Dispatch from Milan: A lacy affair at Dolce & Gabbana, plus schoolgirls at Versus, short-sleeve dresses and more
Yank your grandma’s white linen tablecloths off the table! If Dolce & Gabbana have their way, spring will be a lacy white affair with doilies, curtains and table linens doing double duty as pretty, feminine dresses, bloomers, corsets, lady suits and babydolls. The dynamic duo did their favorite silhouettes all in “bianco” lace, embroidery and broderie anglaise. With only a few soft floral prints, a smidge of black lace and some signature leopard prints thrown in the mix, the collection was almost singularly one note–and a clean, fresh and a fabulously feminine, one at that.
If polished clothes for the real world are what you’re all about (and who isn’t?!) look no furthur than two of Italy’s strongest heritage brands. Both Ferragamo and Brioni showed slick and wearable collections that looked fresh and modern with long flowy skirts, flared trousers and an easy breezy ’70s feel. Ferragamo‘s palatte was full of blushy tans and neutrals and mixed in knits, cotton poplin peasant dresses, safari jackets and fantastic tan leather and suede shoulder bags.
Brioni, designed this season by Alessandro Dell’Acqua, mixed tailoring and softness and looked surprisingly fresh. Particularly strong were white lace belted dresses, and easy silk pieces in tomato red (say yes to a fantastic red bow blouse with crisp flared trousers) coral and caramels. I’m truly lusting after the woven luggage tan leather sandals in both the flat and hi heeled version!
If there was any doubt about the major messages of the week (colour-blocking, florals, hot hues, stripes, longer lengths and breezy ’70s pieces) both Versus and Aquilano.Rimondi confirmed it.
In their fourth season together, Versus collaborators Christopher Kane and Donatella Versace showed their strongest collection yet, sending their school girls off to the playground–the set featured real grass, vintage slides and jungle gyms–in long stretchy tube dresses that started in tartan and morphed into versions that mixed bright bitsy florals, stripes, colourblocking and flashes of fluorescents. The line is strong on accessories, with fabulous mix-and-match schoolgirl satchels, boxy clutches, ankle boots and patent platforms on cork heels as proof.
Aquilano.Rimondi showed they know their way around colour and print with gorgeous silk and satin colour-block combos of jackets, skirts, short shorts and spare tops in ultra violet, peach, fuchsia, emerald and turqouise. Easy silk dresses and pantsuits in bitsy florals were fresh and strong. Love the boxy, bright sequin stripe tees!
Arm candy: BTW, this season I’ve been noticing an abundance of chic little short-sleeve dresses on the runway. (I’m not talking big, wide, baggy short sleeves that go down to the elbow but teeny tiny little short sleeves that just cover That Spot–you know what I mean!) I’ve jotted them down at Etro, Versace and Aquilano.Rimondi, to name a few and I, for one, couldn’t be happier as I’ve been on the hunt for a cool alternative to the sleeveless dress for eons!
Read our full coverage of the Spring 2011 collections»
The post Dispatch from Milan: A lacy affair at Dolce & Gabbana, plus schoolgirls at Versus, short-sleeve dresses and more appeared first on FASHION Magazine.