway’s models strode the catwalk in a group to a remixed version of Where is my Mind by Pixies, like a pack of double-faced cashmere, suede, alpaca and leather-swathed concert goers. They’d better stay away from the mosh pit. §
