Milan Fashion Week: Fall/Winter 2023
February 22, 2023 - February 27, 2023
Thank you all for your patience with these fashion week overviews. Starting this Substack when fashion season was already more than half way over was definitely ambitious. I’ve been making up for lost time while also working on current fashion musings. For future seasons I hope to release these as the fashion weeks present, but for now here are my Milan Fashion Week Outtakes:
Day 1 : Wednesday, February 22nd
Fendi :
For Fendi’s Fall 2023 collection, the inspiration was sourced from home. “It all started with Delfina,” Kim Jones stated, in reference to his seasonal muse Delfina Delettrez Fendi, the fourth-generation heiress of Fendi and founder of her eponymous jewelry brand.
Delfina, who was among the professionals named in Vantiy Fair’s International Best Dressed List in 2016, has grown up with fashion access that one could only dream of: the archive of Fendi, including Karl Lagerfeld’s RTW collections from 1965-2019, and the wardrobe of her mother Silvia Venturini Fendi.
Jones focused on her minimalistic style through the emphasis on three main categories: knitwear, dresses, and tailoring. The silhouettes were long, classic, and slender, but were coupled with subtle disruptions and asymmetry — merging together the classic Fendi archive and the youthful edginess that Delettrez Fendi brings to it.
This collection ended up being an entire family affair seeing that Venturini Fendi, who is the artistic director of accessories and menswear, debuted a new shapeshifting bag that can alternate between a bucket shape and classic tote while Delphina Delettrez Fendi applied her affinity for jewelry making to design earrings that resemble Fendi’s classic double-F logo.
Diesel :
Glenn Martens Fall 2023 collection started off Milan Fashion Week with a bang (literally?) in a playful collaboration with Durex. Martens put action behind the sexy aesthetic he cultivated during his three years at Diesel by staging the runway in front of a mass of 200,000 Durex condoms that will be distributed at stores amidst the release of their capsule collaboration in April.
Although it was definitely a conversation piece, Martens made sure the theatrics of the show did not upstage the collection he created. As typical, Martens continues to find new innovative ways to use denim— making it synonymous with the brand, but never allowing it to feel repetitive or overdone.
Distressed leather and denim flooded the runway; playing around with mesh inserts that make the looks appear to be easily ripped off. Several satin pieces also made an appearance, and since it is a fabric often associated with the boudoir and night slips, it really comes as no surprise.
This collection builds on design elements that are visible in other popular shows from this season: Elena Velez, Who Decides War, and Roberto Cavalli to name a few, so it looks like the distressed look is here to stay.
Day 2 : Thursday, February 23rd
Max Mara :
Max Mara’s creative director Ian Griffith’s found inspiration in the French philosopher Émilie du Châtelet and other female intellects in the male-dominant academic landscape of the 18th century.
Inspired by Du Châtelet’s survivalist tactic of dressing like a man in order to be taken seriously among her male counterparts, Griffith’s fall collection titled The Camelocracy both drew inspiration from her androgynous wardrobe and envisioned how she would participate in the 18th century’s apotropaic fashion had she had the opportunity to do so.
This is illustrated through the styling of Banyan coats, meant to rest on one shoulder, that draw a visible line down the middle of the human form: one half that must hide and another that no longer has to.
I find that the inspiration for this collection evolves similarly to the Talia Byre Fall 2023 collection that was inspired by female anti-heroes and the work of the American abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler. Griffith explains “Nearly three hundred years later, her gender is no longer considered to be at odds with her talent. She was one of an army of women whose wit and intellect were instrumental in producing change.” From the present day perspective, we are able to view the way women strategically navigated these spaces as a sign of intellect and power as we retrospectively honor their womanhood since it was forcefully concealed during their lifetime.
Prada :
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’s Fall 2023 collection, Taking Care, is an ode to the members of our society who hold us together. Specifically inspired by the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine and the essential workers who sustained us through the Covid-19 pandemic, Prada’s collection interpolates elements of working class uniforms and dress codes.
“Mainly what I care about now is to give importance to what is modest, to value modest jobs, simple jobs, and not only extreme beauty or glamour,” says Prada, which is then later followed up in the show notes with the explanation that this collection is “embracing the ugly.”
If you haven’t read about my feelings for this show in my previous essay, it may sound like I am writing with a certain tone. I am.
This collection comes across as incredibly patronizing, not only due to the fact that these “simple" workers cannot afford the clothing that they inspired, but also because uniforms are worn out of necessity. A first responder or minimum-wage laborer has no control over the desirability of their work attire, let alone have the ability to embrace its apparent ugliness.
I think this collection contributes to a larger cultural problem of class performance. In the upper class’s attempt to absolve themselves of guilt by honoring the work that they don’t have to contribute to, they have instead just created costumes that make them look like they do. Both options are just simply a diversion of responsibility.
Blumarine :
Nicola Brognano deviated from his typical bright pastel-colored Y2K-inspired designs for Blumarine Fall 2023. This collection, inspired by Joan of Arc, adhered to an edgier and grungier image that has developed from the brand’s last spring and pre-fall collections.
Although Brognano has stated he relies more on instinct than seeking designer inspiration, parts of this collection remind me a bit of both Ghesquière and Demna’s eras at Balenciaga.
Chainmail as become a seasonal favorite for many brands, as seen in Dion Lee, Simone Rocha, and Heron Preston, so it comes as no surprise that it made its way back in Blumarine’s Fall collection. But other than that specific detailing, there really isn’t anything else to connect the collection back to Joan of Arc.
This wouldn’t be such a big deal if 1. chainmail wasn’t already everywhere and 2. Joan of Arc hadn’t already inspired many other collections. But when you have iconic shows like Alexander McQueen Fall 1998, Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 1994, and Christian Dior Fall 2006 Couture, all of which have a much clearer and justifiable depiction of Joan of Arc, there is nothing really about Blumarine’s fall collection that stands out.
Moschino :
For what we now know to be his departing collection after a decade-long position as creative director of Moschino, Jeremy Scott returned to the brand’s surrealist roots with a collection inspired by The Persistence of Memory (1931) by Salvador Dalí.
Warped houndstooth patterns, dresses that appeared to be melting off the body, and hoop earrings that dripped like Dalí’s clocks appeared on the runway as distorted 1980’s synth-pop further disoriented the hypnotic collection.
A painting about the timelessness, intangibility, and elusiveness of the subconscious mind seems to be the perfect inspiration for Scott’s grand finale. As he explained in the collection and in his interview with the New York Times, it’s too soon to see what his future holds, but as for the present, we are certainly “living in distorted times.”
I wrote about my feeling for Scott’s departure already in a weekly fashion overview, but I’ll say it again here: I think its appropriately timed (pun intended). Although it did come as a surprise to many, it is clear that Scott upholds the legacy of the brand’s founder and since Franco Moschino’s life was sadly cut short 10 years after founding the brand, it seems appropriate to not exceed that time.
Day 3 : Friday, February 24th
Gucci :
Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection for Gucci made the news for seemingly every reason but the right one. Conversations about influencers’ space in the fashion industry hierarchy, whether or not they are deserving to sit in the front row, and whether or not it is considered gauche to wear Michele’s era Gucci to the show when he is no longer working as creative director occupied my twitter feed for the duration of Milan Fashion Week. Although some of these comments needed to be addressed, most of the discourse surrounding the Gucci show is a part of a larger problem of how fashion shows present in the era of social media marketing which I wrote about in my essay Breaking Fashion’s Fourth Wall. So for now, let’s talk about the clothes!
Gucci’s Fall 2023 show was the first collection for their new creative director, and former right-hand-man of Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Sabato De Sarno. This means that this is the start of a new era for Gucci and I think that is accurately indicated through this collection.
Whether it be the sexy minimalism of Tom Ford, accessory-forward era of Frida Giannini, or the most-recent 70s discothèque-inspired opulence of Alessandro Michele, every era of Gucci is one that is easily distinguishable. This debut fall collection feels like a walk through time; looking at the history of Gucci’s creative directors as well as providing a promising vision of the Gucci-to-come by incorporating some design elements created during De Sarno’s era at Valentino.
Vivetta :
Vivetta Ponti’s Fall 2023 collection takes us back to the rose-tinted freedom of girlhood. While designing this collection, Ponti relied heavily on the music of the 1960’s girl group, The Shangri-Las. Started between five high school girls, two sets of sisters, The Shangri-La’s discography lives eternally as a teenager who is full of unwavering desire and creativity. Having drawn inspiration from this concept and that era of fashion, Vivetta’s Fall 2023 collection is full of Mary Janes, baby-doll dresses, and cape overcoats.
However, the Shangri-La’s weren’t the only group of sisters that influenced this collection. According to the show notes, Ponti was also inspired by the Lisbon’s from Sofia Coppola’s 1999 film The Virgin Suicides. This may seem like an unlikely paring since the lives of the Lisbon sisters did not depict the same freedomland of the 60s & 70s in the way the Shangri-Las did. However, I think this duo is perfect. (walk with me.)
Vivetta does not hide her affinity for classic menswear. Even in her collections that present as more feminine, the designer still opts for traditional men’s tailoring. We can see that through this fall collection’s button-ups and pinstripe blazers that are worn over baby-doll dresses.
“The contrast between masculine and feminine remains my obsession, in my mind they attract and push each other away constantly: from time to time the volume of this contrast changes. This time, the volume is high.” - Vivetta Ponti on Vivetta Fall 2023
Now what does this have to do with The Virgin Suicides? Although the lives of the Lisbon sisters were tragic, the story is told retrospectively through the mythologized lens of the boys in their town which gives the story a whimsical, albeit perverse, male-gaze perspective.
The same can be said for the clothes in this collection; youthful flowing gowns and slip dresses are concealed by trench coats and blazers that are tailored to fit classic men’s silhouettes. In both the story and in the collection, femininity has been altered to fit the preference of the masculine.
Day 4 : Saturday, February 25th
Ferrari :
Ferrari (yes, like the sports car manufacture) presented their fourth show this year at Milan Fashion Week. This collection, designed by creative director Rocco Iannone, is an exploration of “beauty in motion.”
Although I personally believe this collection is quite nice, there is nothing that really justifies its existence. “Beauty in motion” just seems like a description that was added retrospectively to somehow connect the clothing line back to Ferrari’s main endeavor of luxury vehicles. In reality, fashion at its core is wearable art which means that fashion is inherently “beauty in motion.”
There is so much that can be done between fashion and cars, like Mugler’s 1989 Hiver Buick collection or Jeremy Scott’s current collaboration with Hyundai, but instead Ferrari relies on innocuous designs that contribute nothing more to the fashion industry or their vehicles.
For me, Ferrari’s decision to jump into the fashion industry seems like nothing more than a cash grab. Especially seeing that LVMH heiress, Delphine Arnault, has been a member of the Ferrari board of directors since 2016 — 5 years before the start of the company’s fashion line.
Ferragamo :
The trend of inconspicuous wealth and the rise of “trendy timelessness” continues in Ferragamo’s Fall 2023 collection. Maximilian Davis reflects on the brand’s history and connection to the newly-relevant members of Hollywood’s inner circle.
Davis’s starting point was the 1950s, the era when Hollywood starlets such as Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe would showcase Ferragamo pumps on the silver screen. This collection includes 21st century reinterpretations of circle skirts, cinched waists, sweetheart necklines, and the abundant fabric of the post-war.
Like many of the other brands retreating to timeless design, Ferragamo’s collection was void of prints (with the exception of a leopard print coat, but, in the great words of Jenna Lyons “as far as I’m concerned leopard is a neutral.”). This collection was almost entirely monochromatic, but since Davis is “[finding] resolute modernity through the new Ferragamo codes,” this collection also challenges the historic rules of dress by mixing colors that are known to be fashion faux pas.
Models are styled in black & navy, black & brown, two-toned black, and two-toned gray looks that are all very tasteful. This unique styling allows us to look back at historic design that is not bound by arbitrary fashion codes.
Dolce & Gabbana :
I don’t like spending too much time talking about this brand, but I just want to point out Dolce & Gabbana’s really desperate form of damage control. Every time they find themselves in a new controversy, which is typically allegedly every six months or so, they go back and reference their collections from 1992.
We can see it in the Fall 2023 collection that references Fall 1992 which, of course, is damage control for their latest controversy in which Kim Kardashian appears to be mocking their other ad that was called out for its racist depiction of a Chinese model.
And since this Kardashian collaboration was the initial damage control for the sinophobic ad, as well as their advertisement for the Spring 2023 collection, we see Fall 1992 referenced again in that collection.
But surely this is just a coincidence; back-to-back seasons, one of them is specifically designed to be “a throwback collection,” right? Wrong. It goes back even further.
In 2018 when Stefano Gabbana said he rather have their brand die than let Japanese designers work for Dolce & Gabbana, they immediately referenced Spring 1992 in their next collection
And again, 1992 is referenced in the first spring collection after the 2013 “Disco-Africa” Halloween party scandal where Stefano Gabbana is seeing taking photos with a guest in minstrel show makeup.
In fact, it goes all the way back to 2012, after their first major controversy, when they sent the models down the runway wearing racist caricature earrings, so, of course, they referenced Spring 1992 in the following collection.
I think this strategy is very bizarre, but it makes perfect sense. The only thing Dolce & Gabbana has going for them is 90s nostalgia. The design duo hasn’t produced a single good collection since they turned in their designer hats in order to work as full-time bigots. But the reality of it is, Dolce & Gabbana’s 1992 collections weren’t that special. It just looks like the less interesting version of Chantal Thomass if she hated women… and poor people… and people of color… and probably every other marginalized group of people on the planet.
Bally :
In a quiet 15th-century townhouse, the only operating winery estate in the center of Milan, presented Rhuigi Villaseñor’s Fall 2023 collection for Bally. The show, titled Persistence of Time, took place in not only any estate, but in the Casa degli Atellani where Leonardo Di Vinci painted The Last Supper from 1495-1498.
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This new muse of Villaseñor’s allowed him to take a step back from the fast-pace trends of Los Angeles, present in his debut collection last September, and embrace the timeless and nurtured luxury codes that are embedded in Bally’s brand identity.
“Villaseñor’s sophomore collection saw him double down on his urge to use his fresh eyes to refresh Bally’s long-faded status as a provider of louche equipment for the pre-digital jet set: pre-Tom Ford Tom Ford. ‘It’s about slow travel,’ said Villaseñor of his 20th century wardrobe shaped by a 21st century mindset.” - Luke Leitch, Bally 2023 Ready-to-Wear review, Vogue Runway.
This collection appears to be another iteration of the ubiquitous presence of trendy timelessness found throughout this fashion season. 20th century dress re-envisioned in a 21st century lens is still a reference to 20th century dress and “pre-Tom Ford Tom Ford” is still an identifiable period of time, so I find it interesting to see how we retrospectively look at these eras of time and culturally decide what and why things get to represent the look of “timelessness.” Hence why I’ve been calling this trendy timelessness since everything in fashion is referential and inspired by distinct trends and eras.
Bottega Veneta :
Despite writing a rather scathing synopsis of this collection in my essay When Capitalism Becomes Cosplay, Bottega Veneta’s Fall 2023 collection is one of my favorites from this entire fashion season.
Matthieu Blazy delivered his third and final installment in the collection trilogy, Italia. This collection served as a snapshot of “people on the street,” like in a parade, “where there is absolutely no hierarchy.” For this reason, there wasn’t necessarily a running theme or visual consistency within the collection, instead, every design was uniquely its own in the same way that every person is. The only thing that tied the looks, and the characters they represent, together was the historical comradery of both Italy and the Italian fashion house.
In the show’s mise en scène sat Umberto Boccioni’s Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913-1931) along with two 1st-century BCE bronze statues of runners that were excavated from Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum in 1754. These masterpieces sat on top of another, yet more playful, representation of the country’s history: carpet meant to resemble stracciatella gelato; a favorite of Blazy’s.
The ode to Italian art history within the set design paired nicely with the ode to Bottega Veneta’s personal history within the collection. Matthieu Blazy continued to develop on his disguised-leather technique, which highlights the versatility of the textile, since Bottega is historically a brand that specializes in leather goods.
“Bottega Veneta is, in essence, pragmatic because it is a leather goods company because it specializes in bags it is about movement, of going somewhere; there is fundamentally an idea of craft in motion. It is style over fashion in its timelessness.” - Matthieu Blazy on Bottega Veneta Fall 2022 (Italia pt. 1).
Although I did have some personal disagreements with the meaning behind the collection, the clothing itself was stunning. After Bottega Veneta’s Spring 2023 collection, I thought the not-leather leather technique was becoming a bit gimmicky, but Blazy completely outdid himself for the fall season.
Day 5 : Sunday, February 26th
Shuting Qiu :
Shuting Qiu’s Fall 2023 collection, Into Another Reality, was inspired by the late Czech abstract artist František Kupka and his 1912 painting, Compliment.
“The creative ability of an artist is manifested only if he succeeds in transforming the natural phenomena into 'another reality.' This part of the creative process as an independent element, if conscious and developed, hints at the possibility of creating a painting.” - František Kupka
Building on Kupka’s contrast of green and red, Qiu’s fall collection focuses on the appearance of two entities reacting in opposition. This form of abstraction manifested through the clashing of unlikely color combinations, opposing climatic garments, and an array of bold mixed prints. Milan Fashion Week was the perfect stage to do so, seeing that Qiu’s collection stood out from the sea of quiet luxury and modern minimalism.
One of the prints featured in Qiu’s Into Another Reality was in collaboration with Smiley and their iconic original smiley face logo.
Since Shuting Qiu’s brand ethos is dedicated to pursuing environmental sustainability, 60% of this collection was sourced from scrap fabrics and recycled sequins. Qiu also highlights the traditional craftsmanship of her hometown of Hangzhou, China through the skilled artisans on her team.
Day 6 : Monday, February 27th
AVAVAV :
AVAVAV was on everyone’s radar this season with the theatrical presentation, Fake it til you break it, for their Fall 2023 collection.
Beate Karlsson questions the meaning of true luxury and (quite literally) deconstructs illusions of grandeur in the high fashion industry by sending models down the runway in intentionally broken garments that were meant to fall apart as they walked.
"I've been asking myself; why is luxury so serious? The last collection was all about keeping up a fake projection of wealth and the personal failure of losing face when this illusion crashes. I'm still on that theme, there's something very interesting with shame and what happens when we are vulnerable. What is the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a fashion house? I figured garments breaking might be it. Right now, I feel the coolest attitude is exposing your vulnerability, carrying it as an accessory." - Beate Karlsson on Fake it til you break it
Although this collection primarily serves as an opportunity to step back, have a laugh at personal failures, and not take fashion too seriously, I initially read it as a commentary on fast fashion and how it is not mutually exclusive to the luxury market.
There has been a lot of talk about “fashion gimmicks” over the past few seasons, most of the comments are negative, and although there is a lot to be said about how brands design their presentations around the sole goal of going viral, I do believe that AVAVAV’s presentation was among the more tasteful.
It was fun, it was relevant to the show, and it sparked meaningful conversation online about expectations for luxury fashion.
(Paris Fashion Week overview to come)