Everything
While London Fashion Week is known to usher in the niche and unusual from fashion’s up-and-coming designers, it is Milan Fashion Week that sets the precedence of the circuit. Boasting runway presentations from the likes of Prada, Emporio Armani and Ermenegildo Zegna, Italian craftsmanship, luxury fabrics and expert tailoring take form and for Fall/Winter 2020, the standard is no different. As the new decade is welcomed in with a crisp winter breeze, inside, these are the week’s highlights, hot off the press.
gucci
We would have expected nothing less than the spectacle Milan Fashion Week was delivered by Alessanro Michele. Revolving around a swinging pin, Fall/Winter 2020 revealed the same sensibilities Gucci is known for with touches of wearable pieces and ’70s style references in the form of high-waisted pants, micro plaid and wire square glasses frames, now a hallmark accessory for the Italian fashion house. While it is not as garish as FW/19, there was still OTT hints in the form of chunky jewellery and sky-high quiffs. Naturally, the house continued the conversation of toxic masculinity and gender identity as it has done in past collection.
FENDI
For Fall/Winter 2020, the Italian fashion house has exercised ‘FENDI-fied’ classicism, as it ushers in a ‘new normal’ where traditional garments are not what they seem. The iconic stamp of the FF Logo is reimagined with a sense of futurism fused into utilitarian silhouettes, ’70s-style prints and oversized outerwear. Making for street appeal, looks are finished off with a variety of chunky combat boots, sneakers and classic bags with an updated twist.
Ermenegildo Zegna
#UseTheExisting was the motto for Fall/Winter 2020 as luxury house Ermenegildo Zegna took to Milan Fashion Week. Hosted in a former Milanese foundry, Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori tapped the mind of multi-media American artist Anne Patterson, for a background made from ribbons derived from leftover Zegna fabrics. This was reflected in the collection with complementing colour hues as the sartorial know-how of the brand was explored in new, hybrid directions. The result is soft silhouettes fused with boxy tailoring and the occasional nod to refined sportswear.
Emporio Armani
When it comes to Milan Fashion Week, all eyes are on the iconic house of Emporio Armani. This season, the namesake brand put emphasis on fabrication and the re-imagination of established designs. Fall/Winter 2020, in turn, was more glitzy and punchy than past seasons and makes a case for brave dressing. All-over black is enlivened by silver fragments while classic looks were updated with sporty accents and details providing easy access to the more refined dresser.
prada
For Prada Fall/Winter 2020, contradictions and dichotomies were the theme of the collection as design paradoxes were fused. Drawn from an exploration of an uncertain metaphysical hinterland, caught between two poles, seen from a different vantage, this idea is expressed boldly through fabrication: traditional materials are combined with technologically innovative, recycled fibres in chromatic colours.
dolce & gabbana
With an onslaught of Gen-Z, Tik-Tok famous influencers sitting front row – considered a controversial decision among editors, buyers and celebrities – the presentation was titled ‘The masters of art’ and explored the dignity of labour, the value of craft, and the preciousness of skills that are handed down from generation to generation. The theme was clear as it played hero to leather one-pieces, combat-style boots, chunky knitwear and oversized outerwear. Making the menswear collection as practical as it is avant garde, the stamp of D&G seen in patterned shirting.
