Blacks In Fashion
Luxury Apparel
« February 21, 2007 | | March 6, 2007 »
Milan Fashion Week
As Italy’s fashion capital wraps up its fashion week, reviews have ranged from breathtaking to banal. Here, Blacks takes a look at the shows everyone is talking about.
Giorgio Armani
For fall 2007, Giorgio Armani sticks to his signature style, but with modern touches. He showed a great variety of daywear looks, including suits and dresses, all running in the same vein. He played with mixing textures within an outfit, like a crocodile jacket with a jersey skirt. For evening, he put the emphasis on sparkles with a mix of sequins, crystals, and silver.• All models wore sequined skull cap and flats
• Tulip skirts with lots of texture: velvet, crocodile, silk, mohair, ruched jersey
• Plush fur coats
• Longer bubble skirts
• Very neutral palette of grays, nude, light browns
• Skirts and dresses with draping at hem
• Black, shiny leather
• Black and white stripes
Burberry Prorsum
The trench coat is always the focus at Burberry and this season Christopher Bailey created a variety of great new trenches all based on medieval armor. The coats successfully represented armor while looking completely modern and wearable. He brought a new cut that really accentuated the waist, with giant collars folding over the chest and shoulders, and puffy lantern sleeves. It’s an interesting shape, hitting on the belted waist trend while still offering a different silhouette than we’ve seen on the runways so far this season.• Two sleeves: one very long and straight, based on the gauntlet gloves, the other the puffed and lantern shaped
• Puffed panels, some quilted; big collars
• Fabrics that convey strength such as shiny, stiff leather embedded with metal-like squares
• Metallic colors: gold, grayish silver, black, muted bronze, army green, gray
• Knit dresses with emphasis on shoulders and sleeves
• A small section of large jacquard in a dull sheen for jackets
• Flared, quilted leather gloves
• Gold hardware
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli never strays very far from his comfort zone of super sexy and glamorous, and his North African safari collection for fall 2007 was no exception. There was safari-style day wear: khaki pants, white button-up shirts and floppy safari hats. The dresses had a more tribal feel and were sheer and flowing with light patterns. Other dresses were glam ‘40s style in shiny cheetah or metallics.• Khaki jodhpurs with buttons up the side of the calf
• Low cut, sheer, flowing disco dresses in light prints, gathered at waist
• Palette of white, cheetah, black, tan, yellow, and gold
• Travel suits and business suits, with a sheen
• Leather, metallic, shiny materials
Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s fall collection borrowed elements from domination, with a futuristic twist. Black metal corsets cinched the waist of almost every model, while shiny, futuristic fabrics were bunched and puffed around the body. Underneath all the showmanship, however, there were great day wear pieces and fun dresses for a night out.• Shiny gold and silver foil dresses
• Black corsets and corset belts used throughout
• Accents of silver chains, metal studs and fur
• Voluminous hoods and sleeves and sheer fabric
• Masses of puffed up tulle layered over dresses or jackets
• Shiny or iridescent pants cut wide-legged or skinny
• Glittery evening gowns and long layered dresses
Fendi
Out of all the luxury brands showing in Milan, Fendi was the leader in fur. Karl Lagerfeld consistently offers a recap of every trend for the season and this year fur coats were the highlight. Lagerfeld mixed different types of furs: skinny or chunky black and white stripes, shaggy cream, brown/black calico, and a ribbed short hair version. Leather also made its presence known, both in jackets and daywear.• Fur everywhere
• Leather jackets, skirts, and dresses
• Geometric fur patchwork jacket
• Tulip sleeves with buttons up the inner seam, or a flared short sleeve
• Belted waists with huge gem buckles or a big gold Fendi “F”
Gucci
Frida Gianni’s fall 2007 collection for Gucci was inspired by Lee Miller and the 1940s. Elements of aviation ran through the collection, such as a leather bomber jacket with an oversized fur collar. The line also had elements of menswear in the use of colors in materials, as well as ties. The overall look was sharp and polished.• Menswear elements give a tough edge
• Sophisticated palette of gray, raspberry, navy, burnt red
• Leather bomber jacket with giant fur collar
• Sleeves were long and narrow with puffed shoulders
• Print of flowers on blouses and dresses
• Use of fur as trim or for jackets
• Gloves, as in many collections
• Long, straight dresses
Marni
Designer Consuelo Castiglioni mixed hi-tech elements with a cute, light silhouette and bright colors to create a collection for fall 2007 that is whimsical and sporty. Even though some elements of the collection looked as if they came from a science fiction cartoon, they were in no way gimmicky, but instead wearable and lovely. The unique look of Marni continues to move forward with each season.• Layering of T-shirts, tunics, and shirt/skirt combos over turtlenecks - always shown with tights
• Futuristic palette of gray, silver, black, and tan, with bright accents
• Clean, simple shapes for silhouette, slightly rounded
• White webbed belts gave each look the techno edge
• Plush fur, on sleeves or garment
• Color blocking with neon
• PVC for skirts
Moschino
Rosella Jardini focused on anti-war messages and the innocence of the 1960s in her fall 2007 collection for Moschino. The collection featured a lot of gold and cream combinations, offering many wearable pieces with a fun Moschino twist. Although a very girly collection, it also had street flair thanks to huge graphic prints reading “Mochino Is Love” or “Ready, Set, Love,” fitting with the show’s anti-war theme.• Innocent 1960s flavor
• Gold and cream color combinations
• Gold pinafore with bow at neck and strips of gathered material
• Bubble silhouette fur coat in cream and tan
• Rows of mini fringe with very mini cardigan
• Cinched waist shirt paired with an A-line skirt
• Gloves and lots of bubble sleeves
• Oversized graphic type used as print
Prada
Miuccia Prada said it best herself when she described her fall 2007 collection as “simple but strange.” The collection did appear to be simple, but there was actually a lot going on. She played with a very interesting material that had a spongy, dense, textured appearance and gave the line a very futuristic look. Prada used for suits and other classic garments like cardigans.• Masculine influence
• Palette of orange, purple, brown, yellow, gray
• Long, straight silhouette
• Slits for sleeves
• Creamy synthetic looking fur
• Gray knit suits and long cardigans
• Two-tone, knee-high socks
• Black to brown ombre effect on textured fabric
• Play with synthetic looking materials and colors
Emilio Pucci
Matthew Williamson continues to look to the Pucci archives for his inspiration, while striving to move the brand forward. This season, there was a 1970s feel to the collection, which is familiar territory for the house that defined the psychedelic print. This collection was strong for Williamson, and gave us what we expect from Pucci: an interjection of color and fun into the season.• Bright, creamy tangerine orange with dusty rose and lilac
• Triangular color blocking and big geometric prints
• Big fluffy fur coats in orange, purple or natural
• Psychedelic dresses: short and printed
• Graphic objects like squares at the neckline
• Seventies ethnic accents, like trims of fringe and Native American style prints
• Glittery, fringy sweaters
• Monochromatic suits
-Reporting by Liina Gruener