Milan Fashion Week A/W 2018 editor’s picks
Missoni: The brand’s warehouse runway set was lined with puddles of water and had a hazy red light, like the scene of a city street after a storm of the interior of a late night rave. Angela Missoni’s men’s and women’s A/W 2018 collection amalgamated different cultures and references, from Jamaican style to Caribbean colours, in a kaleidoscopic offering that featured knitted suits, ponchos, patchwork duffel coats, loose leather trousers and baggy cords. Models sported wide brimmed hats and colourful turbans, plus extra long scarves that sprayed water as they strode down the catwalk. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Giuseppe Zanotti: The Italian accessories specialist is a master of fabrication and embellishment, and for A/W 2018, it presented a plethora of must-have styles. These ranged from sock boots with geometric heels, denim court shoes with curving architectural heels and lightning bolt motif men’s slippers with snugly inbuilt socks.
Aspesi: Founded by Alberto Aspesi back in 1969, the Italian brand follows a ‘no logo’ theory, which translates through its timeless pieces crafted from the finest materials. For it’s A/W 2018 offering and its first ever MFW presentation, the collection perfectly expressed the clean elegance that defines the brand. Pieces featured concise military-inspired ideals: short, boxy jackets were made from corduroy, Irish wool and Harris Tweed, whilst skirts boasted a range of fits and textures, such as a navy plissé kilt made from Japanese cotton. The palette and textiles were inspired by the aristocratic fabrics used in London boarding schools; bringing together the feeling of almost academic assembles, Milanese style.
Bulgari: The Italian luxury house presented its latest accessory offering in a presentation set up that mimicked the corridor of a hotel, lined with a splendor of black and white stripe carpet and wallpaper, and featuring Bulgari bags piled onto gold luggage trolleys. The house presented its signature bag styles, like the Serpenti Forever and the Diva’s Dream in a rich amber hue, black and white python skin and striped Galuchat. New bag styles included a new version of the Serpenti Forever, its leather quilted into the shape of an eight-point star.
Buccellati: The Milanese jewellery house launched its latest campaign during Milan Fashion Week, a beautiful black and white series lensed by Peter Lindbergh. Shot across various locations in Florence, like Caffé Gilli and the courtyard of the Uffizi Gallery, the Florentine setting nodded to the expert goldsmithing techniques that both the city and Buccellati share.
Dusan: the designer’s A/W 2018 collection consisted of elegant cocooning shapes, like oversized caftans, pleated culottes and dégradé herringbone coats. There was a sense of the undone in Dusan Paunovic’s designs, embodied in oversized knits with frayed hems, and an unusual flourish of pattern and print, seen in painterly jacquards cut into sleeveless jackets and band collar shirts.
Tommy Hilfiger: The brand continued its collaboration with Gigi Hadid for its formula racing themed ‘Tommy Drive’ spectacle in Milan. Male and female models stormed the catwalk in the label’s latest see-now-buy-now garments, which included skinny leather motocross pants, ‘Tommy’ logo tees, dungarees, and denim and puffer jackets. Mouth-watering options for millennials. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Geox: The footwear brand presented an extensive men’s and women’s A/W 2018 collection in an opulent Palazzo setting. Highlights for next season studded cowboy boots, ankle boots with sporty knitted details, snakeskin brogues and leather sock boots with patent toes and heels.
Valextra: The brand presented its latest collection in its Milan flagship store, one boasting an installation by Kengo Kuma inspired by a fairytale forest. The latest collection included bags covered with their own protective puffer-jacket and styles with tufty fabric handles hand-woven by artist Rebecca Robinson.
Fay: For his debut collection at the creative helm of Fay, Arthur Arbesser created a presentation in a cavernous show space, featuring models peering from the windows of cut outs of vintage planes or trains, or chatting and twisting the cords of bright red telephones. The designer spoke of something ‘uncomplicated and wearable’, culminating in a terrific offering of sixties-inspired separates, like a mackintosh in sky blue leather, fisherman’s coats, pleated skirts and relaxed suits. Essentials to travel in whatever the era.
Dondup: The brand took inspiration from scenes from boxing films for it’s A/W 2018 presentation, showing their latest collection in one of the oldest boxing gyms in Milan. Titled ‘Femme Fighters’ it mixed masculine and feminine codes, like retro hued fur coats paired with tracksuits, cord tailoring, pretty abstract prints and heeled boxing boots. A fighting fit offering for autumn.
Italiana. Italy Through the Lens of Fashion 1971-2001: We featured La Rosa Mannequins in our latest March Style Special issue, so imagine our delight on learning they’d worked on ‘Italiana. Italy Through the Lens of Fashion 1971-2001’, a new exhibition at the Palazzo Reale, curated by Maria Luisa Frisa and Stefano Tonchi. Organised in non-chronological order, the exhibition looks at the history of Italian fashion from 1971 — the year ready-to-wear was incorporated into the city — to 2001, the turn of the millennium. It features brands including Max Mara, Fendi and Missoni, exhibited against a range of art and design objects and photography by Maurizio Cattelan, Paolo Roversi and Michelangelo Pistoletto. Photography: F.deLuca
Krizia: Eighties silhouettes have abounded on the Milan catwalks, and for Krizia’s A/W 2018 collection, creative director Antonio D’Anna looked to a quote from 1991’s American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis about a glamorous woman wearing a Krizia blouse and tweed skirt. High octane glamour abounded on the catwalk, seen in bold chevron stripe overcoats, animal motifs, and bold monochrome looks in blues, reds and yellows, like gauzy tangerine flares and a ribbed knitted sweater fastened with a suspender belt. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Emporio Armani: It was giddy up for A/W 2018, as Mr Armani presented a collection rich in rodeo references —from colourful cowboy boots to fringed and fur-trimmed detailing. The collection, one imagined in blues, greens and black was also heavy on ‘EA’ slogans and shimmer, and featured tailored skirt suits, plenty of party dresses and chic plaid outerwear. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Antonio Marras: The designer was inspired by the lifetime of miniaturist John Marras, the French-born ancestor of the designer who travelled from New York to Istanbul, and the characters and personalities he met with along the way. In his typically dramatic runway show, which enlisted a troupe of dancers, the designer presented a collection, like that of John Marras’ travels, which amalgamated a range of references, like embellished lace dresses, poppy print cocoon coats and pinstripe tailoring. Standout were series of parkas and tweed jackets reconstructed and spliced together from vintage garments, and an opening A-line trenchcoat in a bold shade of red. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Church’s: For A/W 2018 the Italian footwear brand set up a presentation space which resembled an English tearoom. New designs, like triple-strapped ankle boots, tartan brogues, studded loafers and Chelsea boots sat on tables amongst glass bowls of sweets and flowers, and china kettles of freshly brewed tea.
Jimmy Choo: In a presentation space made up of hanging shards of reflecting gold mirror, the brand debuted a range of ostentatious and elegant styles, ranging from pearl embellished mules, to studded Chelsea boots, brocade boots to embellished buckled heels. The shoe of the season was a knee high heeled boot, which unbuckles into an ankle shape, its leather malleable enough to be pushed into a looser style.
Annakiki: Chinese designer Anna Yang presented an imaginative and colourful, A/W 2018 collection, bursting with streetwear references, tailoring and exaggerated silhouettes. Highlights included plaid and velvet tailoring, tufty overcoats and a series of bubblegum pink pieces with 3D ruffled layers. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Santoni Edited by Marco Zannini: For the last two seasons, Marco Zannini has been interweaving the history of Milan into his ready-to-wear collections for Italian footwear label Santoni. For A/W 2018, the designer collaborated with the German art director Karl Kolbitz on a zine called ‘Licht Im Winter’ which features a range of black and white portraits of Milan-based people, lensed by Ingar Krauss. These moving images were presenting as part of the brand’s presentation across of dilapidated apartment rooms, showcasing Zannini’s latest collection for the brand, which hung from the walls and were exhibited in fireplaces or display cabinets, including a fluffy women’s cashmere fur coat, an abstract camo print puffer-jacket, men’s brogues with tufty fake fur panels and nylon bomber jackets.
Loro Piana: The Italian cashmere specialists presented a collection of luxurious wardrobe classics in an airy garden conservatory setting. The collection featured a variety of sumptuous hues from forest green to sugary pink, and finely crafted pieces like double-faced and baby cashmere overcoats, striped capes and kilts. A menswear standout was a bomber jacket with soft knitted sleeves.
Golden Goose Deluxe Brand: There was a nostalgic narrative to the brand’s A/W 2018 collection. The label imagined a woman staying at her grandmother’s house, and wearing a mash up of garments from her wardrobe like corduroy suits, retro ski jackets, Harris Tweed blazers and cowboy boots. The trainer specialist also debuted a new sneaker style with a platform sole, and a stripe of 24-carat gold. A grandmother’s wardrobe with the Midas Touch.
Blazé Milano: Founders Corrada Rodriguez D’Acri, Delfina Pinardi and Maria Sole Torlonia took inspiration from Princess Diana’s wardrobe for A/W 2018. She’s been a recent fixture on designer’s mood boards, and an apt one for a brand that specialises in blazers — the Princess was renowned for her love over an oversized style. The brand’s blazer and coat designs came in pretty polka dots, textured equestrian tweeds, decadent velvet tartan and tinsel. Pockets featured delicate silk ruffles. ‘They’ve become our accidental signature,’ Pinardi told us at the brand’s presentation, held at restaurant Don Carlos.
Brunello Cucinelli: There was a sense of the far-flung at Brunello Cucinelli, as the luxury Milanese house drew on a myriad of references for its latest collection. Folk, retro and collegiate style popped up in corduroy tailoring, crushed velvet tuxedo jackets, leather playsuits, and more bohemian tulle skirts and fur gilets. Cucinelli is a master of materials, and for A/W 2018, he reinterpreted the classic jean shirt in soft pink silk, and designed a coat which resembled chunky shearling, crafted in fact from mohair.
Herno: The outerwear specialists presented pieces in a variety of shades and fabrications, from long mohair to teddy bear fur, tweed to soft lambskin. We found this series of puffer jackets particularly eye-catching. The brand’s fuschia, lemon yellow or forest green shiny styles will ensure that you standout on the ski slopes.
Fratelli Rossetti: The Italian footwear house presented its men’s and women’s collections together, in a resplendent Palazzo setting, illuminated with neon signage. It’s A/W 2018 designs also blended the traditional with the contemporary, and featured colourful hand embroidered loafers, laceless brogues with metal charms hanging from their eyelets, riding boots and chunky Teddy Boy-inspired loafers with thick soles and tassels.
La DoubleJ: For A/W 2018, the brand expanded into new materials including wintery metallic jacquards, and took inspiration from Arts and Crafts William Morris prints and Victoriana motifs. JJ Martin’s label is constantly evolving its print and silhouette offering, and its latest offering also included chunky costume jewellery. On our shopping list already is a pussy bow blouse with a lush floral print and a rhinestone choker with oversized plastic palm leaf beading.
Sara Battaglia: The designer erected a mini catwalk space in her beautiful art and book-lined apartment in Milan. Battaglia, who began her career designing a wonderfully bright and exuberant accessories and has been evolving her fun and imaginative ready-to-wear offering for the last four seasons. Models walked in Clueless-style check mini skirts paired with cropped capes, strapless gowns in fake fur and trouser suits embellished with sparkling silver diamanté.
Woolrich: The outerwear label’s heritage lies in Alaska, and for A/W 2018, Woolrich’s hunting capes and buffalo check nodded to its outdoor American history. The brand also incorporated other influences from far and wide into its collection, like new ‘Aurora Puffy Coats’ in bold shades, inspired by eighties Harlem, and the use of Peruvian alpaca. Excellent outerwear essentials wherever you are in the world.