Italian fashion is the reason I fell in love with all fashion. And after being in Italy for 5 years I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to work in fashion in Milan, to develop relationships with the designers and get personal with them and the showroom owners. My knowledge and appreciation of the industry has increased each season and that is because I have access to the clothes, to touch them and to learn about the different materials and textures, and how and when they are best used.
It all makes experiencing Milan Fashion Week more special. I’m rooting for the designers to do well and I love going backstage after the show to congratulate them on their collections.
I do this for more than the Italian market, but there is just something about Milan. I am also a stylist and a journalist in the industry so I travel a lot. I’ve experienced new cities for fashion week, I’ve met new showroom owners and expanded my list of designers, but I always want to return home to Milan. I look to Milan fashion for inspiration, for something special.
This season the Milan Fashion Week calendar intuitively focused on new talent. New designers are critical to any fashion capitol but this season, thankfully, Milan had a healthy mix of newcomers and established brands that made for a more contemporary lineup.
From Day 1 of Milan Fashion Week I saw growth in what designers put on the runway. I loved that the newcomers had the confidence to play with traditional silhouettes which pushed Italian fashion towards more modern design. For example, newcomer Lucio Vanotti clapped back at consumerism by paying homage to the hardworking girl and crazy 80s excess, but in a modern way.
Designer Annakiki’s IRL party is the future of fashion. Annakiki is what you would wear when you take your social life offline.
Issey Miyake created the most beautiful hand bags with Chinese messaging of peace and harmony. The collection was created with an amazing new artist named Ikko Tanaka. I’m all about simplicity right now.
Where Milan continues to fall behind is the lack of modern diversity. There were people from all over the world sitting on the benches but it wasn’t reflected on the catwalk. I’m hopeful designers will see that if they make their shows as diverse as their buyers they will sell more!
I’m super excited for Day 2. I expect lots of glamour from Genny, Les Copains and Cinzia Rocca. It will also be a full day of shoe presentations! I expect more high heels but also trendy new designs like the sandal/boot from the Albino Teodoro runway! The boot was a very modern version of the hunter boot- although these are more for light treading than real hiking!
I will be interviewing the creative director from Furla again! The animal motif’s on handbags made popular by Furla has swept the world. But I think they might change direction this season.
And I’m excited to see Japanese designer Izumi Ogino’s new take for Anteprima. Also I want to check out two Portuguese brands who’ve been showing here in Milan for the past 4 seasons, Pedro Pedro and Carlos Gil.
Follow along with me on Instagram to catch Milan Fashion Week as it’s happening. Or, I’ll see you back here at thefashionplatemag.com
As always, thanks for joining!
All photos ©The Fashion Plate Magazine, LLC. (by Shuyu Zhang)
The Fashion Plate Magazine 