Milan Fashion Week: Jil Sander, Fendi, Etro, and Loro Piana

In a Tuesday deluge of rain in Milan, a deluge of action, with a home-run debut by Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander, a euphoric Fendi show and directional flagship opening, an Etro concert performance and a Loro Piana museum presentation.

Jil Sander: Reducing and protecting

Nice to see a minimalist brand, doing modern minimalism, which was the case at the debut of Simone Bellotti.

A return to the house’s historic Milan headquarters for this show, but not a remotely retro collection, as Bellotti unveiled a thoroughly chic wardrobe of clothes, with the occasional technical explosion.
 
The cast striding rapidly around a slanted black runway in the all-white show-space, some three decades since Jil Sander first opened her Italian HQ in the shadow of Castello Sforzesco.

A monochromatic look, beginning with lots of sleek super light wool shirt jackets, paper leather blazers and chess piece shaped lambskin redingotes. Everything ironed to perfection. Opening with veteran model Guinevere Van Seenus showing plenty of tummy in a snappy white leather skirt and short electric blue cashmere top. Setting the stage for the collection – with dresses cut to the knee, yet often slit at the hip, revealing flesh regularly.

In crisp tailoring, the debutant cut leather cabans and jackets with great skill, pairing them with leggings and simple shoes.

Experimenting with materials, Simone used acres of technical taffeta in excellent trenches and dusters. Going into overdrive with some remarkable mille feuille cocktails, made of micro layers of taffeta which rippled ever so gently as the models dashed by.
 
“To me, Jil Sander is a house that has two apparently opposite feelings. There is classicism, formality and rigor, but also, it’s a search for modernity and lightness. So, basically, it was finding the key to balance those elements,” Bellotti argued.

A highly experienced designer, Bellotti joined Jil Sander from Bally after stints with Gucci, Gianfranco Ferré and Bottega Veneta.

He had telegraphed his angular intentions with the invitation – two photos of stacks of newspapers photographed by fine artist Richard Prince. All told, an impressive debut from Bellotti, very much respecting the Sander DNA even as he injected his own style.
 
At the finale, amid great applause, he took a quiet almost solemn bow, like an old pro who had just hit a home run.
 

Fendi: Translucently trendy

Is there an Italian designer who has luxury more imbued in her soul that Silvia Fendi? Hard to imagine who, after her latest tasteful, trendy and translucent show for the house of Fendi.

Presented inside the house’s mammoth show-space on Via Andrea Solari, this season revamped into a multi-colored Minecraft checkerboard, designed by Marc Newson. Just like the e-vite, whose pixilation pulsated in the show’s color palette.
 
With the audience perched on bleacher seats, the cast marched out snappily, oddly enough to industrial rock, “Metallic Life Review” by Matmos.
 
For day, Silvia wanted ladies to be sexy but always spruce in to-the-knee silk skirts finished with straps; dresses made of woven leather and slashed at the side; or sarongs cut asymmetrically and knitted. Jackets were short, sporty and swing easily.

Emphasizing the upbeat mood the key leitmotif was the daisy, whether dissected into gauzy blouses, or cut into elegant cashmere coats for guys in this co-ed collection. Certain gents walking in the ultimate in self-indulgence luxury – perforated dove gray mink moccasins.
 
Playing with knits in primary colors – from a blood orange bikini, to a chocolate brown zipped suit and sea-blue bra worn by veteran supe Natasha Poly, part of a multi-generational casting. Before suddenly going into overdrive at the final with a quintet of truly beautiful layered gauzed cocktails – translucent and shimmering. 
 
Like the set, the soundtrack was “pixilated”, as ace DJ Frédéric Sanchez sampled the voices of Italian cinema – Anna Magnani, Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée and Alain Delon – synthesized in electronic music projects by Scanner and Matthias Schubert. Adding to the sense of achievement when Silvia took her bow to a standing ovation.
 

In an intense day for the brand, Fendi also opened an inspirational new seven-floor Palazzo Fendi on Via Monte Napoleone. It boasts a special custom-order third floor with a team of permanent artisans, capable of creating myriad versions of Fendi bags in exotic skins or hyper distinctive hardware.
 
The new Via Monte Napoleone space includes modern art like Glazed Ceramic Column by Anton Alvarez; superb heirloom exotic skin coats from Karl Lagerfeld’s final shows for the house or from Silvia’s epic couture show in the ancient Roman Forum. All the way to a monumental nine-foot-tall beaded, sequinned and metallic coat named Soundsuit made for Nick Cave.
 
Along with three floors of Langosteria restaurant including a Japanese version and roof top bar. The whole place finished with multiple types of marble floors, changing from floor to floor, private salon to salon.
 
“It’s emotional and experiential, which is what people want today from great brands. And it represents our Italian heritage,” said fresh CEO Ramon Ros, who was appointed in April. 
 

Etro: The united flags of fashion

Movement and motion at Etro this season, in a collection inspired by flags, with clothes that fluttered and undulated with each step.
 

Presented inside a tent within a military barracks in south Milan, the show was driven on by a great live performance from La Nina Del Sud – a poly-instrumentalist, actress, singer songwriter and all-round hottie. The singer yelping and roaring as a half-dozen percussionists played tambourines and bodhráns painted in images of angry snakes.
 
Using Etro’s key heritage – its remarkable fabrics – in a too-much-is-never-enough collection; the show marked designer Marco de Vincenzo’s best display for the house since he arrived three years ago.
 
Scores of influencers, pop singers and even the odd buyer sat at the division between two black catwalks, all perched on ottoman’s covered in Etro fabrics.

Kicking off with hyper ruffled posh hippie dresses, completed with fringed rocker or cowboy jackets; followed by colorful crochet tops and huge psychedelic harem pants, along with some striking jacquard redingotes.
 
For evening, he showed sheer skirts worn over Rajasthan-print leotards, or deep gorge lace gowns. Most models wore bandanas, some giant pirate hats, as if all off to some fabulous private party at a rock festival. Outside, it had been raining all day in Milan. Inside the mood was steamy. 
 
“Mixing and matching without any fear. Brocades with knits and prints. Embroidered denim and suede. Prints on beds of chiffon coated to become magic. Intarsia leather. Fabrics and soul!” enthused de Vincenzo, in a packed backstage.
 

Loro Piana: Classic clothes with modern art

The star of this season’s Loro Piana presentation turned out to be the setting – Palazzo Citterio, a freshly opened museum dedicated to 20th-century art.

A little-known collection in a municipal gallery, which remarkably boasts works by such legends as Modigliani, Braque, Picasso, and Umberto Boccioni, including a marvelous self-portrait of the latter bearing an easel and wrapped up in a mohair coat and beanie. Cut like one on the head of a stockman nearby in this co-ed presentation.
 
Every mannequin wore a cap or hat – all the way to a Puritan stovepipe on a lady’s black creamy cashmere coat. 
 

Key new ideas included a remarkable new silk tweed, giving that blend of English aristo and old money Italy that Loro Piana consumers like.
 
Plus, one discovered some intriguing linen made with a powdery finish to the threads altering how light falls on the material. Seen on a salted caramel-hued shawl collar jacket, next to, unexpectedly, a Don Johnson-worthy Miami Vice double-breasted suit. Then again, an Armani retrospective will open next door on Sunday.