There’s no escaping the fact that fashion weeks are about, well, the fashion. But with the clothes and accessories flooding our feeds for days, we hardly need another runway recap. Instead, we’re taking a look at some of the key moments from Milan Fashion Week that had nothing to do with the latest oversized it-bag (yes, we see you Bottega) or the seemingly never ending ’90s and Y2K style revivals, and instead had us talking about everything from multi-million dollar marketing strategies to the nation’s politics and the unexpected make-up trend making us do a double take.
CIAO, KIM?
Any number of Kardashian-Jenners sitting FROW or sashaying down the runway isn’t exactly breaking news. Like it or not, the famous family well and truly dropped their Calabasas brand of basic and wrangled their way into the world of high fashion several seasons ago. But Kim’s appearance as both model and muse at Dolce & Gabbana was at once entirely expected (sister Kourtney’s high profile wedding at the Portofino estate of the eponymous designers in May surely signposted an even bigger collab was on the cards) and yet still cause for raised eyebrows. Not least because the outspoken designers once stated that the Kardashians are, in a word, “trash”.
The brand has also come under fire countless times over the years for racist and homophobic comments made by the men at its helm, and many would-be celebrity ambassadors have steered clear of the pair for this very reason. But if courting controversy is your MO – Kris Jenner, we’re looking at you – we shouldn’t be shocked by the Ciao, Kim collab. For Kim herself, it all came down to the fashion and a deep nostalgia for the designs she pored over in magazines growing up – and we must admit we got a kick out of seeing some of the pieces she pulled out of the D&G archives in curating her Ciao, Kim collection. As for those historical snipey comments, it would appear that in the name of fame and an undisclosed amount of money, they’re water under the bridge. The question is, will the public be as forgiving?
DICHOTOMY BY DESIGN
Never one to shy away from an otherworldly and uncanny fashion week presentation, Alessandro Michele had fashion media and internet onlookers eating out of the palm of his hand with Gucci Twinsburg – a showcase which saw him send 68 sets of identical twins down the runway in matching ensembles from his forthcoming SS23 collection of the same name. But while we were slightly unsettled by the overall concept – it was essentially high fashion’s version of The Shining, after all – there was plenty to love about the typically eclectic collection, exaggerated floral prints and over-the-top embellishments to name a few.
What really caught our eye, however, was the makeup. Keyed by global makeup consultant for Gucci Beauty, Thomas De Kluyver, highlighter was the hero, but not in the way we’ve come to expect in recent years. Rather than emphasising the face’s highpoints – that is, the cheekbones, brow bones, nose, chin and cupid’s bow – an inverse approach was taken and the result was, once again, otherworldly and uncanny. Described in the maison’s show notes as “timeless and futuristic yet connected to the past”, by turning the highlighter application of the Instagram age on its head and washing product over the centre of the face to create a flashbulb effect, the beauty look harked back to the days of Old Hollywood, while simultaneously nailing the celestial, futuristic brief. Something to experiment with come party season, for sure.
PRET-A-POLITIC
Just as London Fashion Week took place amid a period of national mourning for the fallen monarch Queen Elizabeth II, Milan Fashion Week was similarly set against a backdrop of national, political significance, with Italy’s general election simultaneously playing out in polling booths around the country. Often the case during times of political and social uncertainty, designers took it upon themselves to lift the mood through their presentations, and for this reason we saw an even greater emphasis than usual on mood-boosting elements – including an excess of dazzling embellishments and other eye-catching accoutrements.
From the feathery, fringed gowns at Bottega Veneta in shades of lemon, orange and teal, to the liberal use of sequins and statement jewellery at Giorgio Armani, the formation of the country’s most far-right government in decades was, for a few blissful moments, out of focus, and never more so than at Moncler’s epic 70th birthday extravaganza outside the iconic Duomo. Mobilising a cast of close to 2000 performers and a guest list of 18,000 including Pharrell Williams, Colin Kaepernick and this season’s surprise fashion darling, Anne Hathaway, it was a style statement befitting the moment in time, and one that will be talked about in days, if not years to come.
