On the second to last day of Milan Fashion Week, designers presented a series of collections which reflected the world’s topsy-turvy feeling of instability.
Text by: Elisa Carassai
On the second to last day of Milan Fashion Week, designers presented a series of collections which reflected the world’s topsy-turvy feeling of instability.
MM6 Maison Margiela
Turning the world upside down, turning the world inside out. May this be a reference to an Anish Kapoor sculpture? The state of the world at the moment? An introspective reflection on what we should be doing? No, it’s the prompt that distinguished Margiela’s MM6 collection, presented digitally this morning. Filmed in a dimly lit 1920s looking jazz bar, models walked across the stage as if performing an act, watched by regulars seated at tables in front of the runway stage, which listens to a distorted piano score that occasionally rewinds, and where the beginning and end are intertwined. A remix that draws inspiration from the musical experiments of avant-garde French composer Erik Satie, the ready-made artist Marcel Duchamp, the experimental music of radical American composer John Cage, but also the Pop Art of Andy Warhol. Wearing clothes revolved from the inside out, upside down and back to front. The clothes worn by the models perfectly embody the feeling we’ve gotten after experiencing these top-turvy times, but also MM6’s experimental approach to fashion, an always contemporary take on what is going on in the world. So a blouse becomes a casual top with satin straps and visible stitching, a shirt is added that touch of shearling, whilst a Norwegian jacquard sweater turned inside out recalls what could seem shredded upholstery and finally, long dangling pearl earrings are worn upside down.
Dsquared2
Dean and Dan Caten certainly know how to party. They take partying so seriously, for their Fall-Winter 2021 collection they decided to invite users into a dimension where domestic reality evolves into a cosmopolitan utopia where Canadian forests and strobe lights effortlessly cohabit the same room. A moveable home that turns into a moveable feast, full of crazy, daring outfits and poses, where crystal adorns jeans and sweaters, and fabrics like plaid, sheer organza, jacquard, velvet and bombers all coexist. Overall, the clothes may not suit everyone and be loved by many but one thing’s for certain, they’ve learned that their recipe of success is not to take themselves too seriously.
Sunnei
It is well known to many now that the duo behind Sunnei has been invading the Milanese scene with their innovative, collaborative and transformative approach to fashion. This week, they launched their collection with a video produced in collaboration with No Text Azienda, the Milan-based image-making/motion picture studio responsible for Off-White’s visuals. The video is a world made up of digital Chinese boxes. A model walks confidently, collides against glass and her image becomes the background of the guys’ gait, reproduced on the big screen behind them. The shots quadruple, and the camera pans over the model from one direction to another, following a non-stop coming and going of the looks imagined by the creative duo. Like at MM6, the duo behind Sunnei play with proportion: clothes and accessories are enlarged, appear creased, crushed and distorted, blown up to 3-D effect. The study behind knitwear reaches a peak, corduroy ribs are maximized while denim is embroidered. A truly intriguing meta-play on the digital world.
Emilio Pucci
Colour takes over at Pucci. For this Fall-Winter 2021 collection, the design team presents a fun and joyful collection characterized by a palette of soft and delicate colours: Emilio pink, canary yellow and mint green, a refinement that still accompanies the proposals of the Maison. Pucci’s prints come alive and cover skirts, knitted sets, quilted bomber jackets and mini shorts. Most importantly though, they cover a series of tight-fitting patterned jumpsuits, inspired by the first piece Emilio Pucci first designed, a one-piece ski suit. The silhouettes are fluid and feminine, and this is shown throughout a selection of dresses in very light fabrics that glide over the body, transparencies that create refined nude looks. Sheer stockings are worn over shoes, for an effect that lengthens the figure. Overall, a collection that manages to perfectly mix pieces for the new generation of young insta-obsessed as well as pieces for the well-off, stylish, old-school clientele.
DROMe
At DROMe, designer Marianna Rosati was one of the few, after Sunnei, to present a multi-layered digital presentation in the form of a noir-inspired corto, called ROOMe. The film definitely had a vintage feel and felt like an invitation to watch a VHS videotape, where the designer showed the duality present in each individual, during daytime and night time. Inspired by Stephen Willat’s 1984 book and exhibit, The Doppelganger, like Willat’s characters, Rosati’s women transform during the nighttime. This play of duality is made evident in the textural combinations made in the collection, as the sartorial codes of the suit are made less serious by leather, while bodycon knitted dresses tightly cover the body. The silhouettes of skirts are rendered sinuous by the use of silk and slits add that touch of sensuality to an overall minimalistic mood. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of naughtiness?
