With the London shows drawing to a close, we move east and further down south to see what Milan has to offer for SS15 aside from chic, well dressed Italians sipping on good coffee with a cheeky biscotti or two.
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli does what he does best and that is designing for the woman that who likes her luxury; perfectly coiffed hair, diamond earrings, sipping champagne aboard a yacht somewhere not too far off the Italian shores. It’s the woman that we would all love to be. His Spring/Summer collection is of mainly two halves. The first being familiar territory; long, flowing maxis with hair to match, in vivid part psychedelic , part folklore, and of course a dash of animal print (no collection would be a Cavalli collection without some sort of animal reference be it in print, colour or texture). The other side to his collection was beautifully cut lace in pure, virginal white. There’s also a touch of leather, a hint of distressed denim and a sprinkling of feathers and sequins. It’s a collection that ensures the party continues on or off the yacht.
Emilio Pucci
Here’s another fashion house paying homage to the hippy 70’s. Like Cavalli, the maxi dress took centre stage. The dresses were big, in bright, pschydelic tie dyed fabric secured at the top in a halter-neck. The hemlines were either floor-length, or mullet style with the back billowing behind in a soft, haze of colour. Trousers sat low on the hips marking the return of the hipsters, and whilst the fit was skinny from the hips down, there was a definite flare towards the trouser hem, once again marking the return of flares. Fringing and tassles, neck scarves teamed with plunging necklines, waistcoat and knee high boots reaffirms the return to the 70’s with an open arm embrace.
Giorgio Armani
The Giorgio Armani collection was said to have been inspired by the landscapes that have been shaped and crafted by the sand and sea. This would explain the shapes, textures, fabrics and colours that all depict the movement not only of the sea as it pulls in and out of the sandy shores but also the lifeforms found deep within the ocean, and in the midst of the desert sands. The silhouettes were rather bouffant, with loose fitting trousers either tapered towards a cropped hemline or wide legged and fluid all the way through (and could easily be mistaken for a maxi skirt). The ripple printed, sheer fabric appears to reflect the imprint left in the sand as the tide pulls away, and with the fringing detailing mimicking that of wispy fish tails. Armani seems to have also taken some inspiration from the eastern orient as dresses and tunics teamed with cropped trousers seemed to be the key trend.
Dolce and Gabanna
Set in Milan, the fashion capital of Italy yet the inspiration for Dolce and Gabbana was taken from Spain and to be more specific, the spanish influence over Sicily back between the 16th and 18th century. The collection is unmistakably from the Italian design house with the lingerie come dresses and corseted waistlines giving it away. But this collection, being latin inspired, is heavy on the red but also heavily embellished and adorned with chunky jewels and red roses. Braided matador style cropped jackets with accompanying waistcoats and trophy belts, and sheer black lace dresses combined with satin were also key pieces seen on the runway. Our favourite part of the show? When all the models stormed the runway for the finale dressed identically from head to toe, in white shirts tucked into high waisted, heavily embellished, red hot pants.
Versace
Donatella Versace delivered a collection that was young, loud and rather flash. There was a hint of a sport luxe vibe going on with grid like mesh dresses, and skirts and pants trimmed with the iconic Versace ‘chain’ motif around the waistbands. But the main collection was about the barely there, shiny, colour-blocked, ‘zig-zagged’ dresses. The zig-zags being a band of contrasting colour joining the separate pieces together. The glistening fabric reflected light, reminiscent to disco balls. Exposed collar bones, bare, toned midriffs and dresses either sitting on the thigh or slit all the way up the thigh, and sheer inserts left little to the imagination. Our favourite of the bunch was the flirty, pink, two-piece skirt suit, with Versace ‘chain’ motif around the waist, teamed with cropped pink top.
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