FASHION Magazine

Ciao Milano! Our boy Lewis Mirrett arrived in Italy yesterday safe and sound, but alas, his bags did not. After a harrowing five hours waiting for his supplies to appear, his equipment showed up! Now we bring you the best of his first excursion: outside the Moschino show.

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At the gorgeous Villa Necchi, for an equally gorgeous Tod’s presentation. The sun is shining and it’s all I can do to keep myself from plunging into the pool (the same one featured in the Tilda Swinton film, I Am Love).

Viewing the collection over cappuccino with Derek Lam, Tod’s creative director, it’s remarkable to see how much he’s upped the brand’s luxe ante since he first began his collaboration in 2006. Spring is inspired by “the strength of Italian craftsmanship” and that’s quite apparent—from the bead- and precious metal– studded moccasins to the special-order gold-embellished bags. Colours vary from neutral tans, oyster, and dove grey all the way to citrus brights—as in a fringed-calfskin orange shopper. Juicy and delish!

In case you haven’t heard: Prada was hot! Flaming hot! Miuccia Prada knew she had us when she came out for her bow—a warm and knowing smile on her lips. And had us she did.

Before the show, would I have dreamed of desiring a satin varsity jacket with airbrushed flames shooting out the back? Not on your life. So why is it, hours after the show, I can think of nothing but? Such is the genius of Mrs. Prada—the ability to take something that could be cutesy or kitsch and subtly render it sublime. From the Styrofoam cars and auto-mechanic set, to the last flame-throwing needle-nose stiletto the spring collection was “Go Grease Lightning” through and through.

“Teal is the new neutral,” declares Holt Renfrew‘s fashion director, Barbara Atkin, outside the Max Mara show, pointing to her gorgeous new Givenchy bag. And she’s right. It’s my second day in Milan and I’ve already seen nothing but blue-sky bags cropping up all over town and scattered throughout the front row. Did everyone get the same memo?

Inside the tent, there was a different sort of blue—a pastel (think Ladurée macaroon) aqua that’s been spotted throughout the spring collections. Max Mara mixed it with delicate shades of sand and ivory in a sporty, minimal collection highlighted by racer-back, colour-block dresses, athletic-inspired knee-length leggings (move over Lululemon) and trim little ¾-sleeve, blouson baseball jackets.

Milan’s Via Monte Napoleone, the most infamous shopping street on the planet, was virtually shut down last night as Louis Vuitton opened its brand-spanking-new digs. Fashion Week groupies were out in droves, hoping to catch a glimpse of cult designer Marc Jacobs, in town to fete the opening of “Louis Vuitton: The Art of Fashion,” […]

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Was it my imagination or did the maître d at the Charleston Restaurant light up when he saw me coming tonight, hugging me and my pasta partner in crime, Newsweek/the Daily Beast’s Robin Givhan, and proudly declaring “spaghetti rosa for you!”

One of the things I marvel about in Milan is the flawless service from a loyal cast of shopkeepers, hotel concierges, restaurant owners, and wait staff who lovingly keep the same job year after year, and have become my Milanese family away from home when I touch down twice a year. But enough warm and fuzzy. You want to hear about the clothes!

“It’s all about a red wine–stained, snogged mouth,” said Lucia Pieroni of the makeup at Giles Spring 2012 show, applying M.A.C’s lip pencil in “Brick” onto the inside of the mouth and “Burgundy” on top, blended outward with a Q-tip. “There’s no defined line around the edge, but it’s quite dark in the middle.” The rest of the face was quite bare—a smidge of “Russian Red” lipstick on the cheeks, rubbed in with a large brush and a bit of lip balm on the eyelids, tops of the cheeks, and on the bridge of the nose for a bit of highlight.

While Erdem Moralioglu showed Anna Wintour his pieces backstage (and everyone tried to stay out of their way), hair and makeup artists buzzed about in frenzy—this was one backstage that was not so calm. Inspired by “south of France chic” and Chloë Sevigny, Charles Worthington himself created a high, soft, and swishy ponytail to match the sophisticated, utterly gorgeous spring collection. Starting with Charles Worthington Front Row Volume Blow Dry Spray to give the roots a “sort of fluffy texture,” the girls’ hair was then pulled back and secured a two-finger width below the crown with a black elastic. Heat Defence Spray was sprayed over the ponytail to give it a bit of shine, and then a large barrel iron was applied to the ends to give them a bit of bend. “It all has a slightly soft, spontaneous look to it,” said Worthington.

Spotted amongst the front row usuals at yesterday’s Temperley show at the British Museum in London: none other than Pippa Middleton! Guys! Do you know what this means? Pippa’s officially courting the fashion spotlight! (Yes, we realize the amount of exclamation points accompanying this post.) While sister Duchess Kate is off do-gooding with Prince William, […]

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Today was a day of standouts at London fashion week, from Peter Pilotto to Christopher Kane and Erdem. The other shows today? Burberry, Mark Fast, and Giles, all of which included some great pieces. Burberry had cropped parkas, African-inspired geometric beading, and straw riding hats with pompoms, while Mark Fast featured looser knits—almost crochet-like, in some cases—on dresses. At Giles we saw swan headpieces by Stephen Jones and laser-cut red leather gown worn by our very own Kate King.

The fashion flock have all but crossed the pond for London fashion week, but we’ve still got more amazing snaps from outside the New York shows! We’ll resume our style snaps in Milan, but in the meantime, here’s a peek at some last looks from the Big Apple.

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Ice cream, pink lemonade, and nearly 2,000 balloon animals aren’t typical ways to start a Sunday morning—but then we only get to start our day off with a Mulberry fashion show but twice a year. This show is always a big ticket of LFW, for its prime guest list (um, today’s show included Kristen Stewart AND Kate Moss, who wore a Canadian tuxedo and a brown hat!), super-luxe venue (the upscale Claridges Hotel in the tony Mayfair neighbourhood), dogs on the runway (this season: miniature schnauzers), and, obviously, the fact that the brand is one of the fastest-growing luxury brands out there. Another way to start the day: sequins, and yet another sorbet palette of yellow, green, and pink.