FASHION: 29 September

Versace adds glam to fashion week’s retro parade
29 September
Gone were the acid colors, gone were the clinging plastic trousers, as Versace feted its new, sober style with 1960s cream shift dresses and geometric prints.  Platinum-haired Donatella Versace hasn’t completely left behind her glamorama days — pop star Prince sat in a celebrity-studded front row, huddled in a cream-colored coat, and watched models strut past to the pumping beats of his music.  “You don’t have to be rich to be my girl,” Prince’s voice squeaked through the loudspeakers, but the girls on the catwalk told a different story with cool thigh-skimming dresses and gold-handled bags that were made for the jet set.  Versace plunged into heavy losses after founder Gianni Versace was murdered in the 1990s, and sales dived as his sister Donatella veered from one screamingly flamboyant collection to the next.  It has since then undergone a radical turnaround cure, repositioning itself as a super-luxury brand, shedding loss-making units and boosting its profitable accessories business — cue a green clutch bag and white leather bags dangling from gold chains in Friday’s fashion show.  Brown, black and white geometric print dresses, a mustard yellow empire waist dress, chocolate-brown shorts and tailored jackets followed that sensible, business-conscious spirit.  Amid the wearable, sellable clothes, Donatella Versace’s love for glamour shone through in the form of gold straps on white dresses, angel wings on a white and silver gown, a gold-plate bustier and a long pink princess gown.  The 1960s shift dresses, the nods to Gianni Versace’s high-octane style were in line with a retro-happy fashion week.  With Giorgio Armani looking back to the elegant days of his youth, Gucci and Burberry yearning for the 1960s and Dolce & Gabbana throwing in some 1980s aggressiveness, Milan fashion week was too nostalgic for some.  “Milan’s been a little bit disappointing,” said Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue and the only journalist to be escorted through the queuing crowds by four burly men in suits.  “There are too many designers here looking to the past, going through their old magazines … I am looking forward to Paris,” she said with a smile.  Canadian label DSquared had jumped on the retro train earlier that Friday, reconstructing an Italian piazza for its Dolce Vita-themed fashion show and blasting out 1950s summer hits.  Twins Dean and Dan Caten had set up caf頦acades complete with bustling waiters and loitering young men on scooters to create the right mood for their yellow or navy-with-gold-buttons jackets, ice cream-pink striped mini-dresses, shorts and cropped Capri trousers.

Italian summer dipped in silver, gold
29 September
Every cloud, they say, has a silver lining, and so it seems do most of the collections currently showing on the Milan catwalk for Spring-Summer 2007. Silver skirts and dresses, silver coats and jackets, silver bags and shoes, not to mention jewelry, forge the look for next year’s warm weather, marking a return to the metallic styles of the 1960s and 1980s.  Last century it was called “space age,” while today’s designers label it “futuristic,” but whatever the name the look adds sparkle and glam to styles which have little creative zing of their own.  The Milan summer catwalk in fact is all aglitter with prim A-line dresses and simple tunics set ablaze by sparkling metallic fabric or myriads of twinkling sequins.  On no runway was the concept as clear or the look as spectacular as at Dolce&Gabbana’s finale Thursday, when the designing duo presented a series of breathtaking evening gowns, all based on a simple floor-length silk-chiffon tunic.  The difference was in the embroidery — bold and bright sequins that covered the whole dress, making it into a shimmering work of art. One such gown, adorned with large silver disks embroidered on a yellow background, featured huge butterfly sleeves and a silver corsage for added magnificence.  The rest of the collection shone too, but here the trick was transparent vinyl to add gloss and volume to simple styles. This was especially apparent in the push-up bra look created by shrouding the bodice of a strapless black mini dress in stiff plastic.  “That way our clients can save on the plastic surgeon,” Stefano Gabbana quipped back stage after the show.  Later Thursday, Karl Lagerfeld for Fendi presented his take on silver fashion. The models walked down the shimmering catwalk in a series of metallic dresses cut in geometric figures, like the black and white patterns popular in the 1960s. Large bags with silver meshing and silver platform sandals completed the galaxy look.  Sparkle at Jil Sander came not so much from silver but from the burst of color — quite out of character for the brand’s minimalist caroms. The label’s present designer, Belgian Raf Simons, uses tangerine, emerald green, cobalt blue, fuchsia and lemon, but keeps the styles simple.  A pant suit with long jacket and slim trouser, a chiffon evening gown, pretty jackets and demure shorts offer the client the clean-cut look she is accustomed to. The bold palette, often paired with contrasting black, will take some getting used to.  All eyes Friday were on Donatella Versace and pop singer Prince, guest of honor at the designer’s show and performer at an after-show party to inaugurate the new Versace venue in a renovated Milan theater.  True to the current metal fad, as well as Versace’s glam trademark, the new collection is dipped in gold, from the large gold-meshed handbag dubbed the “Icon Bag” to the platform gilded sandals to the gold leather Bermuda shorts.  For evening, Donatella created a cocktail dress made entirely out of large gold sequins, while the trains of her floor length-gowns were lined in the precious metal.  Overall, the Versace collection was very 1960s, with a series of chic daytime shifts decorated in brightly colored graphics and neat suits with cropped jackets paired with either a short straight skirt or Bermuda shorts.  Earlier Friday, Anna Molinari for Bluemarine, offered up a delightful collection of party dresses and evening gowns in delicately draped or ruffled chiffon. Mostly in powder pink and rose, some of the dresses were brushed in silver.  Far from the metal mania, Dean and Dan Caten, the Canadian twins behind the Dsquared label, set up imaginary shop Friday on the famed isle of Capri, to present their ideas for next summer.  Models in straw hats, shorts, T-shirts, denim and some super sexy bathing suits walked down the catwalk to join their friends at a make-believe cafe while the soundtrack played Neapolitan favorites.  After all the galaxy glitter, the down-to-earth collection felt good.

Jil Sander: New Patricians
29 September
Next time someone doubts Milan’s trendsetting power, tell them to check out the city’s latest patrician Jil Sander, who staged a collection presentation to much applause in Milan on Thursday, September 28th.   For a new take on silhouette, tailoring and color, these wily and elegant clothes had a lot to say.  Where the whole industry has bellowed out sleeves and added volume, Sander’s creative director Raf Simons kept things extra slim, shorn of embellishment and with pencil thin arms.  Simons cut his jackets short, with single buttons close to the throat and collars close to the jaw. Made in technically-finished cashmere and sleek cottons, they had class and aplomb. The self-assured presentation made clear that Simons is not inspired by anyone else but the house’s archives and himself, a refreshing feeling in a city where designers rely heavily on Hollywood and rock star influences as themes for entire collections.  Pale-faced with chignons, the models looked like graduates of a posh private school like the particularly fortunate kids in Gattaca. From his early days at Raf Simons men’s when he preferred to show his clothes on Antwerp teenagers instead of professional male models, Simons demonstrated a keen sense for casting the right models for his minimal clothes.  Clearly, Simons is taking the house’s legacy of rigorous fabric research and innovation very seriously, sending out brushed cashmere, liquid-like micro-fibers and stiff cotton suits that stood out by having a “just back from the best drycleaner” feel. It was a typical detail for the designer’s quiet approach to bringing out his vision.  Color was another highlight as the show opened with a bright yellow shirt and simple deep navy skirt. Soft acid hues of fresh orange, midday sky blue and mustard yellow extended the collection’s fresh color palette.  “More modern,” was Simons’ typically terse comment on the collection.  The show was a tad linear, lacking any real high point. The cool looking cut-out wedge platforms worn by nearly every model had panache, but were clearly a tricky wear – one model stumbled so badly, she didn’t appear at the final mass walkout.  But, these quibbles aside, this was a very assured outing by Simons that respected the Sander DNA and managed to make minimalism relevant again. The Dieselization of DSquared
29 September
In a season overpowered by retro fashion, the lurch to the past surely reached its nadir at the DSquared show in Milan on Friday, September 29th, the final day of the Italian Spring/Summer 2007 collections.  DSquared, the creation of Canadian twins Dan and Dean Caten, has frequently borrowed from Americana and Pop imagery. But today’s collection was little better than a hackneyed regurgitation of an American in Italy, it was more like Shirley McLaine driving down to Capri as a gangster moll in the 1964 film, The Yellow Rolls-Royce.  Staged before an elaborately constructed set evoking a dockside piazza on the Italian Riviera, the collection ran the gamut of style clichés using flat-front pants, loose silk jackets and jangling gold chains. Worn by big-haired models donning large shades and this season’s saddest accessory – clunky, square plastic bracelets in Pop Art colors – the show went on for nearly 30 looks before its first truly original idea. It was a strictly cut white bolero with a craftily inserted tuxedo shirt front worn by the Dutch model Stam.  Doubly odd in a season that’s seen a tide change in models – the hot names now are Bruna, Kinga, Lara and Freja – most of the gals on the DSquared catwalk were swept away Old Guards like Dewi, Luca and Caroline W. In a word, last century’s clothes on last season’s models.  Backed up by a dreadfully dull soundtrack of banal Italian cinema ballads, this was a depressing moment.  The Catens broke into the Milan fashion firmament with their upbeat take on style and high-energy sense of humor. But this outing felt more like a trade show presentation from their deep-pocketed backer Diesel. We know you can do much better boys!

Gianfranco Ferre Keeps The Faith
29 September
Let’s give it up big for Gianfranco Ferre who has stayed true to his own zeitgeist in the midst of a retro march back to the Eighties by most designers in Milan.  In a season of flash, Ferre kept things far more real, albeit pretty steamy, in a show that featured some dozen lacy slip dresses.  Staged in Ferre’s grand via Pontaccio headquarters, the show kicked off with some great graphic shorts paired with impeccable trenches cut mega short like boleros. One could immediately see the craftsmanship of Ferre’s ateliers in the clothes, but what made these looks future Ferre brand DNA was the light and modern design touch – i.e. cutting a classic staple like a trench in half or employing clever color-blocking in white and navy.  Ferre billed the collection as the correct looks for a liner cruise down to Punta del Este, but the Chelsea boots, tough chic raincoats and stripy tops were more reminiscent of Andy Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick.  Mixed in were the trademark white gents shirts, the latest reminder that no designer makes better shirts than Gianfranco. Period.  The temperature rose to red-hot with a middle section featuring slinky lingerie looks worn by beauties like Natasha Poly or Bianca Balti. Made in beige and black and cut bubble-style at the waist and bustier top, these were great head-turners and ideal red carpet attire.  The house did stack the decks a little with a soundtrack that repeatedly featured applause. But a slimmed-down Ferre got a hearty – and real – burst of applause when he took his long tour on the catwalk.

Pucci: Chic at the Cash Register
29 September
Matthew Williamson, who debuted last season at Pucci on a rather low-key note, got much closer to the label’s Florentine groove with a catchy, pumped up collection that will surely be a hit at the cash registers.  Where his March show looked and felt rushed, this was a far more polished effort that managed to meld together the house’s trademark swirling prints with Williamson’s own more romantic oeuvre.  Cut with deep gorge fronts, made of ingeniously constructed shards of plisse silk and cut high for the requisite amount of sass, these clothes managed to combine panache with poise.  The UK designer also interpreted the contemporary volumes with elegant bubble skirts and rouched sleeves.  For Pucci, which is ultimately a resort and vacation label, the summer collection will always be the harvest time. And, this collection’s smart prints and fine color palette of turquoise, silver, faded green and marine blue, will surely work at the burgeoning network of Pucci stores in swanky hotel boutiques worldwide.  “When I first joined Pucci five years ago, the chef d’atelier, who had been at the house for decades, told me it takes at least three seasons to understand the brand,” explained Catherine Vautrin, the rosily pregnant CEO of Pucci. “Thinking back, I think he was dead right.” Such a statement only hints that Williamson’s next Pucci collection is sure to be sensational.

Who Rocks the Hardest? Versace!
29 September
Anna Wintour will be disappointed she didn’t miss her early flight to London, otherwise she would have caught the risk-taking and notably inventive collection Donatella Versace presented Friday, September 29th in Milan in the fashion house’s new theatre.  Empowered by a custom-made soundtrack courtesy of Prince – who was seen perched between his two latest sirens while grooving to his own sounds in the front row – this was a welcome exercise in high-octane style and body-conscious beauty.  In a new lighter leaf for Versace, attendees witnessed a wonderful finale of contemporary goddess dresses composed of PVC body armor and racy bustiers that meshed into chiffon columns and cocktails.  A slick opening got the show off to a tremendous start, as models emerged in curvy, voluminous dresses in Verner Panton-like abstract prints that were projected simultaneously on an enormous LCD screen that served as the runway’s backdrop.  You had to love Donatella’s take on volume, in particular her wonderfully well crafted bubble minis that looked great on gals like Lily Donaldson but are sure to flatter an average lass.  Pre-show, the paparazzi fought an enormous scrum with a squad of black suited security as photographers and camera crews vied for shots of Prince, who showed up in a beige Versace redingote, black, flared pants and insect shades.  Shod in white and gold patent leather platforms and swinging Medusa headed nappa handbags, the casting featured a smart mix of models. From established catwalk stars like Carmen Kaas and Angela Lindvall to newcomers like Behati and Polina.  Prince was snapping his fingers when Tasha Tilberg strutted her stuff in a sensational corset/lingerie dress boudoir bound for a night of excess, and he pounded his feet when Jessica Stam emoted in a copper gold mini dress with PVC links – surely the iconic look of the season. Another standout was the buttoned-up shirt with no fabric, just skin.  “Classic Versace – on the runway and on the soundtrack with Prince,” said Donatella, minutes after her show.

FASHION: 28 September

Sex, money, glamour rule at Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana proved their love for showgirl exuberance on Thursday with a collection of aggressive black corset dresses, buttocks-hugging skirts and sequined gowns in the colors of the rainbow. A show that screamed sex and money entertained an audience that had felt mildly bored after a series of wearable, retro-inspired collections during Milan fashion week.  A metallic molded corset dress with exaggerated hips — think Marie Antoinette in the space age — and platform heels that caused several models to wobble dangerously were certainly not meant to be practical.  But there was at least one person in the room who was ready to wear Dolce & Gabbana’s crystal-encrusted, embroidered, swirly gowns with billowing sleeves: pop star Kylie Minogue.  “If there ever was an opportunity to wear these clothes it’s on stage.”  “Well, I need to control myself not to wear those kinds of things at a dinner party. But perhaps I shouldn’t show restraint and just wear it anyway, floating around in a pantsuit…the one from the show,” Minogue said in a backstage interview.  Tighter-than-tight mini-dresses, girded by wide patent leather belts, ended where the leg began and black pumps had a golden underside that flickered as models walked down the catwalk.  Bondage tops, plenty of patent leather and corsets paid homage to a fetish theme that had also dominated the show for Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s D&G label on Monday.  Yet the sexual tension was relieved by some tongue-in-cheek outfits that played on Dolce & Gabbana’s soft spot for campness.  Dresses made of what looked like green, pink and orange gift-wrapping foil and disco princess gowns that were worn by models attempting to wave their arms in a dancerly fashion brought razzle-dazzle fun to fashion week.

Pucci parties by the pool with aquatic swirls
“Tone your legs, slap on the fake tan and get ready for the poolside,” was Pucci’s message on Thursday with a body-conscious collection of mini-dresses and micro-skirts in turquoise, aquatic blue and dabs of beach cocktail pink.  Designer Matthew Williamson took Pucci’s trademark 1960s swirly patterns and mixed them with his favorite palette of vibrant colors — pinks, blues and greens — for spring/summer 2007, creating an effect that referenced David Hockney’s swimming pool paintings.  “It’s fun, it’s young … it’s a like a pool party, everyone comes to the party and they all wear different dresses,” Williamson told reporters backstage after the show.  “Color is my thing, that’s what I love. I took prints from the archives and developed them in new ways, with new fabrics, new prints.  “We still use screen print but also digital print for a wider range of colors, and we covered some fabric with a special foil to give it a wet look,” he said.  Short tunic dresses worn with big plastic bangles in pop colors, plunging U-shaped necklines that stopped just above the navel and ruffled Miami Beach dresses in shock pink made for an exuberant show that went down well with Pucci’s clients.  Since Emilio Pucci started dressing the jet set in the 1960s, the fashion house has built a loyal customer base that buys its swirly prints season after season.  Women in easily recognizable Pucci dresses and tops dotted the front row at a packed show.  “I’ve been a Pucci fan for many years and have a big collection. This is fabulous, so fresh and cutting edge,” said Heather Kerzner, an American living in London who flew to Milan for the show.  Fittingly for a sunny pool party, the Pucci girls on the catwalk wore their hair sleeked back and showed toned thighs and tanned midriffs in halter-neck dresses, boat-neck dresses, backless dresses, almost frontless dresses, and plisse dresses – there was hardly a pair of trousers in sight.  The occasional legwear came in the form of sprayed-on printed leggings and pencil trousers. Mirrored wedge-heel shoes and silver pouches were a “tongue-in-cheek” play on accessories, Williamson said.  The Manchester-born designer took over as designer at Pucci, now owned by French luxury goods giant LVMH, in 2005.

Brown, brown, and more brown
If you haven’t noticed yet, brown is very hot right now. Chic and sophisticated like black–but for many people–less harsh, brown is definitely a colour you want in your wardrobe this season.  Whether it’s chocolate brown knee-high leather boots, a v-neck sweater, or a suede jacket, brown is definitely a colour you don’t want to be lacking for Fall/Winter 2006/2007.

FASHION: 27 September

Gucci and the 1960’s
Gucci delved into the vintage trunk and came out with 1960s silver and white A-line shifts and black, purple and orange mini-dresses cinched with broad belts for its spring/summer 2007 collection.  Rather than reference the 80s like most designers did this season, Gucci’s new face–Frida Giannini–decided to go back to the glamour and luxury of the 60’s…a decision that will surely give Gucci and its loyal fans a breath of fresh air.  

Roberto Cavalli Show Stormed byPETA Protesters
Today during Cavalli’s sports-themed show for his Just Cavalli label, anti-fur protesters from PETA stormed in during the middle of the show and held banners that read “Cavalli=Cruel”.  “Sadly there are always people who disturb those who work, what can I do? I could impose stricter security controls but I don’t think that’ll make a difference,” Cavalli told reporters afterwards, adding that he loved animals.

What Every Guy Should Own this Fall
The cardigan is as cool as ever, and when worn in muted Fall colours with solid, neutral button-ups, it is a guaranteed to add total chicness to your ensemble.  Wear it with a pair of black slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a patterned tie (colours in the tie accenting the colour(s) of the sweater). Unless your collar is a button-down, keep the collar on the outside of the sweater.  When wearing a tie with your cardigan, be sure the sweater’s “V” neck is cut a little shorter, so as to allow more of the tie to be seen.