Whereas New York Fashion Week saw very few in-person shows, almost no street style, and nearly as many films as runway collections, Milan Fashion Week was about as close to “normal” as it gets mid-pandemic. Show-goers wore face masks, as did Pierpaolo Piccioli while he waved arrivederci at the end of the Valentino show, and collections included 2020-appropriate items like face coverings at Marni and elbow-length rubber gloves at Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini.
When it came to spring ‘21 clothes, Italy’s top designers were in the mood for romance — reimagined for today’s lifestyle. At Fendi, pieces printed with photographs taken by creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi during quarantine were presented on models including Paloma Elsesser, Mona Tougaard, and Jill Kortleve. At Valentino, co-ords crocheted with flowers warmed our hearts, while bags looked big enough to fit a blanket, gourmet snacks, and natural wine, for a day spent lounging at the park with your “quarantine crew.” Undergarments made an appearance in the form of bloomers (at Etro) and bra-like crop tops (No. 21), and everything was slightly sheer, sending the message: We’re indoors most of the time now anyway, so why shouldn’t we spend our days in high-fashion lingerie? And of course, there was the coming together of Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada, who presented their first collection as co-creative directors at Prada at the beginning of the week. As expected, it was swoon-worthy, with fashion’s version of a hazard blanket paired with the brand’s signature nylon backpacks and kitten heels.
Click ahead for eight trends that’ll have you falling hopelessly in love with Milan Fashion Week.
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