GCDS AW19. Photo: Daniele Mango
While Karl Lager feld’s death last Tuesday undoubtedly cast a cloud over proceedings at Milan Fashion Week, there was still plenty to appraise. The week’s biggest names, Gucci and Prada, went suitably sombre — the former presented models bearing masks menacingly pierced with two inch spikes, while the latter looked to Wednesday Adams as a muse for a serious collection that sharply eschewed any sense of novelty. It wasn’t all doom and gloom, however. Jeremy Scott for Moschino brought electrifying camp to the week with bouffant hair, chandelier earrings and acres of gold lamé. Versace gave us a luxury take on grunge, with burnished biker jackets, bondage harnesses, staples and herringbone tweed, and MSGM continued with a punk-y theme with pop art prints, ‘80s oversized knits, and a smattering of checkerboard.
Elsewhere, fashion’s front-row eagerly awaited Daniel Lee’s debut for Bottega Veneta — his hardened elegance didn’t disappoint. It goes without saying that Moncler’s Genius Project stole the show with designers including Pierpaolo Piccioli and Simone Rocha imaginatively interpreting the outerwear brand. And, of course, a tear was shed over Lagerfeld’s last ever Fendi collection.
To catch a slice of the action, we sent photographer Daniele Mango backstage at MSGM, Vivetta, GCDS and more. Extreme femme label Vivetta presented a characteristically playful and flamboyantly feminine collection, with surrealist trompe-l’œil details. At emerging Milanese label Brognano, there were blushed feminine florals giving us modern Marie Antoinette vibes, whereas Anna Kiki served up extra ‘80s’ outerwear. GCDS sent fluro super hero-style glamour down the runway adding some high-octane energy to the week that was.
Take a look at our exclusive backstage shots below:
