Milan Fashion Week runs until Monday evening, but a comeback to classic tailoring is already clearly recognizable. The suit appears prominently on the catwalks of major fashion houses such as Gucci and Versace, but counter-trends to dressed fashion are also emerging.
The suit is back
The show by the Italian fashion house Gucci leaves no doubt: the suit is back on the catwalks for autumn-winter 2022. The first outfit is a navy blue double-breasted suit, followed by variations in tweed, Glencheck and velor blue. It almost seems as if Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele wants to go through the possibilities of the classic with every second outfit.
The suit was also an integral part of the catwalk program at many other fashion houses such as Versace, Prada or Jil Sander.
Corsage chic
The silhouettes of the models at many larger fashion houses during the Milan Fashion Week were slim, body-hugging and classically ladylike. Form is regaining the upper hand after people’s preference for comfortable clothing during the past two years of the pandemic. Corsets narrow the waist and – combined with knee-length pencil skirts at Versace and Fendi – evoke a nostalgia of the 40s and 50s. Gucci shows a sporty version in its collaboration with the sporting goods manufacturer Adidas, which was also unveiled at Milan Fashion Week.
The fur on the sleeve
During Milan Fashion Week, fashion designers also played with the conservativeness and decadence of classic fashion elements. Prada does not attach a black fur coat to the sleeve ends of a navy blue wool coat, but attaches it above the elbows. At Gucci, this sits on the sleeve ends, but the white and brown spotted pattern of the fur gives the staid brown corduroy two-piece suit an ironic touch.
The cargo pants
The trend towards strict suits and pencil skirts found its counterpoint in the waist-high jeans at Diesel. Casual ’90s cargo pants were also seen at Versace and Trussardi. At the creative head of the latter are now the heads of the Berlin fashion label GmbH, Serhat Işık and Benjamin Huseby.
The white top
Simple, but maximally effective. The effect of the white tank tops at Prada and Bottega Veneta can hardly be described in any other way, which was all the more striking in the midst of the glamorous outfits. Designer duo Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons wanted the FW22 collection to explore everyday life, bringing together traditions and materials in unexpected ways – like the white tank top, paired with a sophisticated skirt in gray wool fabric and black embroidered tulle.
At Bottega Veneta, designer Matthieu Blazy follows a similar concept for his debut: “Extravagance meets utility; there is an infusion of the mundane with succinct materials and techniques,” reads a statement accompanying the presentation.
hypervolume
Designer Glenn Martens playfully uses matter and volume at the denim label Diesel – so much that the models almost disappear under the textiles. The Italian streetwear label GCDS also piled up masses of textiles for outfits, while Dolce & Gabbana used colored furs.
Eccentric Knit
The clothing of the Prada fashion house achieved its cult status under Miuccia Prada, when she combined stuffy clothes and materials considered ugly in such a way that they suddenly became chic. In its FW22 collection, Prada harks back to its own 90s ugly chic with its knitted sweaters featuring geometric patterns in dingy tones.
Colorful knitwear is also used by other labels such as Dsquared2 and Marni to counter overly formal clothing with a pinch of irony and good humour.