Published
September 20, 2024
On the third day of the women’s ready-to-wear shows, the Milanese fashion scene showed the full extent of its creativity with an intense and eclectic programme. From Moschino‘s joyful, quirky fashion to MM6’s raw, rock looks and Federico Cina‘s contemporary wardrobe, Spring-Summer 2025 promises to be hot.
Towels, sheets, nightgowns, grandfather’s pants, embroidered doilies, pillowcases… The white linen dries, hanging from high wires in the large hangar, which hosts Adrian Appiolaza’s third show for Moschino. This was collection 02, since the first was collection 0. The Argentinian designer continued his exploration of the world of the home, revisiting its codes with humour and lightness.
For next summer, he is proposing a number of different families or communities, all of which offer him opportunities to express the different facets of the label. The creative director started with a simple white sheet. Draped around the body in long dresses, it was then transformed into a blank canvas on which to sketch a landscape in Indian ink, a trompe-l’œil garment or even a child’s drawing, which was revealed in the back of a light overcoat.
In a wink, one of the mannequins held a can of bleach in his white-gloved hands, to erase everything if need be. The irony was apparent in this little black dress covered in pins. A veritable hymn to couture! Or in these two-in-one models, with black trousers and dresses on the front and evening dresses hanging from the back.
There were also many other elements taken directly from the Moschino archives. Polka dots, for example, in fluctuating ruffled or multi-fringed dresses, sometimes mixed with a chequered pattern. There were also pearl necklaces, which emphasised the structure of the garments. Or slogan suits or biker jackets in black leather, which stretched out into coats, adorned with large fringes. The collection was bursting with ideas that pay homage to founder Franco Moschino.
MM6 shook up the audience with a thunderous techno-hardcore soundtrack. The mannequins came out in hip-hop boots, jeans, waistcoats, belts and dark glasses. The attitude was rock, with jackets and waistcoats worn shirtless, but the whole look was more subtle than it seemed. The raw, rebellious spirit was present, notably in a series of jeans that have been completely ripped and slashed with a cutter, in faded denim shirts with sleeves ripped off, and in leather pieces that had been cracked for a worn effect.
Everything was extremely refined and clean, the avant-garde flirting with the classic in silhouettes composed of rigorous beige trench coats, sleeveless maxi dinner jacket jackets and tight little strapless dresses. A touch of glamour was added with sequined pumps, gold belts, silver clutches and long necklaces.
Far from black, the quintessential symbol of rock, it’s white that dominates, the emblematic white of Maison Margiela, which its younger, more contemporary line is seizing on this season, whether in suit jackets, satin dresses, jogging trousers worn like pyjamas, or faded or coated jeans, just like the leather jackets and trousers, covered in white paint. The paint splattered all the way down to the cowboy boots and lace-up shoes, including Dr. Martens, the fruit of a collaboration.
The house’s codes were also apparent in a number of experimental-inspired creations. Like this T-shirt made from a plastic bag, or this dress with a square of plastic around the front, as if vacuum-packed. Sometimes, it’s all in the detail, like this slit in the collar of a blazer, where you can let your hair slide down the back.
After taking to the catwalk at Men’s Fashion Week, Federico Cina has moved on to the women’s calendar this season. Launched in January, the “tortellino” bag, which reproduces the shape of the folded stuffed pastry typical of his native Romagna, was a hit with the female public, enabling the designer to enter several new multi-brand stores. He now has around forty retailers between Italy and Asia.
“I introduced the women’s looks a few seasons ago. The brand has been around for five years now, and I think it’s the right time to take part in Women’s Week. You need a certain maturity to present yourself there,” says the designer, who began with menswear and a no-gender offering. In fact, women take centre stage in this new collection, with numerous looks.
For next summer, Federico Cina was inspired by the broom, a warm, bright yellow Mediterranean flower, which he sees as a metaphor for the current situation of young designers. “The broom is very resistant and courageous, because it grows on volcanoes. But it can explode at any moment. I found affinities with my situation, because having an emerging brand today is very risky,” he says.
The designer plays with contrasts between yellow, in pale shades of light green and mustard, and volcanic grey-black. In his tailoring creations (trench coats, suits, midi-length skirts), he inserts details that add movement and lightness, like the long tubular fringes that emerge from skirts and cling to trouser legs, or the wide pleats and panels in skirts. He also unveiled some sportier looks, the fruit of a collaboration with Umbro.
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