Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana plays with the tuxedo for womenswear

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DIESEL — PH.DIESEL.COM

EMPORIO ARMANI — ARMANI.COM

PRADA — PRADA.COM

GUCCI — GUCCI.COM

FERRAGAMO — FERRAGAMO.COM

ALBERTA FERRETTI — ALBERTAFERRETTI.COM

MILAN – Dolce & Gabbana offered an array of looks inspired by the tuxedo at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday, where the Italian luxury label presented a mainly black womenswear collection for next fall.

The autumn/winter 2024 show, called “Tuxedo,” opened with cropped jackets and tied skirts slit at the front, followed by outfits and coats inspired by the formal wear. (See the show here: http://tinyurl.com/2p7c3a48)

Models wore sashes with knee-length shorts or cigarette trousers, halter necks and waistcoats inspired by tuxedo jackets and embroidered lace dresses.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana put bows on black sheer blouses as well as shoes, sometimes sparkling.

The looks were mainly all in black, with dabs of leopard print, a few shimmering silver creations and a chiffon blouse and dress adorned in large gold polka dot prints.

Models, including Naomi Campbell, wore black hats with netted veils.

FERRAGAMO
Earlier at Ferragamo, designer Maximilian Davis looked to the 1920s for inspiration, presenting dresses with dropped waistlines, feather embellishments or sequins. (Watch the show here: http://tinyurl.com/428kdnut )

Wool jackets and coats with broad shoulders were contrasted with organdie dresses and sheer skirts in the collection called “Spirit,” and which featured autumnal hues, bright red, mustard and black. Footwear consisted of thigh-high boots, stilettos, and shoes adorned with feathers. “The 1920s used clothing as a way to celebrate freedom,” Mr. Davis said in show notes. “And that expression of freedom is something which resonates with me, with my heritage, and with Ferragamo.”

GUCCI
Gucci creative director Sabato De Sarno showed a lineup of ornately decorated wool coats on the catwalk in Milan on Friday, building on his approach for reigniting Kering’s prized label with sensual, pared-back styles. (See the looks here: http://tinyurl.com/5hf988fw )

Models marched down a slightly elevated runway in a sparse, window-lined space parading soft wool coats, long bustier dresses and trim suit jackets cinched with thin belts.

Adding to the chunky loafers, mini-shorts and glossy Jackie handbags that have become label signatures under the new designer’s direction were thigh-high riding boots, small purses shaped like half moons, towering platform heels and delicate, see-through dresses with lace.

Mr. De Sarno’s designs, which have begun trickling into stores, are key to reigniting sales at Gucci, Kering’s largest brand, accounting for half of the French luxury group’s sales and over two thirds of its profit.

The French group recently overhauled top management, sending longtime executive Jean-Francois Palus to Italy to manage the label as it pushes Gucci upmarket.

This consists of emphasizing more classic styles and leather goods in a bid to regain traction after losing ground to rivals like LVMH’s Dior and Louis Vuitton.

Stores will not be fully stocked with Mr. De Sarno’s styles until later in the year — perhaps by June — but early signs are “very encouraging,” Kering deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini said earlier this month.

The group cautioned that margins will be lower this year as it continues to invest in Gucci.

UBS analysts have flagged early signs of “improving brand heat,” noting Gucci is “in a much better place than before,” earlier this month.

PRADA
Italian luxury label Prada said it looked to the past for its latest womenswear line at Milan Fashion Week on Thursday, presenting a collection that played with contrasts and feminine touches. (See the show here: http://tinyurl.com/3xffaju4)

Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons kicked off the fall/winter 2024 womenswear show, called “Instinctive Romance,” with an all-black dress with flappy embellishments.

The creative duo cut dark wool skirts to reveal a white or colorful silky layer underneath or behind.

There were bomber jackets, a coat nodding to 1950s silhouettes, and slim pencil skirts worn with fitting knits.

“We strive to create something beautiful, and we cannot talk about beauty without looking at the past,” Simons said in show notes. “In this complicated moment, it is essential to know our history, who we are.”

The designers overall chose a slim silhouette: Some models wore buttoned up shirts tucked into floor-length skirts in soft pale colors.

Sleeveless dresses came in cream or pink, with floral embellishments. Some had bows, a feature also seen on the back of some skirts and on ribbon belts.

“We looked at the idea of romance, which is perhaps still considered a taboo at the moment, especially in fashion,” Miuccia Prada said. “The dresses in this collection reveal a sense of romance.”

Prada is known for its leather goods and models wore their handbags suspended from a strap on their lower arms. Hats were reminiscent of military caps, and some models wore small-framed sunglasses.

A selection of black looks wrapped the show, where a see-through catwalk overlooked a set designed to look like a stream and grass.

EMPORIO ARMANI
Giorgio Armani also used a lot of black for his second line Emporio Armani. (See the show here: http://tinyurl.com/57ke6zdb)

Models wore all black daytime outfits and eveningwear, some of which sparkled with silver or colorful shimmers.

He paired trouser suits with long shirts, offered an array of chic blazers and sleek coats as well as soft, floaty dresses in ivory with pink and blue prints.

Moon and star embellishments adorned some outfits, including the black creations for the finale where models carrying umbrellas walked under fake falling snow. “I wanted to be consistent with my beliefs, clothes that you put on, there’s a few spots that are a little over the top… but I feel like it’s all very wearable,” Mr. Armani told reporters.

DIESEL AND FENDI
Diesel livestreamed its preparations for Milan Fashion Week and highlighted its online audience at its runway show last Wednesday while a protester stormed the Fendi catwalk on the second day of the city’s leg of the autumn/winter 2024 catwalk calendar. (Watch the Diesel show here, starting at 22 minutes on the video: http://tinyurl.com/4tdctezn)

Creative director Glenn Martens took the unusual step of sharing the behind-the-scenes preparations from its atelier, fittings and catwalk space ahead of the Diesel show.

In a further bid to draw in online fans, giant screens showed some of them dialing in via video call on Wednesday to watch the show alongside guests by the catwalk and hear models’ names being called backstage as they entered.

Mr. Martens opened the show with mainly dark looks — a grey shirt, a matching black shiny coat and trousers as well as vests and dresses with cut-out sheer tops.

Dresses came in mixed leopard and floral prints, coats were shaggy and fluffy and there were plenty of denim looks.

At Fendi, which is known for its use of fur, a protester from animal rights organization PETA briefly stormed the catwalk carrying a banner reading “Animals Are Not Clothing.” The protester, who also had “Turn your back on animal skin” written on her back, was swiftly escorted off. (See the show here: http://tinyurl.com/2twf778w )

ALBERTA FERRETTI
At Alberta Ferretti, pleats and metallic embellishments dominated the runway. (See the show here: http://tinyurl.com/3ded8s9w)

Ferretti opened the show with dark colors: long black pleated skirts with paired lace trimmed tops and wide-legged grey trousers worn with black sheer shirts.

Brown trouser suits with orange or green shirts followed and there was also a range of dresses that were sleek and floor-length or short and sparkly.

Metallic embellishments adorned jackets, tops as well as evening wear.

The label is part of Italian fashion group Aeffe, which also owns Moschino and other brands and which reported a 9% decrease in sales last year, to 319 million euros ($345 million), mainly due to a slowdown in the European and American markets.

Asked about his 2024 outlook, Aeffe Executive Chairman Massimo Ferretti told Reuters in e-mailed comments: “We are fully aware of the complexities of the moment, but at the same time we are very confident about the results we can achieve this season with our (new) collections.” — Reuters