The scene backstage just a few minutes before the show starts. Giles looks a bit concerned here - not sure what it was about. Perhaps he just wanted to get the marauding hacks out of his hair. Still, he took the time to explain that the floral prints you see here are based on a photo he took of Kew Gardens, which he then digitally manipulated.
Say whatever you like about "the Versace woman" (human Barbie doll, pre-feminist cliche, red-carpet fantasy etc), the fact is that the cut of these silk-jersey dresses is immaculate. Donatella looking rightly proud at the end of this video. The penultimate show!
Donatella (or somebody she knows) does a fantastic flower arrangement. This was in the lobby of the Versace catwalk theatre. But the collection that followed wasn't floral prints. According to the show notes, it was an exploration of "fluidity of form".
Granddaughter of the founders Adele and Edoardo Fendi (who set up shop in Rome in 1925), accessory designer Silvia is responsible for that ultimate it-bag, the Baguette. It launched in '97 and was the first of the 'must-have' bags. I went backstage to talk to Silvia about the special redesign she's done for its 10th anniversary.
The Baguette, redux, is giant sized for next spring. Silvia picked this one as her favourite. It was appliqued with tiny slithers of leather.
Elena from Fendi's Paris press office demonstrates how one carries the big Baguette. The original was supposed to be squished under one's armpit like the loaf. This one is a bit more hefty but at least you can fit more bread in it.
These win the prize. Shoe of the week, the month, a lifetime - whatever. A mix of metal and plastic, jewellery and that kind of chain they sell by the yard in Sainsbury Homebase (or looks like it). These are shoes to keep you awake at night. "Will all the pairs here be put into production, will they go on sale?" I ask the PR anxiously. She can't give me a definite answer. Milan Fashion Week can be brutal sometimes.
Apparently this happens every season at Fendi, not to mention almost every other big fashion house. THE PREVIEW. Minutes before the show, Anna Wintour and her lieutenant at US Vogue Andre Leon Talley go through the entire collection as it hangs on the rails, laid out for each model. AW is of course front and centre at every show but it's something else to see her in full 'appraisal' mode. In a jam-packed backstage area, she caused a forcefield around her, with none of the crew or models wanting to come close to the notoriously icy editor-in-chief. She seemed to be having fun though. Picked up a big jewelled belt, turned to Talley and said (with a flinty smile) "LOOK Andre. YOU could wear this as a brooch!"
I didn't manage to catch the Bottega Veneta show earlier this week so went back this afternoon to have a look in the showroom. Bottega Veneta is insanely expensive and is aimed at women who want to look like/can afford to look like a latter-day Grace Kelly. These Classically-draped silk-georgette dresses were quite something. The ruching and pleating is a sight to behold - as is the soft corsetry-like construction inside, as you can hopefully see here.
A video replays the inspiration behind the collection. Or is it the actualy prints seen on the dresses that come out? It's not clear. Anyway, we're in the realm of fashion-as-art, that's for sure. Hmmm.
Needn't have worried. D&G simply parlay the artsy theme into splashy prints on these fantasy dresses. Every woman in the room (and possibly some men) spends ten seconds imagining what it'd be like to flounce around in a big cloud of tulle. On the way out, the Italian press are yelling 'BELLA BELLA' at a volume that is quite unbelievable. That's a just fashion show - what would a football match here be like? The ears boggle.
Paris Vogue's editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, in conversation with Conde Nast head honcho Jonathan Newhouse, demonstrates just how expert she is at the front-row art of tying one's legs in an elegant knot. Also note her unexpectedly great ethnic scarf/naval blazer combination.
Shiny macs, pervy pink latex corset tops and brothel creepers were a curve ball from MaxMara, home of the classic camel-colour coat. They came out to samples of Neneh Cherry on the soundtrack. I think they were supposed to look like 'tough' street girls. The editor next to me commented that their bright pink eyeshadow made the girls look like they had conjunctivitus. Actually I thought it looked pretty, if "editorial" - a term that translates as 'not to be attempted by anyone with less than supermodel looks or in fact ever worn in public'. Fantasy is what fashion's all about, eh? Which is fortunate really, since the reality of Milan today is that it's drowning in rain, the traffic is torture and everybody wants to go home. Hopefully the full-on glamour triumverate of Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace shows later today will lift the spirits...
The Hysteria! Works on so many levels. Nice roomy bag too. You can also see from this angle how the cut of Frida Giannini's trousers are pretty amazing. This collection somehow lacked oomph but there were good, wearable individual pieces in there.
I love perfume more than most but didn't really get why Gucci should kick off their fashion show with a wraparound screening of their latest fragrance ad - even if it is directed by David Lynch. It stars models Raquel Zimmerman, Natasha Poly and Freja Beha mouthing the words to Heart of Glass and will be on TV in October. Oh, and the perfume is called 'Gucci by Gucci' and to me smells of raspberries and amber.
One of the most refreshing sights to behold at last night's Prada show - which was all about feminine self-image, according to the designer - was the distinctly non-wraithlike model Lara Stone on the catwalk. During a week where child-mannequins have been the norm, Lara, the face of CK beauty and a recent Paris Vogue covergirl, is outstanding for her "womanliness". The Prada catwalk sets global trends, so here's hoping...
The Prada catwalk show, held in a former warehouse on Via Foggazzaro, is transformed every season with new backdrops designed by architect Rem Koolhaas's OMA/AMO. On this season's dreamy/disturbing wall illustrations - a hint at the collection to come - OMA have collaborated with the American design studio 2x4
Pink is back. But more than that, ironic pink is back. The spring 2008 shows so far have brought us clothes the colour of a tasty can of John West salmon, or the colour of peeled prawns, or the neon pink colour beloved by step aerobics instructors. Sportmax this lunchtime plumped for a shade of orangey-salmon for their silk combat pants and satin dresses. Miuccia Prada was a season ahead on this one - she used bad-taste colour for her current collection, so you can be assured she'll take a different tack at her own spring show later tonight...
The best show so far. Raf Simons does bright colour, see-through tulle dresses and surreal high heels that appear to be inspired by scaffolding. Just a few seasons ago RS used to be so shy of the crowd he'd barely peep out at the end of the show. This time he blows kisses!
Cathy Horyn of The New York Times gets the gen on the Burberry show. The Americans in particular love CB and Burberry. "The luxury warrior"
was his muse. If that sounds ridiculous then try spending twenty five
minutes crawling back home through the Milanese traffic at zero mph.
What I would've done for an armour-plated clutch bag tough enough to
make a swathe through the Fiats. Grrr!
That's what Agyness D (now brunette) et al see when they stalk off the runway. Christopher Bailey's Burberry Prorsum traditionally winds up the first day of Milan with his glamorous macs, cute yet super-luxe dresses and carefully selected soundtrack (this time Deep Purple's Child In Time, Paul Weller's You Do Something To Me, Pete Townsend's I Put A Spell On You and Deep Purple again, Exposition, for the finale). CB is something of a pinup boy to many a fashion editor, so there's a virtual stampede along the gold-coloured catwalk after the show to congratuate him. Harper's Bazaar's Glenda Bailey is back there, Paris Vogue's Carine Roitfeld (in saucer-shaped 70s shades, not Wayfarers, note) and Mario Testino (who shoots the ad campaign) jostle for an air-kiss. TV crews elbow each other, champagne is served and I get to check out the interesting gold fringing on those dresses up-close. Sheer ruching, shredded frills, gold to match the catwalk and military details...
What with a 5am start and a lurching journey in a neolithic craft courtesy of Alitalia, the first day of Milan can put one in a bilious mood. But tradition has it that Giorgio Armani kicks of MFW proper, and he has what is officially the best ever catwalk theatre: a lovely tranquil concrete cave designed specially for him by super-architect Tadao Ando. Even the stern gaze of the ranked guest-list checkers don't disturb my calm. No such minimalism on the catwalk however, as Mr A goes wild today with fringing, dangling crystals and layer
upone layer of crochet shawls. Samuel L Jackson and Spike Lee in
attendance at the second sitting (GA needs two shows, rather than the
usual one, to fit in all his disciples). Apparently the latter has
commissioned Armani to provide clothing not for (or not only for) the
actors in his new movie, but for the crew working on-set in Rome.
Welcome and ciao to Milan Fashion Week, where the fact that the sun IS actually shining is by-the-by since shades are worn indoors, outdoors at night and underneath one's scooter helmet. Standing outside a fashion show here, ticketless, is a nasty state to find oneself in, so I'm relieved that on arrival this morning everything seems to be in order for the week ahead. Milan is about big budget shows and the high-spec invitations usually give you a clue about the collection that follows. The D&G invite suggested a spectrum of colour, indicating futurism and neon shades. In fact the show was 70s prints, denim bellbottoms and frillier than a Bournemouth B&B. The big teases!
Pink is back. But more than that, ironic pink is back. The spring 2008 shows so far have brought us clothes the colour of a tasty can of John West salmon, or the colour of peeled prawns, or the neon pink colour beloved by step aerobics instructors. Sportmax this lunchtime plumped for a shade of orangey-salmon for their silk combat pants and satin dresses. Miuccia Prada was a season ahead on this one - she used bad-taste colour for her current collection, so you can be assured she'll take a different tack at her own spring show later tonight...
That's what Agyness D (now brunette) et al see when they stalk off the runway. Christopher Bailey's Burberry Prorsum traditionally winds up the first day of Milan with his glamorous macs, cute yet super-luxe dresses and carefully selected soundtrack (this time Deep Purple's Child In Time, Paul Weller's You Do Something To Me, Pete Townsend's I Put A Spell On You and Deep Purple again, Exposition, for the finale). CB is something of a pinup boy to many a fashion editor, so there's a virtual stampede along the gold-coloured catwalk after the show to congratuate him. Harper's Bazaar's Glenda Bailey is back there, Paris Vogue's Carine Roitfeld (in saucer-shaped 70s shades, not Wayfarers, note) and Mario Testino (who shoots the ad campaign) jostle for an air-kiss. TV crews elbow each other, champagne is served and I get to check out the interesting gold fringing on those dresses up-close. Sheer ruching, shredded frills, gold to match the catwalk and military details...
