What’s hot in Milan?
March 17, 2004 | 12:00am
It’s happy. It’s upbeat. It’s positive. It’s fun. It’s feminine. It’s bold. It’s colorful. It sparkles. That’s spring/summer fashion in Milan. The real woman is back. Femininity in its entire splendor ruled the catwalks. The color palette was bold – from apple green to canary yellow, petal pink, coral, aquamarine and purple. The Fifties still continued to be the era of choice for most designers – from cinched waists to full skirts to capri pants. Women were flirty in light, sheer and moving silhouettes in lace, silk and chiffon. Western girls are of-the-moment again. Gold is the metal of choice. Prints made a big impact – from floral to pop art and psychedelic.
Sugar baby — Bon bon colors were all the rage. Brighten your summer wardrobe in tones of green, yellow, pink, orange, blue and purple. Gucci, Alberta Ferretti, Anna Molinari, Roberto Cavallli, Pucci, Moschino, Prada and Miu Miu gave the new mood of femininity a bold palette. Wear one shade head to toe or pick a vivid color like canary yellow or apple green to brighten your neutrals. Be bold and have fun — do it in color!
Sweet seduction — Fashion gets flirtatious in extremely feminine dresses embellished with ruffles, ribbons, bows and frills. Lace, satin and chiffon were the tools of choice with a hint of lingerie inspiration for allure. Flowing chiffon is designed to create movement. Light and sheer are ladylike. Achieve the look in layers of neutrals and brights and cover up in pretty cardigans. Blumarine and Anna Molinari had ribbons threaded through skirts, pink shorts with ruffles, frills and dangling garters for lingerie touches. Alberta Ferretti loves chiffon. Ballerina girls were garbed in vivid hues of chiffon worked in long strips. While at Philosophy, convent girls borrowed their mommy’s clothes. Little chiffon numbers were paired with oversized cardigans and sheer tees, while Ferragamo showed luxury pieces in shades of lavender and aquamarine — colors on a hot day at Provence. Have a sweet taste and be mod.
Trench season — Colors and prints bring the classic up-to-date. Shorter versions, oversized cuts and boleros made from storm flaps gave the wardrobe staple the look of the season.
Wild, wild west — It’s time to play American Indian and cowboy. Take your pick. Both are key looks of the season. Cowboy shirts, belts and boots gave a new edge to the look. Fringes, leather belts with metals and shells and feather accents showed up at Anna Molinari. To further emphasize the mood, Roberto Cavalli went full force cowgirl, Cher-inspired. Think Cher during her years with Sony. Embroidered leather and jeans, feathers, fringes, prints, chain necklaces and rhinestone tees invaded the runway.
Sparkle — Gold is the metal of choice this season. Coats, accessories, dresses and swimsuits sparkled. Gold serpents embellished Gucci’s accessories. Knock out the crowd in beaded details from Gucci, Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, Roberto Cavalli and Blumarine.
Definitely not for the faint-hearted — From Pucci to Missoni, Marni, Moschino, Versace, Iceberg, Prada and Alberta Ferretti, prints were all over. These bold blends were mixed to clash for an even bolder look. If you want a "hey, look at me" style, layer contrasting pieces. Prada went as far as creating a new print — a quasi-Venetian cityscape. The print appeared in full skirts trimmed in a graphic Indian band to dresses and bowling bags. Giorgio Armani was in a seaside mood with stripes in abundance – from red, blue and white. Master in the print world — Pucci, showed swirls of pattern. Designer Christian Lacroix created sporty yet elegant looks for the house. Flowers in Hawaiian to English country garden bloomed everywhere. Animal print took a new spin at Iceberg in bold hues of green, purple and orange. Prints and patterns ruled.
Couture — Carefully crafted clothes are now easily accessible to us. Gone are the days when only a few could experience this. Now, women are spoiled. Ready-to-wear is given the same attention to detail. Take Prada’s tie-die and weaving, Bottega Veneta’s strewed sequins across capris and vintage Murano beads on sandals, Etro’s embroidery, Cavalli’s embellishments and Gianfranco Ferre’s graphic cut-out pieces influenced by the modular motifs of Italian artist Vittorio Zecchin. Consider yourself lucky. We are finally getting what we deserve and what we want.
Ladylike looks — Designers searched the fifties archives again – from circle skirts to capri pants with nipped waist and shorter sleeves. "It’s Capri in the 1950s meeting New York today," said Lacroix for Pucci in "Italian Fashion" by Suzy Menkes, October 4-5, 2003 International Herald Tribune. Essential silhouettes of the era from tiny tops with full skirts to tight pencil skirts and full high-waisted prom dresses showed up at Prada. Likewise, Dsquared produced an ode to the Fifties biker chicks in skin-tight pedal pushers and push-up bras. While ankle socks paired with heels were the key accessories at Marni. The real woman is back.
The highlight of my week was witnessing Missoni’s show celebrating 50 years in fashion. Still family-run, Missoni is hotter than hot. It is rare these days that big companies eat up fashion houses left and right. The entire family gathered together including their grandchildren. A retrospective from Rosita and Tai Missoni’s works to Angela, their daughter, the current designer highlighted the show. Family snapshots and past designs were projected on the walls. The most touching moment was when the entire backdrop revealed tiers of the house’s work force all in white tailor coats. It gave me goose bumps. It was so touching. The entire room gave them a standing ovation. It was a great finale to my frenzied week. Now more than ever, I learned that hard work, discipline, keeping an open mind and not being afraid of change are secrets of success.
Make heads turn with these bright new looks. Happy, happy, happy is the mood of the moment. The real woman with oomph! – that’s the look of the moment.
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