Dries van Noten Catwalk Fashion Show Womenswear Paris FW2013

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were the style-icons Dries van Noten referred to while explaining his collection. For fall 2013 he plays with masculinity and femininity, something he enjoyed in former collections too. That play is a subtle thread through the whole season, Instead of fur Van Noten pleayed with feathers. He mixed mannish white shirts with a navy skirt over gray flannel pants, That sounds rayther boring, but the effect was in the details: a necklet of paste diamonds, a skirt with a trail of ostrich-plumes anchored by crystal. There wwere also chunky knits, cable sweaters, varsity-stripe skirts, brocade skirts and plus-zize overcoats – all looking glamorous.  There was also a sexy vibe, not in your face-sexy but subtle.

 

Giorgio Armani Catwalk fashion Show Milan Womenswear Fw2013

Please enjoy the pictures for now. Our review will follow shortly.

Dolce & Gabbana Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

The golden mosaics of Sicily’s Cathedral of Monreale was the starting point of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s fall winter collection. The duo sent out a dozen dresses printed with Monreale’s famous Byzantine and Venetian mosaics, and just as many lacy dresses in cardinal red. For jewelry, rosaries.
It was less kitsch than last season thanks to the sober herringbones and checks they used for skirtsuits and coats.

 

 

Marni Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

It was not only the stage – a sepia-toned forest mural – that set a melancholic tone at Marni this morning. It was also the collection in sturdy black/cement-gray/greenish wools and tweeds, the roomy aviator-blousons, militairy style and the models make up that fed the mood. The designer played with ideas of un-balanced balance: volume and flatness, severity and grace, opacity and shine. Protagonists were the precision of the lines, assertiveness of the cuts, density of the surfaces. They unfolded and interact, creating an intangible narrative.

Apart from a few high heels, shoes were flat (at the end with a gilded toe) and ridingboots played a major role. Long fur stoles, wound around the neck like boas, and snug fur capes added drama to austere daywear: strapless tops ending in peplums and A-line tunics fronted with a corset traced out in felt. Skirts flared gently and fell about the knee. There were not many prints, only a few at the end of the show: wintry drawn landscapes and black-and-white scribbles adorned skirts and tops outlined with leather taping.

Jil Sander Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

Like you’d expect today’s Jil Sander show was a celebration of minimalism today. Yet besides serene, monotone dresses, plain tops and clean cut coats there was room for slight variations too. Like graphic lines on a series of turtle necks, winter checks on thick woolen dresses and coats, extra lines and pleats (oh, we even spotted some pockets). The show ended with simple yet perfect gold shaded bars on a few black looks. They put the “High-carat femininity” into today’s show notes as the overall collection indeed breathed “graceful” and “incorruptible”.

Roberto Cavalli Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

It was not only the Just Cavalli show earlier this week that demonstrated a different ‘Cavalli-feeling’; the Roberto Cavalli line took on a new chapter. The designer seemed to have headed into a new direction for fall leaving out his regular animal prints and over the top sexiness. His printed suits and fur coats were still very Cavalli. Yet his short metallic shift dresses, his oriental printed chunky sweaters and his transparent floral printed ensembles could just as well have come out of a different designer’s collection. Besides black and whites Cavalli introduced deep mineral shades and with floral prints, sheerness and statement making jewelry he added a touch of romance to his industrial collection.

Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

Tomas Maier’s Bottega collection today wouldn’t strike you as showstopping or mind blowing by taking a quick look. For the show attendees in the sixth row the designs probably just appeared as beautiful creations and we’re sure even the front rowers wouldn’t have been able to see what the clothes were all about. Yes the dresses looked well made and chic, but there was a whole lot more going on. Tomas experimented with fabric construction and chose wool as his main material. “I was into wool, and using it in different ways, washing it, bonding it, or felting it to create print”, he stated backstage. He managed to make wool look sexy and used it to create structured shoulders, 3D peplum details and ruffled skirt pleats. Fabrics were embroidered in order to create several trompe l’oeil prints. In between his see of fully black dresses touches of color (red, beige, yellow) made a good match with the models’ seventies appearances. Lots of attention to detail on designs that definitely deserve a closer look.

Etro Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

Veronica Etro built her fw2013 collection around a few themes: Renaissance ceiling murals, Russian ceramics — and, literally, the digital era, using the former as background for cyber-inspired geometric motifs. It made for an interesting collection.
There was a modern side with a sporty sensibility. The outerwear was cut with attitude — and with that rounded-shoulder-of-the-season. The shapes were simple, but the effect was oppositie because of the jacquards, leather, techno-prints, studs and sparkles. Dresses came both loose and waisted, some  turned racy via demonstrative sleeve zippers.

Sportmax Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

The Sportmax-collection was about proportion, transparency and texture. And example was the first outfit that entered the catwalk: a beaver coat, its fur cut grid-like in front, with a black, tuxedo-like lapel and suede back. Other tops had more volume, sometimes with rounded cocoon shoulders and graphic datials like blue eel skin stripes. The big knit sweaters felt cozy.  Often, the pleats of skirts and dresses served as a way to mix fabric and leather. The effect was cool and sophisticated.

Fendi Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Womenswear FW2013

Please enjoy the pictures for now. Our review will follow shortly.

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