Milan SS16 Womenswear: Tradition, Freedom and a New Era
Milan Fashion Week Ready to Wear SS16 Womenswear season has come to a close and brought with it themes of tradition, freedom and the rise of a new era. We bring you the highlights of the week.
Genny
Genny’s SS16 presentation saw creative director Sara Cavazza Facchini mix 1980s metallic with a variety of art deco shapes. In particular, artist Sonia Delaunay, who is known for her use of vibrant colors and geometric shapes, inspired a selection of patterned evening dresses. The collection featured dresses, wide-leg trousers and jumpsuits with models wearing silk dresses and tunics with slit sleeves to reveal their shoulders and arms. The colour palette consisted of mainly white, gold, silver and bronze.
Fendi
A new constructivism shone through Fendi’s collection this season, with tailored, handcrafted elements merging with the creative and refined flair that Fendi is so well known for. Floral motives were a consistent and strong theme throughout the collection.
Karl Lagerfeld revisited romanticism according to his own schemes and stripped it from its girly vibe to replace it with a dark allure. Fur maintained a central role in the collection, mainly through shaved or jacquard mink with woven motifs. The collection included mini and maxi length pieces in colours ranging from white, black and burnt brown to green, blue and red. Garments included fur, cotton, silk, chiffon, knits, leather, denim and python. Silvia Fendi played with floral appliqué strapping on a Strap You bag that was given a new opportunity for personalisation, an element that is fast becoming the accessory focus for Fendi.
Uma Wang
Uma Wang presented a collection that shifted from strong materials to explore the lightness of fabric in printed silks and tulle, drawing inspiration from the dance universe. The collection featured long dresses that enveloped the body and will be unveiled this week at her Paris Showroom. “All I can do is keep trying the best I can do, providing people an alternative choice of clothing and hopefully provoke some thoughts, and that’s more than enough,” said Wang in an interview with fluoro.
Antonio Marras
Antonio Marras’ show was dedicated to the Armenian director and artist Sergei Paradaznov, whose collages inspired many of the prints in the collection. The presentation formed a rather multicultural affair with 14 fiberglass boulders hanging from the ceiling, complimented by a backdrop of antique carpets by the Iranian artist Mahmoud Saleh Mohammadi. A red pomegranate was on each front row seat. The multicultural mood extended to the collection which combined bronzed silks with renaissance embroideries, cotton tank tops, wide-leg men’s wear suiting, florals and a finale of cloudlike white dresses, touched by silver.
Roberto Cavalli
Inspired by the theme of freedom, Roberto Cavalli presented their most-anticipated show in which Norwegian designer Peter Dundas made his debut as creative director. Earlier this year the House acknowledged that it was ready for a revamp as 74-year-old Cavalli stepped down in March, bringing in Peter Dundas, a former chief designer at Cavalli. Dundas had previously served as artistic director of Emilio Pucci and since 2008, creative director. The collection according to the show notes was intended to be a reimagining of the brand’s fundamentals with a central theme of freedom. The known ‘high-glam’ Cavalli elements were present in the collection but with a more modem touch. Large ball gowns and mullet skirts were styled with sweatshirts and ripped tees, zebra print pants and chain-embroidered jeans came in a vintage-inspired style and high-waisted cuts reappeared.
Jil Sander
Creative director Rodolfo Paglialunga presented a collection that embodied the essence of Jil Sander – Minimal style and understated elegance. The colour palette was neutral and sophisticated ranging from white, beige, blue and black to grey and navy blue. Originality was seen in jacket dresses, which deconstructed intersecting seams of the shoulders or on the front to create the optical illusion of a dress. Other designs were made of silk in sky blue color with knotted details and strategic openings. The white shirt was reinterpreted to accompany outfits in beige or bottoms in white.
Salvatore Ferragamo
Inspired by timeless portraits of women in pensive, solitary moments, Massimiliano Giornetti’s collection for Salvatore Ferragamo was simplicity in itself, giving an expression of the calm and quiet. Flowing dresses with pleats in a wide variety of colors accentuated movement as they came down the runway. While past collections from Giornetti focused on Italian craftsmanship, the designer expressed that this one explored a sense of lifestyle, and finding a balance between contrasts.
Armani
On the final day of the Milan Fashion Week Ready to Wear SS16 Womenswear season, Giorgio Armani helped close the season with a collection that oozed elegance and sophistication. The presentation was introduced with a lighter palette made primarily of pink and red before upgrading to more glamorous pieces in black. Top models were on set on podiums in red and black pieces. Alongside the daring evening looks, the label also unveiled outfits for the day, with a slight touch of masculinity. These looks were softened by shades of pink.
With Milan Fashion Week Ready to Wear SS16 Womenswear having come to an end, we now turn our focus to Paris.
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