Fashion Week – really it’s fashion month – is a time of celebration, creativity and, of course, chaos. 338 shows, 252 presentations, (approximately) 117 coffees, 4 cities. With each city comes an even more densely packed schedule, leaving almost no time to process the show before you’ve stepped into the next. In the audience, journalists eagerly type away to make fashion headlines within the hour of the show hitting the runway while fashion editors are running between appointments and shows to make connections. By the time you return home, it all feels like a blur and the eventual exhaustion hits.
Almost two months on from the beginning of fashion week, I catch up with SLEEK’s Fashion Editor Joana, who is visiting London from Berlin. She’s as Berlin-chic as ever, with an all black outfit paired with Balenciaga-esque visor sunglasses and a leather Diesel bag slung over her shoulder. Over coffee in a cafe south of the river, Joana tells me the tales of Paris and Milan fashion week, sharing her show highlights, fashion gossip and anecdotes.
FIRST STOP: MILAN
Image Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
“Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a huge Diesel girl. So, we definitely can’t talk about Milan without first mentioning Diesel. The queue outside was insane and it wasn’t just filled with press; they invited a crazy number of fashion students to attend, as well as a few thousand fans of the brand who could apply for a ticket. It was all about democratising the fashion industry, and making it way more accessible for the every-day person. The actual venue itself was this huge arena, filled with a giant inflatable sculpture. It was so impressive, such a spectacle. And the music they chose just made me want to party [laughs]. It was a really fun, non-serious atmosphere. I love what Glenn Martens is doing with Diesel.
Milan was actually super crazy this year, and I heard a lot of people say the same. The schedule was super packed, and each designer wanted to top the one before them. You know, you had Diesel with the most insane set, and then you had Kim Kardashian opening Dolce & Gabbana, then Paris Hilton closing at Versace – which I have to say, was one of my favourite moments from the entirety of Milan. At the end of the show, I saw a blonde model at the end of the catwalk in this bright pink look. The model was walking in a super bouncy way, kind of unexpected for a trained model, and so I was honestly kind of confused. It wasn’t until she came closer that I was like, “Oh my god. It’s Paris Hilton!”. It was so iconic. She honestly has such charisma! You could just feel the energy in the room, it was so refreshing.
A designer that took me by surprise this year was Maximilian Davis with his debut Ferragamo show. Ferragamo is a very traditional, heritage brand and so there was this kind of excitement about how Davis might bring this into a contemporary context. The show was located in a grand courtyard dipped in red, it was gorgeous. Davis really combined old and new very well in this show, the traditional craftsmanship was there but the designs pushed for more nudity and sensuality. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how Ferragamo grows and evolves with Davis.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
One of the more striking, and very timely, moments from Milan fashion week was Cormio. We travelled to Milan’s Naviglio Martesana area for the show, where we were invited into a beautiful traditional house. We journeyed through various rooms, each one filled with personal objects from Jezabelle Cormio, until we reached the room where the runway was to be held. It was so cute and thoughtful. The looks were very kitsch and nostalgic, reminiscent of dressing up in your mother’s clothes. Female models were walking with their kids on the runway, and there was even a male model holding a baby carrier. Beyond the looks, the collection was really a political statement about the female body, and the show reclaimed a sense of ownership in some way. Outside, there was a statement spray painted onto a wall, “We’ll see how you feel about abortions after I fuck your husband” which also made its way onto t-shirts. It was interesting having this political context running through such kitsch looks, it felt more meaningful and relevant.”
SECOND STOP: PARIS
“After being in Milan, where the collections were so strong, I was really curious to see how Paris would top it. Paris for me is like coming home, I speak the language and I lived there for a while so personally, it’s always a lot more special – and relaxed – than Milan.
One of my favourite shows was Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood, a very intimate show located in this old style, roundhouse theatre. There was a really lovely moment that reassured me that our industry does in fact have heart. In the show, the models had to walk up three steps onto a platform to pose, before going back down again, and they were wearing these incredibly high heels. It was clear that it was super difficult for them to walk, especially with the draping material of Andreas’ designs. There was this one model, who just looked like an angel in the most stunning gown. She got up to the platform, but on her way down she tripped and fell. You just heard this loud gasp in the audience, despite how loud the music was. Like a true angel, she just rose gracefully and the whole audience cheered and clapped for her. It was honestly like a recreation of Naomi’s Vivienne Westwood moment back in Spring 1993.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
This season, there was a collaboration between London’s Fashion East and the Swedish Fashion Council held in Paris’ Dover Street Market’s 3537 space. This was a new addition to the schedule, and I expect it to return again next season. The space was dedicated to emerging, young designers who are pushing sustainability in their work, it really gives a platform to the next generation of fashion creatives.
I think this fashion season in general there were a lot more celebrities and cultural icons, both on and off the runway. In Paris, I was at the Gauchere show and Juergen Teller was sitting opposite me in his bright orange puffer coat [laughs]. The whole audience at that show was wearing super muted colours, almost entirely black, and so it was really hard to miss him. Of course, then there’s Cher at Ann Demeuelemeester – for sure my Paris highlight. Everyone was in their seats, waiting for the show to start, and suddenly everyone went silent. All you could hear was the clicking of cameras…and then Cher came in and took her seat, looking as beautiful as ever. Everyone just applauded. She is a vision. Already, before the show even started, there was such a good feeling in the room. It was such an incredible show, located in an abandoned parking lot, with some of the most gorgeous looks I’d seen all season.”
Image Courtesy of Vogue Runway.