The renaissance women: Top trends from Milan Fashion Week SS24

Over 62 shows were presented over Milan’s fashion week, where new debuts were the talk of the town. The microscope on a new direction at Gucci by Sabato De Sarno, and at Tom Ford by Peter Hawkings, inevitably culminated in a Tom-Ford-for-90s-Gucci moment (very meta) that set a strong tone for the season to come. At both shows, it placed Italian sexiness next to everydayness, echoing the early success of Tom Ford’s reign in Italy, and was offset by an abundance of wardrobe staples. With fashion’s introspection on the ‘golden era’ of fashion and many houses resurrecting pre-internet collections, will the impact be as strong?

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Elsewhere, though there was Milanese-appropriate theatrics—Diesel saw hundreds of ravers join the Glenn Martens denim-heavy spectacular in the pouring rain—and big name drops (Naomi Campbell joined a scantily clad Dolce&Gabbana crew, while Claudia Schiffer hopped on a very 90s runway for Versace) there was also a consistent push toward the display and creation of exquisite clothes for the modern Italian woman (and all her personalities), and focusing on the craft of luxury - a chance to really fly the ‘Made in Italy’ flag. For the shows themselves, large crowds gathered for celebrity sightings, proving the selling power of brand ambassadors is as important as ever.

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Prada and Fendi issued early highlights, with Prada’s sister collection to SS24 menswear, showing a melting pot of ideas, references, and above all, wearability. The cinematic collection was as tough as it was elegant, featuring worn-in barn jackets, gossamer chiffon, patchworked leather coats and dresses, and belted waists emphasizing oversized shoulders and tiny shorts.

Kim Jones said of his Fendi runway that he was inspired by the women he sees commuting to work in Rome each day. He smartly took the popular corset elements from the last Fendi couture collection and paired them with sophisticated car coats, masculine tailoring, pencil skirts, and body-skimming tube dresses. Meanwhile, Bottega Venetta had its usual grip on fashion fanatics thanks to Matthieu Blazy’s exceptional craft and thought-provoking takes on both officewear and vacationwear.  

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Across the shows, there was an obvious doubling-down on refreshing house signatures, sensible staples, and coveted bags. ‘corpcore’ as it has been dubbed, looks to hybrid corporate workwear and classically tailored silhouettes, with pointed-toe sling-backs, satin pumps and mary-janes to complete the look. 

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Among all the hype, there are always a few trends set to stick. Here are the top trends distilled for the Milan Fashion week that was:

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A Paler Shade of Blue

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Or should we say, Fendi Blue? Sorbet and pastel tones had several noteworthy moments, but it was a very particular shade of early-morning-sky blue that kept cropping up throughout this week (and others). In fact, industry fashion show analyst Tagwalk, cited a 41% increase in the color across the runways, as opposed to, say, last season’s avalanche of Barbie pink that simply wasn’t as present. Kim Jones for Fendi has long been obsessed with the color (named Virginia Blue after his Virginia Woolf), bringing it through for another season in coats, dresses and knitwear, while it came through at Prada in shirts and shifts, and soft tailoring at Alberta Ferretti and cropped, boxy skirt suits at Versace. 

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Razor Sharp

Compared to the maxi denim skirts, pleats, and floor-length poufs of last season, or the viral micro mini, the pencil skirt has returned as the perfect middle ground for the skirt silhouette. The workwear staple of yesteryear has received a much-needed makeover, designed for the working world of now and leaving behind its 90s minimalism for leather patent, croc-embossed and chiffon versions, and always perfectly tailored. The calf-grazing, hip-hugging skirt featured utility elements at Max Mara, Bally went understated, while Gucci favored sultry leather combinations. One of the more imaginative iterations came from Bottega Venetta, proving the pencil is anything but boring. 

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Boiling Point Pants

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Just when we thought we’d get a breather from the ‘pantless’ trend of last spring-summer (thank you, Miu Miu), here come the micro shorts. Hot pants arrived in louche velvet at Peter Hawkings’ Tom Ford complete with slick blazers and unbuttoned shirts, as workwear staples at Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci in svelt suiting, leather and pinstripe. Prada matched the menswear silhouette and then some; their micro-suit shorts offset by pronounced shoulders, while Max Mara’s looked vacation-ready in knitted and denim versions.

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Basic Instinct

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What’s our fierce Italian Renaissance woman without her animal references? The season had a splash of leopard, crocodile and reptilian prints and textures - but not the Fellini style we know it. Fendi and famously minimalist Jil Sander presented elegant floor-length coats and dresses in a timeless snake print that looked as sophisticated as their knitwear and pencil skirts. Blumarine, never far from the butterfly, left most of its Y2K reading behind for ethereal (angelic, even) embroidery. Tom Ford’s croc-embossed leather skirts and jackets oozed classic Italian allure, while Iceberg was one to watch with moto-blazers, bodysuits and biker jackets in bold python.