Images: Imaxtree
That’s a wrap for Milan Fashion Week, and what a rollercoaster it has been. As everyone descended on the Italian city to check out the latest wares for the Fall 2019 season, news broke that legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld had passed away, sending the entire industry into a state of sadness. But just as Karl would have wanted, the show still went on. Gucci and Alberta Ferretti were the first to get MFW off to a flying start.
Daniel Lee made his debut as Bottega Veneta‘s new creative director and has already propelled the brand to new heights, completely overhauling the Veneta woman and toughening her up with leathers, sharp, tailored cuts and killer accessories. Jeremy Scott is still doing exactly what he does oh so marvelously well over at Moschino HQ, presenting a fabulously campy collection inspired by American TV game shows and the excess of the 1980s.
The designs of Paul Surridge have become increasingly more confident at Roberto Cavalli, Silvia Venturini Fendi held back the tears (unlike the models) as she presented Lagerfeld’s last collection for Fendi to the international fashion press and Alessandro Michele just bestowed upon us his most wearable and decent Gucci collection to date.
Our forum members have five burning questions after MFW: Is it time Ian Griffiths ditched Carine Roitfeld as Max Mara‘s show stylist? Did Donatella really design that “irrelevant and regressive” Versace collection? Is Francesco Risso secretly trying to ruin Marni? Why do Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana insist on the circus-like spectacle each and every season? Is Alberta Ferretti trying to become the Italian Isabel Marant (because it’s working!)?
Here are theFashionSpot’s hits and misses of Milan Fashion Week’s Fall 2019 season. Be sure to stay tuned, because we’re heading to Paris as we speak. Three down … one to go!
Hits and Misses Milan Fall 2019
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HIT: Bottega Veneta
"A tough looking BV, I like it." [Nymphaea]
"Really strong. I loved how he played with fabrics here, especially the leather and knit. Lots of expectations, mostly very successful. I'm crazy about the overall aesthetic, a nice balance between gritty urban and modern luxury. It's a bit GMBH meets Helmut Lang. So many looks that are the highlights of the season so far." [Marc10]
"I’m on this new Bottega bandwagon. Most of the womenswear is up my alley and I can’t stop drooling over the motorcycle look in the beginning. I think it’s to die for!" [GERGIN]
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MISS: Salvatore Ferragamo
"Pinstripes, boiler suits, and leather pajamas? Groundbreaking. This doesn't look high-end. The shoes are bad, which is quite ironic. You would think they would be the saving grace. The bags are basic and boring. This doesn't need a show. What a waste of money and resources." [GivenchyHomme]
"Why does this brand even bother to spend money on a fashion show? For marketing and branding purpose? It doesn't show any that kind effort, so why?" [chanelh]
"I don’t really get the goal of this. Are they trying to have more editorial coverage or are they trying to sell and engage with a customer? Ferragamo doesn’t have to be edgy!" [Lola701]
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HIT: Fendi
"Very emotional show. It's [Karl's] last collection and suddenly all the details that have always been part of his aesthetic have another connotation. It's a very beautiful collection, in the vein of his work lately but even more of his style. It's obvious he designed it because there are signs like his expected odd "shoulders & sleeves" combos, the white shirts ... etc. It's very Fendi, very Karl, very ladylike with a twist ... everything that I like." [Lola701]
"I've always liked Fendi, and this show is no exception. The colors are lovely, especially that shade of green. The little details — the bow, the sheer, the split back on a jacket, the subtle pleating — all little things Karl included that no one else would have thought of. Absolutely touching, a beautiful and emotional show." [AnaD]
"I have always liked Karl's work at Fendi, and this is possibly one of my favorites. It's already emotional, but I think he know he wants this collection to be a goodbye song at Fendi, so you see his signatures and it is such a treat." [TaylorBinque]
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MISS: Versace
"I miss those clean, powerful and inspiring Versace fashion shows like SS16 or AW17. This fashion show looks uninteresting, irrelevant, regressive, un-innovative and even psychedelic. The venue is also quite small compared to what Versace was previously." [Aurimas]
"Who styled this? It's not reading like Versace. The styling is incredibly dated and desperate. I'm having a hard time believing Donatella even designed this collection. Some of the strong pieces are overshadowed by the neon tights, too much layering and unflattering proportions. The hair and makeup is a travesty. This is a fail." [reese06]
"Versace for the past few years has always come across looking like fast fashion to me. It reads Versace x Luxury department store collaboration." [TheoG]
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HIT: Moschino
"I am totally fine with this being Moschino. It's funny, it's kitschy, it's campy and wrong in every department, and I love it. I can see drag queens placing orders right now." [RaisinBoy]
"Watching the stream, it was a hot mess, but the atmosphere of the show was amazing. So much fun! I love it." [guimon]
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MISS: Marni
"Tragic, and completely unappealing." [liberty33r1b]
"WTF! There is absolutely nothing Marni about this. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t even look like the same designer. All of his previous collections have been cohesive and very faithful to the DNA of the house. This collection is playing copycat. I'm very disappointed." [GivenchyHomme]
"WOW, I haven't seen a reeking pile of trash like this in ages. Way to strangle the last life out Marni!" [Vitamine W]
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HIT: Alberta Ferretti
"Wow, brilliant collection!" [caioherrero]
"This is how Isabel Marant would look if it was an Italian brand. Styling is on point and makes me wanna wear the more dressed down looks real bad!" [blusheels]
"Isabel Marant meets Alexandre Vauthier, but I love it! Chic, expensive, strong and beautiful. Love the pale palettes of the first looks." [guimon]
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MISS: Prada
"Absolutely atrocious. Instagram and millennials destroyed this brand. It's beyond hideous, it's so tacky, so tasteless, so gimmicky, so tricky and so trendy. And not an ounce of intelligence or sophistication behind any of the choices made here. It's all flash, no substance. And Prada was ALWAYS substance. Not anymore." [dior_couture1245]
"OK, Miuccia, let's step it up. Wilting flowers coming off coats? No. This isn't a Central Saint Martins senior thesis!" [RedSmokeRise]
"Boring AF. Prada needs a makeover." [Karl Boucher]
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HIT: Gucci
"No animals, dead birds and plants — that's a first, lol. This looked far more visually appealing than all his other collections. There was a strong 40s vibe. I think this is his best collection for the house." [disco54]
"Definitely his best collection in a really long time. I love it. Sure it has some of the usual Gucci vices (too many looks, over-merchandising), but this felt like a much stronger fashion message. There was an exercise throughout the collection, you could sense him trying different things. The styling feels more precise and put together. Loving the play with silhouette on the tailoring." [Marc10]
"I actually like this. It's already my favorite collection from him. It's way more focused and when I saw the first five looks I got what this collection is all about." [ghostwriter10459]
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MISS: Max Mara
"I feel like Carine [Roitfeld] just did with Max Mara what she did with Tom Ford: the same silhouette styled in different color ways. So, it's quite repetitive, there are some great pieces but like Tom Ford, it's quite unfocused. Fluo with oversized 80' silhouettes is very 2009 Lady Gaga." [Lola701]
"Love Carine but I'm really tired of her. Every show she styles is stale and would be better with a fresh point of view." [reese06]
"What happened with Milan this season? Everything looks so dated; they are totally obsessed with the 80s!" [jeanclaude]
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HIT: Roberto Cavalli
"I like the painterly prints and how sleek everything is. The women's looks are decent, but the menswear is the true star of this show. The cast is great too!" [AnaD]
"It's clear that Paul Surridge is a good designer, he knows how to cut which isn't much of a surprise with his background at Zegna and Jil Sander. His dresses are also looking increasingly more confident!" [triocotineacetat]
"I absolutely love it. I love his work so, so, so much." [gossiping]
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MISS: Jil Sander
"Apparently the Jil Sander woman no longer has a shape. She prefers to hide her body in oversized potato sacks. A poncho at Jil Sander? Enough is enough. Either kill it once and for all or hire a pro. This brand has too much of a history to go into irrelevancy." [GivenchyHomme]
"This is definitely too slouchy for Sanders." [Not Plain Jane]
"They really want to make the Jil Sander women wear slouchy oversized everything! I feel like [Lucie and Luke Meier] have been doing the same thing since they took over. Why can't we have sleek, streamlined and interesting cuts?" [TaylorBinque]
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MISS: MSGM
"Somebody is spending too much time looking at designers collections on Vogue.com. MSGM used to be cool like No. 21. What happened?" [Lola701]
"I hope the invitation for the show included a paper barf bag (which would be 'specially useful with the last four dresses, and also with all the prints)." [jeanclaude]
"The print on a pair of pants lines up to spell 'shart' so you know what's up. Ugly." [AnaD]
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MISS: Dolce & Gabbana
"Hell, no! I can see that they tried to do something a little bit different, but it didn’t work. Way too many looks, way too confusing to watch, they really need to pull their s*it together and return to the Eurotrash they were so good at. And maybe change the designers." [Mrs.T]
"The show looked like a circus. They shouldn't have changed the casting director." [MILKFOLDER]
"I haven’t bought anything D&G since 2014. I’ve decided to not buy anything from them anymore and I must say that beyond their behavior, their work only made me realize that I made the right choice. Dolce & Gabbana has been terrible for the majority of the decade, and now I suspect that the next decade will look like a long retrospective (even if that was the case already)." [Lola701]
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MISS: Vivetta
"This wasn't worth the show; just print a collection book if this is what you're planning on showing." [AnaD]
"Is everyone trying to be Gucci nowadays?" [ForTheImage]
"Imagine wasting one hour of your life to see this 15-minute runway show." [MetroMelannie]
