The Fashion Spot forums, once again, spared no judgment in their critiques of the shows presented at Milan’s Fall 2011 Fashion Week. Read on for a selection of their hits and misses.
The Hits: Prada, Marni, Antonio Marras
THE HITS:
“I think this collection was beautiful. How the snake print evolved into transparent plastic snake scales, the boots that were designed to appear like shoes worn with socks, the skull-caps in leather and fur, the beautiful super-lightweight blouse-dresses… It was all beautiful.” [Crying Diamonds]
“Only Miuccia could go from geometric prints to snakeskin to fur and scales and make such a coherent, beautiful show. It reminded me of many of my favorite Prada past collections.” [*ana*]
“Winning coats of the season, hands waaaaay down. Love the buttons, the placement of the belts, the graphic elements, everything about it. Digging the fur and the snakeskin, but as of yet I remain neutral about the fish scale numbers. Boots are delicious and the bags, oh the bags! I LOVE the way they were holding them.” [Mr-Dale]
“The collection is genius, I’m having an instant crush on Prada this season. In fact, I think this is one of the best [Prada] collections ever. While it’s all beautifully classic, it keeps a perfect balance of the twisted weirdness.” [mackos]
“The collection reminds me of Fahrenheit 451 with Julie Christie. That sort of retro sci-fi feel and the dresses with the low-belts seem very London in the 60s, King’s Road inspired. The scale pieces intensify the quirky and delightfulness of the collection. Somehow, despite all of Miuccia’s different elements: multi-colors, different patterns, both sexy and sweet silhouettes, various textures, etc. this collection still seems very cohesive–that’s the work of a real genius. I could rave on and on. I FREAKING LOVE IT!” [HeatherAnne]
Read our review and see images from the Prada collection.
“It’s all so brilliantly gorgeous that I wanna scream with delight. Essential Marni–beautiful prints and silhouettes plus this fantastic, nonchalant styling I always love. Amazing collection, I’m head over heels in love already.” [mackos]
“Standard Marni collection: cuts, geometrical prints, and same great fabrics–nothing new for them, but I am a Marni girl, so I’m quite loving it!” [HeatherAnne]
“I love the opening and the closing portions of the collection. It seems much more refined and luxurious than usual… The shoes and accessories are particularly good this season also. I’m really in love with those wooden heavy heeled shoes and those embellished suede shoes!” [helmut.newton]
“Although the Marni aesthetic is far from a favorite for me, there’s something so absolutely endearing about the way the pieces are presented. From the quirky prints to the unconventional cuts, the brand just oozes with effortlessness. What makes the brand even more charming is the fact that it started as a recreational project and quickly evolved into a serious player in high fashion. That’s what I call credibility.” [Squizree]
Read our review and see images from the Marni collection.
“I can’t stress this enough, [Antonio Marras] is so underrated! I rarely read an article about him or see his clothes in editorials where they deserve to be! This is wonderful, charming and very detailed.” [thejarc]
“This man is without a doubt the most underrated and unheralded designer working today. His collections are always so beautiful season after season.” [mdankwah]
“Oh! Just gorgeous… like always. The textiles and details are beautiful.” [Inaya]
“An absolutely beautiful collection, thanks to that deep blue it can be extremely soft without being soppily girlish; he has even adopted sheer and floral without straying. One of my favorites this season.” [Crying Diamonds]
The Misses: Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Missoni
THE MISSES:
“Oh my lord this is an absolute kitschy mess of a collection! I am so surprised because [Gucci’s] last two collections seemed very toned down but still luxurious… Apart from the fact that the color combinations are painfully horrific, half of this collection (minus the eveningwear) looks like it was taken from the costume department of Foxy Brown or something! Too much reference to the past and not enough modernity!” [helmut.newton]
“This collection is pretty evenly split for me. For each look that I like (many of the simple silk dresses) there is one that’s either horrendously over-styled or just too retro for its own good. For once I will say that I quite like a lot of the color that Frida used, although I still don’t think she fully understands the art of mixing them. I don’t know, I don’t hate this but I really think it’s foolish of Frida to keep treading the same turf as Tom Ford because frankly she just doesn’t do it as well. If Gucci is now trying to compete with him, which it seems they are, they’re not likely to win at the game he mastered over a decade and a half ago.” [Spike413]
“‘Overkill’ comes to mind. And ‘garish’… This is too retro for its own good. Except, perhaps, the floaty dresses, the ONLY possible saving grace.” [Not Plain Jane]
Read our review and see images from the Gucci collection.
“In my opinion, Dolce & Gabbana haven’t had a great collection since Spring 2009. It’s not like this collection was awful but it wasn’t very good. In fact, when those multicolored, frumpy, grandma dresses came out in the middle of the show, I was embarrassed for them. I really hope to see a change next season… but I’m not expecting it.” [holaloha]
“What happened to them?! They used to have such powerful shows with such strong, sexy and confident women. Sure, perhaps their aesthetic was at times a bit ‘Euro-trash’ but it was intrinsically them and it was above all exciting to watch! Their last few shows have been so incredibly mundane. Besides the obvious flaws, this collection was, to be frank, embarrassing. The ‘menswear’ inspired looks were not only badly tailored, but inherently redundant and by the third look of this, I began to ignore them. The dresses and blouses decorated with stars were a poor attempt to reinvigorate their brand with some much needed glamour.” [helmut.newton]
“I like the idea of the masculine/feminine look appearing together on runways and other designers have done it, although not to this degree. That aside, I don’t think I’m being rude in saying this is a load of old rubbish. All the stars are just annoying, the dresses are virtually all rehashed and I cannot see many women wearing the other stuff… Any classy aspect has just flown out of the window.” [Northern Star]
Read or review and see images from the Dolce & Gabbana collection.
“I don’t like it at all. My expectations were high after the amazing Men’s collection and it getting such good reviews. Would have thought it would influence the Women’s collection at least a bit as Missoni seems to have been struggling for quite some seasons now. I like only a few looks and some of the coats but many of the sweaters look sloppy and cheesy and the pastel colors are just not for me.” [Psylocke]
“I suppose Margherita [Missoni] may be partially responsible or influential in the styling for the show and that’s where the problem is. Sure, you can pick some nice pieces, but it really is getting more messy, unappealing and out of place each season. Those full-length coats or skirts seem completely irrelevant, and the closing part done in green and violet is simply revolting.” [mackos]
“Terrible show. It appears as if [Missoni] is trying to recreate the Fall 2009 collection with the heavy layering and what not, but it isn’t working here. It looks terribly unorganized and particularly unflattering… This is a sloppy attempt to recreate something, but I’m not sure what. It doesn’t work, pure and simple.” [helmut.newton]
Read our review and see images from the Missoni collection.
Photos: Vincenzo Grillo, IMAXtree.
