Milan Fashion Week FW/20

Lucie and Luke Meier’s Jil Sander collection show during Milan Fashion Week this season was described by the designers as ‘purity, not minimalism’. The same could arguably be said for the vibe that swept the runways this past week in Italy’s fashion capital. Following the general consensus of the past few seasons, designers offered up a lesson in restraint as brands focused on the interplay between materiality and cut, exploring how they relate to notions of freedom, gender, and power. Here are a few standout collections.

Jil Sander

Lucie and Luke Meier’s Jil Sanders Fall 2020 collection was an exercise in restraint and precision. Purity, not minimalism, is the way the designers described the aesthetic of the collection, and the result was nothing short of stunning. These clothes are not of the noisy and brash collections made for Instagram. The palettes iare muted, the materials are sumptuous and the cut is precise; all to suggest that sophistication lies in the old adage ‘less is more’.

Moncler Genius

Fendi

The spirit of Fendi’s Fall 2020 RTW show was “from the boudoir to the boardroom” as described in the show notes. The collection riffed on the double standards of the male gaze subverting them through garments that were both functional and sensual. As always at Fendi, the materials were luxe; mohair, cashmere, leather, and fur abounded, whilst the exaggerated bishop sleeves and sharp structural silhouettes made for a collection that was equal parts power, elegance, and sensuality.

Prada

Miuccia Prada’s Fall 2020 outing was inspired by a concept not unlike Venturini Fendi’s: the concept that delicacy and frivolity are not antithetical to power. Boxy belted jackets were offset by silk fringe and jet beads whilst basketball jerseys were elongated to the knee and accessorized. “We can be strong and feminine at the same time…women carry the weight now.” This equated to a collection that expertly coalesced and juxtaposed the feminine and the masculine, calling to attention the way that they inform one another.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Paul Andrew’s outing for Salvatore Ferragamo this season introduced a new softer expression of femininity amidst his minimalist tendencies; freer, and more individual. Riffing on Jungian archetypes of femininity including the huntress, the mother, the queen, and the lover, the collections silhouettes retained the elongated and refined silhouettes the designer is known for but infused with a sense of ease and fluidity. A woman’s identity is a shifting “kaleidoscope” the designer said post-show, the thread throughout, for Andrew, is undoubtedly a pervasive tendency toward sophistication amongst the fray.

MSGM

Massimo Giorgetti’s outing for MSGM this season was inspired by horror. Following a successful collaboration with Dario Argento for his fall menswear collection, the designer tapped the filmmaker for his women’s show. Giorgetti collaged together posters of Deep Red, The Cat O’ Nine Tails, Suspiria and Phenomena. Still, there were further motifs embedded in the collection. Boarding school tweeds, boxy blazers, pleated skirts, coated cable knits, and prim collared shirts evoked a certain air of adolescence. The collection was equal parts playful and eclectic, while still remaining wearable and contemporary.

Bottega Veneta

Bottega’s Fall 2020 collection is the first since Daniel Lee swept the London Fashion Awards, scooping up four statuettes in the process and his third showing for the brand proves why Lee was deserving of such praise. Explaining his approach to fall at the brand, he asked, “how do we put ourselves together in a considered, elegant way but still feel comfortable?” The answer the designer proposed was stretch, rendering the collection in materials and silhouettes that were forgiving and above all, comfortable. Bottega has always been known more for its leather goods than its ready-to-wear, however, with Lee at the helm matching the clothes with the same creamy, rich, and textured feel of his accessories, the two seem to inform each other with a most-pleasing outcome.

Cody Rooney is a Glossi mag contributor.

He is a photography aficionado, masters candidate, fashion enthusiast, avid Ariana Grande fan and lover of all things aesthetically pleasing.