The Best of Milan Fashion Week AW17
Milan gives over to Paris for another season but not without leaving its mark on fashion as we know it. For AW17 we’ve had new beginnings with Francesco Risso’s first collection for Marni and the ubiquitous athleisure updated in a way that doesn’t reference Vetements, as well as old favourites, with the likes of Moschino and MSGM looking to the past to create style for the future. Here are our favourites from Milan Fashion Week AW17.
No Milan Fashion Week can ever be spoken without the mention of Gucci. Up until a few seasons ago when a little-known Alessandro Michele took over from Frida Giannini, Gucci was one of those Italian giants that was a household name, yes, but seldom did it stir excitement within the fashion industry. Michele breathed a whole new, creative life into the label, making it now instantly-recognisable for its collections made up of eclectic prints, ‘70s influences and that slightly nerdy woman. For Gucci AW17, this aesthetic was all there as was a gender-blurring attitude, with male and female models sharing the looks and scrapping those pre-determined stereotypes.
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Marni was a highly anticipated show this season. It always is, with its effortless sophistication that resonates so well with its loyal fan base – but this time the anticipation was a slightly nervous one. It was the first time we saw a collection that didn’t come from Consuelo Castiglioni – the original founder and designer – but rather her successor, Francesco Risso. The collection itself was one composed of texture and shape; cocoon-like jackets, large fluffy coats and jackets (some with matching skirts and trousers), pilled woollen dresses and PVC hat-and-dress combinations.
Jeremy Scott loves a theme. We’ve had the cut-out doll, Barbie and Looney Tunes as the inspiration sources for Moschino over the past few seasons (and of course, that McDonald’s-inspired collection that still gets referenced) but this time it was the…cardboard box. A less obvious choice perhaps, with its light brown shade and lack of fun or innovation, but Scott still managed to make it high fashion. The models, in their beehives, headscarves and cat eye sunglasses looked as though they’d come straight out of the ‘60s – only wearing trench coats and knee-high boots covered in ‘fragile’ stickers, jacket and skirt two-pieces with packaging tape-like stripes and pillar box hats the shape of opened parcels.
The theme for the MSGM AW17 collection? David Lynch, Twin Peaks and Americana. Tapping into cult popular culture, Massimo Giorgetti gave us a show typical of MSGM – all bold colours and experimental shapes but with a Twin Peaks slant (complete with a black and white, zig zag runway). Models wore black lace two-pieces with chequerboard boots and printed headscarves, floaty dresses with large floral print worn with M-logoed caps and a touch of athleisure with oversized hoodies paired with mid-length skirts and tracksuits worn with pointed flats and aviator jackets. Eclecticism is the name of the game for MSGM AW17.
Sportmax, this season, gave us the athleisure we want to wear. Not the obvious, logo-emblazoned hoodies or trailing track pants kind but the chic, wear-to-the-office kind that will last for more than a few fleeting seasons. It was cropped tailored trousers worn with leggings peeking out of the bottom (which were also, incidentally, worn under dresses and skirts…the legging is officially back) and loose rib knit jumpers; drawstring, raincoat-style dresses fully zipped or slightly undone to reveal that legging; loose black jumpsuits made up of intricate folds and layers; and unstructured heavy coats accessorised with leather bum bags. The shoe of choice? The pointed flat (very flat), worn with every look.
