FASHION Magazine

Nature walk

There were bunny print gowns and squirrel and owl appliqués with an artsy craftsy vibe at Dolce & Gabbana , Antonio Marras had wolves howling on the soundtrack and on silk coats, Cavalli did flame prints, and there was earth tone colourblocking at Missoni.

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2014

Missoni Fall 2014

Dark romance

Aquilano Rimondi had boyish tweed coats with wide burned-out rose hems, MSGM did exploding rose prints and mirror appliqués that shattered into blooms.

MSGM Fall 2014

Bleeding edge
Materials of different weights, moods and textures were fused, woven or otherwise seamlessly blended. Tweed, sparkle and glazed wool seemed to bleed together in a gray coat at Aquilano Rimondi. Pink swakara was melded into a camel coat at MSGM. And a feathery black pattern was woven through the mid-section of a loden coat at Ferragamo.

Aquilano Rimondi Fall 2014

Ferragamo Fall 2014

Fur
Bottega Veneta turned shearling inside-out for long, sleek coats, Marni strapped crayola blue and red fox around shoulders, Dolce & Gabbana had mink panties and fox hoods, Inuit motifs were set into furs at Pucci, Aquilano Rimondi added mink pockets to organza dresses.

Marni Fall 2014

Pucci Fall 2014

Bottega Veneta Fall 2014

Blurry prints
There’s still a whiff of spring’s art and digi print trends in the air, with smudge prints and blurry stripes at Marni, and paint swipes and abstract jacquards at MSGM.

MSGM Fall 2014

3D
Embellishments ranged from fine-as-dust crystals on spray paint strips at Bottega Veneta to the all-over bling of Dolce & Gabbana’s “firefly” finale. Marni had tiers of feathers and straw-like fringe down the fronts of skirts and coats. Silver studs and beads were arranged into Native American patterns at Pucci.

Marni Fall 2014

BLING

One of the biggest thing we saw in almost every collection was the use of embellishments. Collections got more impressive as the week progressed as designers seem to follow the same philosophy when it came to bling–go big or go home. Models at Prada came equipped with bedazzled bras that were shown over-top their looks (some sewn right into the garment). Roberto Cavalli’s uber-embellished collection looked somewhat influenced by The Great Gatsby but he still managed to maintain the underlying boho vibe he’s so well known for to produce (what we think) was one of his best collections yet. Aquilano.Rimondi and Marni both used similar 3D intricacies as Prada but in a way that was unique to their individual aesthetic. At Pucci, the pieces got progressively heavier and even embodied Balmain-esque bedazzlement while Fausto Puglisi fully embellished some pieces entirely on one side while the other side remained entirely clean.

Prada Spring 2014

BLING

Aquilano Rimondi Spring 2014

LOOSE SILHOUETTES

We have seen fashion really transform over the last few season as women’s collections are taking on a whole new form. Silhouettes are looser, flat shoes are cool again and boxiness has replaced form fit. Even designers who are traditionally known to be sexy (here’s looking at you, Versace) have realized that fashion, at least for right now, has evolved into something more relaxed. It definitely doesn’t mean that they have taken out this word from the equation; in fact the Italians seemed to have perfected the balance of masculine and feminine with the latter still being the hero. Bare midriffs and tops with clever cut-outs were often paired with straight skirts or high waisted pants and boxy leather jackets. Pant silhouettes, when present, were structured yet slouchy and most often cropped while some designers opted to skip pants altogether and focus on predominantly skirts and dresses (Miuccia being one of them); even crop tops were structured and loose. Whether the male population likes it or not, women’s fashion has now taken on a boyish charm and the term feminine has defined itself in a new, more modern way.

Versace Spring 2014

LOOSE SILHOUETTES

Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2014

THE UN-PRETTY SHOE

Though heels are still present on the runway, footwear has evolved with the new direction that fashion has taken in the last few seasons. Shoes are oddly quirky, slightly heavy and seemingly masculine and nowhere was this more obvious than in Milan this past week. At Prada, the shoes were almost reminiscent of a suped up Birkenstock while Marni’s layered flip flop looked Asian inspired. Jil Sander had more of a chunky, rounded Oxford and even Emporio Armani went for a masculine flat. Although each designer’s footwear varied from one collection to the next, they all cleverly complemented each collection in their own way.

Jil Sander Spring 2014

THE UN-PRETTY SHOE

Prada Spring 2014

BOLD HUES

As always, spring runways are full of light and bright colours and this season is no exception. Several of the Italian designers are playing up the punch by injecting colour in a bold way. Fendi kicked off its show with punchy laser cut tiered dresses (five of which were beautifully sketched in colour by Karl himself and distributed to each seat) while Max Mara chose to punch up a mainly neutral collection with a lineup of lollipop-coloured looks-solid from head to toe. Prada is in a level by itself this season and Miuccia gave a face to her collection (literally) by splashing color into every piece right down to the socks. Aquilano.Rimondi also intelligently used embellishments and bold prints to inject color into the collection.

BOLD HUES

Max Mara Spring 2014

Black and white

On the flip side, many of the Milan collections still had a predominant black and white colour palette. Costume National, Jil Sander, Ports and Marni all had a strong base of black and white pieces so those of us who opt to gravitate towards more basic, minimal colours have nothing to be worried about.

Glamour was present at Beyoncé’s Belgrade show, where pearls, pearls, and more pearls garnished a custom-made Ralph & Russo bodysuit. The “Halo” songstress looked positively angelic as she opened the world tour in the all-white number. The ribbed one-piece, which featured military shoulders and layers of beads and sequins, looked both elegant and bold with it’s sharp tailoring.

Beyoncé’s custom-made long sleeved Givenchy bodysuit and cat-eared cap had her looking ready for world domination. The daring getup was one of her edgier stage ensembles with its abundance of black sequins. It wasn’t easy to pull our eyes away from the dancing diva’s nails, which were painted in a pastel shade of blue in honour of her baby girl Blue Ivy.

Beyoncé enlisted Humberto Leon and Carol Lim of Kenzo for her most colourful one-piece ensemble, which she unveiled at her Paris show. The duo chose a playful turquoise and coral red print from their Spring ’13 line to incorporate into the pin-up style bodysuit. The look, which featured a bustier and flared shorts, is perhaps the most wearable costume for us regular folk, but fabulous nonetheless.

Beyoncé called upon another fashionable friend, London-based designer David Koma, for this black and gold bodysuit. A leather collar, cuffs and full leather skirt add edge to the more feminine leotard. Golden French Horn prints running down the front of the piece pay homage to the reoccurring Marie Antoinette theme in the tour’s widely praised video art. The covetable black leather booties were custom designed by Stuart Weitzman, who was responsible for all of Queen Bey’s shoes on the tour.

Beyoncé’s Pucci leopard-print fringed bodysuit stole hearts at her Houston show. The look was one of five designed by Peter Dundas for the Mrs. Carter tour. “She is one of the sweetest stars to work with. She knows what she wants and what will work for her…” Dundas told Vogue. And work it does. Beyoncé dazzles in the playful neon number, which has us thinking about bright animal print in a whole new way.