subscribeI spent some time really looking at last weeks fashion shows in Milan. I usually just flip through the first couple of outfits and move along as most of the time, well I just get over it quickly. But now that I have this platform from which to speak, I decided to put some backbone into it.
So here you have a fashion flight. But before you dig into these clips, here are some words you just need to block out, because none of it rings true. Investment Dressing, Investment Pieces, and, the worst, Value Added. I think Hamish Bowles says it best, “Its all about creating desire in this climate”…. creating the illusion of timelessness.
Bottega Veneta, designer Tomas Maier, delivers a cool collection with butter leathers and easy to wear gowns, but what is he doing with breasts? I love the first white coat and can anyone really get enough of Bottega bags and shoes…I think not.
Next up is Burberry, designed by Christopher Bailey. I covet most of this collection. I could wear it all. Easy to put on. Love the fur collar, love the wool collars. Love the full skirted floral dress. True to the Burberry name, all thing trench can get a bit wearisome, but that is coming from a place (Los Angeles) where weather wise a trench is rarely appropriate dressing fodder. I do run around San Francisco cinching my waist and turning up my collar. But here, alas, most of the time they sit in my closet unaware of any real purpose they have beyond hanging. See the great piece on Bailey in T Magazine — Men’s Fashion Spring 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2009/03/08/style/t/index.html#pageName=08collage
Roberto Cavali is usually all floral and animal prints and way too much of it for the most part. Not so this year…this is the stuff glam rock dreams are made of. By far the sexiest stuff of the season. The boots are leggings and the skirts are knife folded napkins made of chain mail. These girls are not just having all the fun they are making all the fun. Short furs, short jackets, short skirts and the long leg silhoutte. The energy seems pitch perfect here. Lots of forward motion, lots of working it attitude. My favorite show by far of Milan.
I want to like this Marni show by Consuelo Castiglioni. I keep looking and think, “I always want something Marni”, but I just cannot seem to embrace the Marni credo of this time. I don’t like the palette, I hate the pants and the whole thing feels heavy. It tries too hard and can’t get out of its own way. That being said, the furs are fabulous and the gloves are right. Well, maybe I do want that one slim suit with the beaded jacket. OK, that feels better.
