By Isla Binnie
MILAN, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Italian fashion house Prada sent
models down the runway in military-inspired khaki dresses topped
with bejewelled bras, while Roberto Cavalli showed a riot of
neon and mismatched prints on Thursday during Milan’s biannual
women’s fashion week.
Actors, models and designers flocked to a Milanese mansion
filled with mannequins wearing ornate paper dresses, hosted by
Vogue Italy and P&G; Prestige to mark fashion week, which
includes 74 official catwalks.
“The craft feels very ancient here,” said Australian actress
Cate Blanchett, known for her roles in films including “The Lord
of the Rings” and the latest Woody Allen movie “Blue Jasmine.”
“It’s amazing to see … the older houses continually
surprising.”
Models took to the catwalk for Italian fashion house Blugirl
dressed in pastel-coloured shift dresses inspired by British
actress Julie Christie in the 1965 film “Darling.” The clothing
was shown against a backdrop of a white sand beach scattered
with umbrellas.
Prada’s show, in an auditorium covered with murals of
women’s faces that were also emblazoned on coats and skirts, was
partly intended to send a social message, designer Miuccia Prada
told reporters.
“The intention was to set off this idea of women, of the
strength of women,” said Prada, whose brand generated 308
million euros ($417.11 million) profit in the six months ending
July 2013, according to results reported this week.
“They are kind of fighters. We like to make men afraid.”
Clothing, footwear and leather goods are a key driver of the
Italian economy, and Milan-based trade body Camera Nazionale
della Moda Italiana forecasts the industry’s turnover to be
$58.86 billion euros in 2013.
That figure represents a 2.5 percent reduction in revenue
compared with 2012, according to the CNMI, but the rate of
decline has slowed from a 5.4 percent drop last year.
Roberto Cavalli said economic malaise has not affected his
brand, which generated core earnings of 8.7 million euros in the
first half of the year, but his country’s financial problems had
an impact on him personally.
“I think, especially in Italy, all the people they are
looking for jobs, sometimes that depresses me and it doesn’t
help me create,” Cavalli told Reuters TV before the show for his
youthful JustCavalli line.
Milan’s reputation for being the birthplace of globally
recognized brands makes it an example for fashion events
worldwide, said model David Gandy, who acts as an ambassador for
men’s fashion in London.
“Of course, in London, we’re trying to catch up as much as
we can,” said Gandy, who appears in advertising campaigns for
Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana.
“We’ll be glad if we can emulate just a little bit of what
we have in Milan.”
($1 = 0.7384 euros)
(Reporting By Isla Binnie; Editing by Stacey Joyce)
