The Italian fashion capital took us down memory lane, made us fall for larger-than-life florals and hosted a surprise evening show.
Milan Fashion Week (MFW) has always been quite the spectacle, after all who does la dolce vita better? But thanks to social media, designers are really going all out to get us scrolling with excitement. This edition of MFW seemed particularly special thanks to the anniversaries celebrated by Etro, Missoni and Versace.
As well as the big trends like sheer dresses and belt bags (didn’t you love the Gucci versions?) there were a lot of molto interesting moments. Here are AboutHer’s top five.
The original supermodels blow world away at the Versace show
While models of the moment like Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber opened the Versace show, it was the original supermodels who broke the Internet after the curtains closed. Marking the 20th anniversary of the death of her brother, Gianni Versace, who founded the house, Donatella paid tribute to his legendary connection with supermodels. For the finale, she took a bow with the runway icons who started it all, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni and Helena Christensen, all dressed in the “dazzling metal mesh” Gianni Versace was known for. With George Michael’s “Freedom” playing in the background, the supers took us back to that tasteful moment in 1991, when Linda Evangelista, Crawford, Campbell and Christy Turlington banded together.
Nostalgia takes centre stage
If you’re a Xennial, then some of pieces that were on show are likely to bring back a floodgate of memories because Milan’s runways were awash with nostalgia. At Moschino Jeremy Scott opted to make My Little Pony hip again. We saw it everywhere, from pastel coloured T-shirts to sweatshirts and even a lunch box. Plus, Miuccia Prada decided to re-introduce one of her top selling bags in the 90s, a black nylon carryall. The Gucci and Fendi monogrammed bags we coveted in the 80s also made a return, with Fendi’s branded creations coming in the same brown leather we loved back then. What’s more, Versace’s show was a real retrospective of Gianni’s work, featuring his iconic prints and pieces from the early to mid 90s, including the medallion scarf print and leather accessories.
Bella Hadid for Moschino
Kendall Jenner for Fendi
Models at Versace
Flower power rules at Moschino
As well as serenading us with biker ballerinas, who wore studs, fishnets, punkish leather and boots with tutu skirts, Moschino’s Jeremy Scott took a spring/summer staple to a totally new level. After Anna Cleveland walked in a dress shaped like a flower, we saw amazing dresses that featured floral motifs, including giant sculptural orchids and a patterned lily, as well as Joan Smalls in a skirt with 3D red roses. However, Kaia Gerber and Gigi Hadid’s finale, which saw them wrapped up in a literal bouquet of flowers, complete with a red bow, was the real jaw-dropper. What’s more, Hadid’s blonde pixie style added fuel to an already impassioned Twitter, with many thinking she looked just like Cersei Lannister.
Anna Cleveland
Gigi Hadid
Joan Smalls
The fashion squad at Bottega Veneta
The Marble Room at Kedleston Hall, a grand Palladian-style country house by British architect Robert Adam, inspired the optimistic colour palette, which included delicate rose, ocean blue and a rich array of swirling hues. Plus Bottega Veneta designer Tomas Maier concentrated on contrasts, with clean silhouettes featuring patch-pocket jackets and simplicity juxtaposing with exquisite embellishment like jewels, mirrors and metal eyelets. Fringing comes with tiny beads, plus exotic skins are used in applique and trim, not to mention airy shirt-dresses are cut in subtly iridescent silk.
The show also featured a blockbuster line-up of model-celebrities, whether it was Gigi and Bella Hadid in baby blue and white fringed numbers, Taylor Hill in a belted and layered ensemble or Kendall Jenner and Sara Sampaio in swimsuits. Emily Ratajkowski and Candice Swanepoel were in purple and Hailey Baldwin in white, while Adwoa Aboah and Kaia Gerber, the latest stars of the catwalk, also made their marks.
Emily Ratajkowski
Kaia Gerber
Taylor Hill
An element of surprise at Dolce & Gabbana’s “Secret Show”
Fourteen hours before their usual scheduled ready-to-wear show and after another surprise show in a department store, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana presented a special evening “Secret Show.” “We have pre-, cruise, main, evening, and it’s impossible to show everything in one show,” Gabbana explained. Focusing on haute eveningwear and basically geared towards wealthy clientele, the collection was a capsule of the brand’s Alta Moda collection. It included floor-length tulle dresses, embellished or lacy gowns and decadent tiaras and golden jewels. Brightly hued suiting was also evident.
The show had 36 millennials, especially socialites and celebrity offspring, showing off their modelling skills. Stunners like Cameron Dallas, Kitty Spencer, Macklinley Hill, Tatiana von Furstenberg, Christian Combs, Amelia Gray Hamlin and Ella Richards got picked for the clandestine operation. Needless to say, Instagram proved it wasn’t so secret after all.
