Milan F/W: Moschino Rocked it.

©ourtesy of Sarah Harris @ Vogue.uk

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MOSCHINO turns 30 this year and celebrations have been non-stop. As one would expect from a house such as this, a milestone anniversary was never going to slip by, unnoticed. The Italians already staged a runway show in Shanghai earlier this year, and everyone was expecting something bigger and better on home turf this week. Invitations arrived accompanied by a boxed white t-shirt branded “For Fashion Victims Only,” and for days now, rumours have been circling of Gloria Gaynor set to perform I am what I am. Those rumours proved true. The show opened with video footage of founder Franco Moschino, who died in 1994 from complications of AIDS, aged just 44. It was a poignant moment, but show-goers, fuelled by champagne supped in the courtyard, were in the mood for a party and with that, the curtain opened and out popped Pat Cleveland in that full-skirted “cow” gown (the same gown she wore 30 years ago, in 1983 for the house’s first ever fashion show). The crowd lapped it up whooping and cheering. Only in Milan. Other archival hits followed, such as the clustered teddy bear hat and scarf, and a ball gown made from bin bags.
The spring collection that followed is best described as a catalogue of reworked greatest hits, from safety-pinned embellished black jackets with ring-pull zip pockets, to rose-printed dresses, gingham bloomers, monochrome ruffle-collared skirt suits and T-shirts emblazoned “Niente” and a caftan that read “Holy Chic”. Everything was trussed up on good girls or bad girls, the former accessorised with pearls, the latter with brassy gold chains, hoop earrings, and those shouty logo belts. It was humorous, delightful, outrageous and ridiculous and in all, a thoroughly fitting tribute by Rossella Jardini, Frano Moschino’s friend and former assistant who took up the reins in the mid Nineties – and yes, there are many pieces here that will prove to be commercial hits too, when these clothes land in stores in spring – but in truth, that wasn’t really the point of it all this evening. Take it away Gaynor…!

Jil Sander Fashion Designer ‘Raf Simons’ replaces Galliano

A Fashion show hosted by Jil Sander is usually cool temples of austerity but the atmosphere was crackling with emotion on Saturday when fashion designer Raf Simons showed his final collection for the house at Milan Fashion Week shows. The Belgian-born fashion designer received a standing ovation for his swan song, an opulent symphony to minimalism comprised of clean cuts and double-faced cashmere coats in sugary pinks, pale grey and white fashion looks. The volume of the coats in the fashion show were all countered by fine knit dresses cut close to the body, along with others incorporating seams used to construct geometric shapes. The fashion show was one of the better shows, no doubt. Belgian designer Raf Simons cried  at the end of his final Jil Sander  fashion show. (Photo: AFP) Simons is leaving the brand after 6½ critically acclaimed years to make way for the return of German designer Jil Sander to the house she founded in 1968. It will be the third coming of Sander at her label: she left it twice when it was controlled by the Prada Group because of creative differences. Designer Sander said she was excited to Read more…

Fashion Week Milan Fall 2012 trend

©ourtesy Beatrix Zwart | Yahoo! Fashion

Milan Fashion Week has drawn to a close and we’ve taken a look at the key trends to emerge for next season from the Italian catwalks. Fur, as already seen on the Autumn/Winter 2012 runway in both New York and London, also returned to Milan as the winter outerwear favorite.

AW12 trend: Fur. Missoni, Gucci and Etro.

Soft fur jackets contrasted Etro’s boho styles and Missoni’s signature colorful knitted stripes while two-tone fur complimented Marni’s block color collection. Full fur coats were seen at Gucci and Fendi, the former adopting a classic look while the latter opted for bright dyed fur.

AW12 trend: Slate. Anteprima and Sportmax. Read more…

Paris Fashion Week hotties show edgyness on the Runway

Balenciaga, Rick Owns, Dries Van Noten, Rochas, Ann Demeulemeester focus

 

Paris Fall fashion collections began awkwardly. Milan had been so stoutly clear: Bottega Veneta, Jil Sander, weird but wonderful Prada. Now we were 27 floors above the Left Bank, in an office, and the funny thing was — what were the chances? — all of Paris on Thursday morning was soaked in a thick fog. The gray matched the mood of designer, Nicolas Ghesquiere  Balenciaga. It wasn’t intentional. Briefly, Mr. Ghesquiere’s idea was to capture the different styles of office attire among women. “Balenciaga Inc.,” he said backstage. Balenciaga Chic is probably what his fans would prefer to see instead of belted double-faced coats, turtleneck sweaters with cream A-line skirts (though lovely) and chunky sweat shirts in a kind of, um, animal motif. Another blousy top featured cartoon graphics with sayings like “Join a weird trip.” On one level, a spoofy take on corporate dressing is welcomed. All those strange proportions and codes might work as an odd little mirror held up to reality. At one point fashion designer Ghesquiere sent out what looked like jumpsuits; the upper half was a conventional blazer, and the bottom might have been track pants in parachute silk prints, finished off with a belt so that your rear end was guaranteed to look enormous. In New York, we’ve all seen that mishmash of styles on the subway: the thick leather jacket, the ’80s trousers and two-tone elf boots, the touch of metallic animal prints. And the attitude is admirable because it really isn’t about Fashion. But on another level, you don’t need this point of view from Balenciaga. It’s a bit pedestrian. Although the collection had a number of strong pieces, like the skirts and many of the tops, there is just not enough merit to the idea to keep you interested. Fashion Designer Rick Owens opened his Paris collection with floor-scraping coats and pebbly wool dresses, the models’ heads covered in knitted caps that formed cages over their faces. Their lips were bright red. In his fashion, designer Owens was elegant. And he raised the bar with beautiful leather jackets, among his most beautiful, with dolman sleeves; cropped at the waist, they were worn with slim, draped wool skirts in a slightly contrasting tone. After his January Paris men’s show, with its Oscar Wilde allusions that landed like a heavy volume, designer Dries Van Noten use of 17th-century Asian silk prints in his women’s show on Wednesday felt comfortably at home in his world. Maybe Mr. Van Noten can’t be funny on a runway. Read more…