Made*In*Italy*On*Line
Made*In*Italy*On*Line
Fashion&Design Newsletter - Summer 1995
Generously cut wide-legged pants in black flannel were worn with handknit
sweaters in pea green or coral. Their suits are made of menswear fabrics,
the skirts just grazing or just covering the knee, jackets nipped in at the
waist, little boots with laces.
Other suits were made of velours or light mouflon wood in shades of lavender
and orange or bright scottish plaids. Long coats in bright greens, blues,
pinks, and corals cover black stretch pants and and short-sleeved sweaters.
Trench coats and coats with huge collars reach the ankle, some trimmed with
fake leopard.
Les Copains' most aggressive look combined oversize cashmere
sweaters in all shades of grey worn over heavy grey striped stockings and
thigh-high boots.
Scuba diving masks were worn with skirts looking like underpants and short
plastic windbreakers, and their Sicilian origins were reflected in the
little black dresses with full skirts worn with short tight cardigans.
Italians love twin-sets, and D&G's were in black and white stripes worn
over bias-cut miniskirts.
Proper little suits in bright colors were
reminiscent of Chanel, and many outfits were worn with black patent hip
boots or short white boots with zippers. Attention was focused on feet
with fluorescent-colored patent leather shoes, others decorated in the
front with large hoops, patent leather boots covered with buckles.
Close fitting jackets and curving dresses emphasized the structure
and silouhette that is fashion's latest look.
The regular Dolce and Gabbana show featured shapely suits and trench
coats in houndstooth check, shiny plastic, and fake fur. Their woman
looks snooty during the day and sensual and erotic by night.
Classic suits with skirts above the knee were tied at the waist in black,
white, orange-red,and blue.
Their signature corset appeared in their evening clothes as
well as a number of sheer black chiffon knee-grazing dresses worn over
black bras and pants and black kneehigh boots with high thick heels. Some
of the models wore dark glasses and carried riding whips. No further
comment.
A dreamlike sequence featured five models dressed in black, their
arms linked, faces tilted back glowing in the dark, evoking a scene
from a thirties musical. Celebrities in the audience included names from
the cinema: Claudia Cardinale, Ornella Muti, Margherita Buy, Christophe
Lambert, Isabelle Huppert, Mauro Bolognini, Gillo Pontecorvo.
Armani discovered the bosom, featured by many of his dresses but the
nude look of his evening dresses in shades of beige was deceptive, using
layers of thin fabric and tone-on-tone embroideries. Many jackets cut
with a deep V were worn over bare skin and long simply-cut coats resembling
monk's robes were worn over form-revealing dresses. Bias cuts helped.
Accessories often included huge black silk roses tied around swan necks.
Over 150 people worked swiftly backstage to help the models change
outfits. Armani wiped his forhead during the standing ovation after the show and
commented, "Yes, it was hard work."
After the show dinner was served in another space to the 1,200 guests
at 54 rectangular tables covered in black cotton overlaid with beige gauze
and decorated with Armani's favorite white calla lilies.
Armani had recently selected clothes from his Emporio Armani
collection for the cast to wear in a production directed by Jonathan Miller
at Covent Garden in London of the Mozart opera Cosi` fan Tutte. Some loved
the "costumes," some hated them, but nobody was indifferent.
He also used a lot of Elastam, a special fabric that hugs the body and
allows for transparent strips, and these made less strict the long black
dresses for evening. The severe black dresses often reveal tulle-covered
nudity, along with long tulle trains and huge tulle bows. Ferre brought
Elizabeth Taylor's favorite makeup artist, Francesca Tolot, who also
touches the faces of Michelle Pfeiffer and Sharon Stone. She created
individual makeups for the models.
Notes on the Milan Fall-Winter Collections
Prada showed a collection inspired by the fifties but updated, with
crisp dressmaker suits in subdued or flesh colors, with touches of coral.
Puffed out skirts had small darts. Makeup was simple.
Fendi presented their winter 95-96 collections in the elaborate
salons of Palazzo Barozzi to a public that braved the heavy rain mixed with
snow and probably wished they could wrap up in the luxurious furs.
Designer Karl Lagerfeld has worked for years with the Fendi sisters and the
marriage seems made in heaven, year after year they come up with yet more
inventive ways of working with skins and the coats with enormous collars
were perfect for those suffering from the cold.
Chiara Boni, who started her career some years ago in Florence with a
shop called "You Tarzan Me Jane" paid homage to women of all ages, calling
on a trio of retired actresses who won't see 60 again and dressing them in
silver dresses, stockings, and boots.
Trussardi, whose career is rooted in glovemaking, showed
tight-fitting sheepskin jackets and suede dresses molded to the body.
Donatella Girombelli presented a sharply tailored series of long
jackets over midcalf black skirts in the Genny collection.
Les Copains showed slender sweaters covering the hips knitted in
elaborate designs, cinched in with narrow beslt and worn over tube skirts
just covering the knees. Fuscia, violet, green, orange, yellow, and
electric blue down coats worn with narrow belts, laced-up shoes, had a
vague forties look.
Dolce e Gabbana - you name it, they had it. Microskirts, moonboots,
teased hair with colored strands, red-shaded eyes and green lipstick,
these were just a few of the shockers in their D&G line shown at the Rolling
Stone night club. It's been very popular with young people for three
seasons now, and has been joined by Jeans which should do well.
Tom Ford who designs for Gucci presented a collections that might
have been inspired by "Grease" with bright satin shirts, low-slung hipster
pants, and shoes in bright metallic leathers. A strong amusing look for
Gucci with deep-pile mohair coats in electric colors, pinstriped
pantsuits, fine-knit dresses and soft bags in metallic patent leather or fur.
Printed shoes in rainbow colors.
Lawrence Steele, formerly designer for Prada, presented his own line
for the first time. He showed nylon jackets and mixes of thickly padded
fabrics with satin and fine knits. Coats were long and curvy in colors
including blueberry and burn orange, and winter white.
Rebecca Moses is Genny's new design consultant
Zoran has been presenting his clothes in Milan for five years. He
brought Christian Francis Roth with whom he plans to create a new line.
Simply cut outfits made of linen and cashmere, satin and silk gauze in
shades of beige and brown
Gianni Versace showed very ladylike clothes after seasons of straps
and buckles and daring cuts showing lots of flesh.
The Istante show featured knee-length pastel dresses and three-quarter coats in
pastels. The Versus line showed echoes of the sixties, Courreges with
herringbone tweed, plaids, and tartans.
Franco Moschino is gone but not forgotten, and his colleagues, with
advice from Russell Bennett, evoked a number of past themes with many of
his amusing appliques and plays on words. Outfits made of blue-skies with
fluffy clouds fabric trimmed with wings were a final tribute to the
designer.
Scott Crolla's first collection for Callaghan echoed the seventies
with velvet dresses in gothic colors and crepe pants flaring over satin
shoes and tapestry boots.
Angela Missoni on her own presented a video show and static event
featuring stretch boucle` lurex, and knits with wide multi-stripes. The
Missoni collection was a bit daring with bras covered in colorful Missoni
knits showing through knit cardigans and a nylon backpack turning into a
knit coat in rainbow colors. Down coats lined in multicolor knits A slim
silouette....white nylon windbreakers lined in knit worn with white hockey
boots.
Kean Etro is turning his company's beautiful printed silks into
clothes, purses, and other accessories.
Krizia's forty years were celebrated with an exhibit which also paid
homage to 100 years of cinema. Drawings of Walter Albini and Karl
Lagerfeld who cut their teeth on fashion with Krizia were shown as well as
the knits featuring animals that have becomeher trademark. The show was
created by film costume designer Gabriella Pescucci.
Krizia's fashion show featured jackets with her famous curved shoulders,
black leather trench coats, transparent skirts and shiny bright
accessories.
Anna Molinari for Bluemarine used several actresses including
Isabella Rossellini as models (she danced a Tango and carried a small
pistol covered in rhinestones) many of whom wore cropped sweaters in candy
colors. Eva Erzigova, spilling out of her sweater, was dubbed
"Eighth wonder of the world" by one Italian journalist. Angora cardigans
with rhinestone buttons forming dollars, satin padded boleros, black
chiffon dresses revealing black satin bras and panties were other
offerings.
For his collection, presented in a former steel mill called Ansaldo,
Armani outdid himself. Rented for three seasons, Armani spent almost
$200,000 to renovate the spaces he used. Guests found the factory
transformed into a magic palace, evoking the Hollywood musicals of the
thirties, or the fabled Italian transatlantic ship Rex, also featured in
Fellini's "Amarcord". Armani's traditional transparent runway, lit from
below, was 48 meters long, surrounded by black carpeting. There were also
90 small spotlights to highlight the models. The sixty five models glided
down the catwalk in the typical austere Armani style.
Erreuno: Pantsuits in ribbed black wool, long evening dress in
embroidered lace.
Alberta Ferreri showed fitted and flared coats over tube dresses,
mostly in beges and black. Slip dresses were embroidered with little
feathers and sequins.
Mila Schon was famous in the seventies for her strict suits made from
doubleface fabrics, sometimes in bright colors, sometimes with fine
tucking and she revived them to the joy of her customers.
Giuliana Teso dyes linings in Persian lamb and shows beaver worked in
a tweed effect in powder and vanilla tones.
Gianfranco Ferré closed the Milano Collezione with a brilliant collection,
praised by the mighty John Fairchild, publisher of Womens Wear Daily, who
told Il Messagero: "This is one of the most beautiful shows I have seen.
Italian fashion is full of energy, I'm glad it's doing so well. Other
collections I've liked are Emporio Armani, Les Copains, Prada, and
Versace." Ferre, for the next winter, showed great ski outfits with rabbit
jackets printed like chincilla, and his trademark shirts in white organza.
Oliver (by Valentino) presented a romantic woman inspired by Grace
Kelly and Audrey Hepburn with classic suits whose skirts just covered the
knee and loose pants worn with high heels. Evening dresses in linen and
satin came in pale colors. 
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