All The Latest From Milan Fashion Week
As fashion weeks continue around the world, we round up the biggest moments from the shows…
For the last 18 months and the past three fashion seasons, the concept of a traditional fashion week has not existed. As a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the social restrictions that have come with it, designers have not been able to host catwalk shows in the way we once knew them, with many fashion houses turning to digital formats or hosting audience-free shows, with some even forgoing the concept altogether. However, this month will see more in-person fashion shows than we have experienced for a very long time. Although the schedules are still not quite back to normal, a loosening of restrictions in the four major fashion capitals will allow fashion week to take place in a physical setting – and plenty of designers are returning to the catwalk for the first time since March 2020.
The schedule begins this week in New York City, where we expect there to be quite a buzz around the shows as fashion’s finest fly into town for the Met Gala, which was postponed and will now take place on Monday 13 September. The fashion set will then head to London, Milan and Paris, where there will be plenty of excitement with the return of the front row, debut designer collections and a beautiful tribute to the late Alber Elbaz in Paris, where 40 designers have paid homage to his work with a collection dedicated to the couturier.
Below, we round up every major catwalk moment you need to see from New York, London, Milan and Paris as designers across the globe present their spring/summer 2022 collections.
Versace
Dua Lipa opened and closed the Versace show, which this season took inspiration from the transformative powers of the house’s iconic silk foulard, or scarves, taking pieces of fabric and “haphazardly” fastening and embellishing with another recognisable brand signature; the safety pin.
“The foulard is a fundamental component of Versace’s heritage and character,” said Donatella Versace. “It’s acted as a canvas for our iconic prints and is worn in multiple ways from knotted tops to headscarves to bag accessories – it’s a way of adding Versace attitude to any look. The foulard has been with us since the very beginning of the brand, but this season turns everything on its head, it is no longer fluid or dreamy, the scarf is provocative, sexy, wound tight.”
Prada
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons made history for spring/summer 2022, showcasing two identical Prada collections simultaneously on different sides of the world. While one show was taking place at the Deposito of the Fondazione Prada in Milan, another show, with the exact same looks on different models, was happening at Bund 1 in Shanghai. To really emphasise the effect, the Shanghai show was live-streamed simultaneously on screens for the audience at the Milan show, and vice versa.
“Synchronous and simultaneous views epitomise the modern world: we observe, interact and communicate in a multitude of manners,” explained the show notes. “Within corresponding decors, video screens engage each show in dialogue with the other, physical and virtual realities. They bring two groups of people, on two sides of the world, together in a modern community.”
The collection itself was designed to explore “seduction through reduction” – the expression of sexuality through the stripping down of clothing.
Tod’s
Fendi
Kim Jones presented his latest collection for Fendi on the opening day of Milan Fashion Week, sending plenty of muted colours, chic trouser suits and disco-inspired designs down the catwalk. The house described it as “a joyful exploration of Fendi’s signature irreverence, offering a modern perspective on disco-age glamour brimming with powerful, effortless femininity”.
Moschino
Supermodels including Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk stepped onto the catwalk for Moschino as Jeremy Scott presented a collection that he described as “ladies who lunch, but also nursery rhymes, so it’s baby lady”. The models wore dresses covered in childlike prints and held accessories including baby bottles, injecting some fun into a very rainy New York day.
Gabriela Hearst
“Being able to create beautiful pieces that are desirable and at the same time that empower others is probably one of the most satisfying personal experiences,” Gabriela Hearst wrote in her show notes of her latest collection, one which was filled with bright colourful knits, and which was inspired by Hester Diamond.
LaQuan Smith
Known for his daring dresses which have won over fans including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, LaQuan Smith did not disappoint in delivering some eveningwear drama in his SS22 that we will no doubt see on the red carpet over the next few months.
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Peter Do
It was a New York Fashion Week show debut for Peter Do – and he did not disappoint. The designer, who has already won various accolades and is collecting A-list fans, presented a timeless collection of capsule classics in a neutral colour palette, which nods to the understated glamour that his brand has become so well known for. From perfectly cut trench coats to great tailoring and exquisite workwear, his is a name to know now. Shop his autumn collection here – and scroll down to see more highlights from his debut New York show.
Prabal Gurung
Prabal Gurung decided to celebrate all things women for his SS22 collection, where he asked: “Who gets to be a woman?”
“The collection reimagines canonical ideas of nationality, gender, and beauty through my lens of unabashed optimism and unadulterated hope,” he wrote in his show notes. “America has always been a woman – but she has not always been treated beautifully. What does it mean to be the most essential person in this country? What is feminine? What is American? And who gets to be it all – or none of it?”
The designer took inspiration from Pulitzer Prize-winning fashion and culture critic Robin Givhan and her quote: “To be girlish is to be powerful, because power is redefined.” He presented a series of designs which celebrated the female form, while he asked his audience to think about what it means to be a woman today.
Proenza Schouler
Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who gave birth to her first baby late last year, was back on the New York Fashion Week runway, walking for Proenza Schouler, which presented its ‘Little Island’ collection. Inspired by a trip to Kauai that creative directors Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough took after lockdown, the collection was all about easy breezy summer dressing with bold pops of sunshine-inspired colour and floaty fabrics.
Christian Siriano
Christian Siriano looked to Italian glamour for his spring/summer 2022 collection, which he presented at New York City’s Gotham Hall. The designer particularly sought inspiration in his Italian grandmother, who he named as the season’s muse, injecting bright colours and dramatic silhouettes into the collection, which he found her wearing in old family photographs.
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Tom Ford
Tom Ford presented a spring collection that was made for showing off. Sparkles, sequins, satin and plenty of eveningwear made up the bulk of what came down the catwalk, bringing NYFW to a close with an optimistic mood that suggested excitement at the return of going out. He put it as: “Photogenic clothes today by their very nature mean that they are not at all timid. My clothes this season are simple in cut but not in impact.” This was clear to see in the athleisure-inspired silhouettes which were given a high-octane finish.
Altuzarra
Retuning to the New York Fashion Week schedule after a few seasons off (the designer showed in Paris for a while before the pandemic took hold), Joseph Altuzarra brought a touch of escapism to the catwalk with tie-dye prints, relaxed separates and dresses that are perfect for travelling the world.
Coach
“Spring presents my vision of a new vocabulary of American fashion inspired by our 80-year heritage through the lens of the next generation,” Stuart Vevers said of Coach’s latest collection. “A celebration, too, of the colourful, upbeat optimism of Coach’s first designer Bonnie Cashin, it’s a collection I designed in response to the times we are living through—and a collective wish for a better, brighter future.”
Jason Wu
For spring/summer 2022, Jason Wu said he was inspired by the art of craftsmanship, particularly the idea of working with the hand. The designer turned to innovative techniques of dyeing fabrics using strictly natural materials to create the label’s trademark delicate floral prints, while he also collaborated with fabric artist Cara Marie Piazza who owns an artisanal workshop specialising in natural dyes.
Lead image courtesy of Versace
Written by Amy De Klerk