First of all, nothing starts on time at the Milan ready-to-wear collections.
Unless, of course, one happens to be late.
There are bodies to push and shove. Cheeks to kiss (both sides). Things to proclaim faab-u-lous. Old friends to greet.
And others to ignore.
Then-and only then-are you allowed to get down to the business at hand: Viewing and judging the Italian fall/winter 1994 collections being unveiled this week.
So far, the question begs to be asked: How many times can we bring back the ’60s and ’70s?
The answer: As long as the customers are too young to remember dead decades, the possibilities are endless. In the case of Gianni Versace, ’60s TV apparently served as inspiration for his secondary lines, Versus/Istante. As a somewhat bored Sandra Bernhardt nodded her head to the retro beat, somber-faced supermodels pranced down the runway, decked out in I-Dream-of-Jeannie hair, spotted fake fur knee-highs, suits, coats and stoles and metallic leather dresses, trenchcoats and leggings. The effect: the Flintstones meet the Jetsons.
For women, the lengths were short to the cheeks, most often shown as kilts, or empire-waisted mini-dresses with flippy, pleated skirts. Pants, dresses and suits in Easter egg pastels, some shot through with glittery threads, kept things fresh. Even the “serious” tweeds, plaids and pinstripes frequently were adorned with sequins.
In keeping with the retro theme, the men sported crushed velvet suits and fedoras that gave them a rakish air.
The ’60s made another showing at Gucci, that formerly staid house, with a series of outfits in neon-hot colors, including flared skirts and dresses worn with jackets. The dandy look was also strong here. There were skinny pants with giant-sized cuffs and elongated jackets with big ties. Gray pinstripe pantsuits with velvet trim were an alternative to the acid-age colors. Occasionally, the menswear look would be turned upside down by pairing hot pink ties with sedate brown tweed suits.
At a standing-room-only showing of Dolce & Gabbana, a fabric of the ’60s and ’70s was revisited with pantsuits and evening dresses done in crushed velvet in hues of sky blue and rose.
The menswear look was key with tailored pantsuits jazzed up with T-shirts, some in lames and others dotted with sequins. For evening, a series of classic tuxedo pantsuits was a nice switch from the little black dress. And at the finale, underscoring menswear again, out came actress Isabella Rossellini and supermodel Linda Evangelista in severely tailored pantsuits.
Meanwhile, rebel Brit Katharine Hamnett showed cream-colored velvet men’s suits, skintight vinyl leggings, thigh-high lace-up boots, frock coats and tiny kilts worn girdle-style over trousers. The fabric ranged from mismatched tartans to nubby textured wools to look-ma-no-bra sheers.
