The Highlights of Milan Fashion Week Spring 2018
In the age of influencers and Instagram models, a good, old-fashioned nineties' supermodel is the perfect palate cleanser. Enter Shalom Harlow, who closed out Versace this season. The model returns after six years away from the catwalk, and she does it in bold prints. The collection, as well as the supermodels, harken back to the Gianni days, come with the news of Versace's sale to Capri Holdings (formerly named Michael Kors Holdings, LLC), which dominated fashion news for days.
Image via Instagram / @Versace
...literally. When Philipp Plein isn't too busy making waves over having Tekashi 6ix9ine and Chris Brown (both alleged and convicted abusers, respectively), he's putting his models in G-strings à la Tom Ford-era Gucci. The Polish supermodel Magdalena Frackowiak channeled the iconic porno-chic era from the Italian house's history when closing out the show in thigh-high boots, a crop top, and the thong. Between the painfully out-of-touch performers and the sensationalistic dressing, one can't be sure to call it a highlight or a lowlight, but Frackowiak stood out all the same.
Image via Instagram / @PhilippPlein
Prada's always a highlight of MFW, but the sheer polka-dot number pictured above warranted even more buzz than normal. As opposed to the chic, highly-tailored, minimalist approach Prada typically takes to their knee-length frocks, this dress was a step in a new direction that had the city whirring.
Image via Instagram / @Prada
Alberta Ferretti's love affair with flowing garments and mild sexiness hasn't changed over the seasons, nor has her sensible approach to Ready-to-Wear. But as Kaia Gerber, Bella and Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Grace Elizabeth took the runway, her casting was quite the A-List lineup, as far as models go. And as her modern approach to femininity never changes, but simply evolves, one can only hope the roster of faces she chooses to present her visions stays the same.
Image via Instagram / @AlbertaFerretti
Moncler, last season, brought some of fashion's best minds together to create eight separate collections completely distinguishable from one another. So named "Genius," the project's second season has taken streetwear and the brand's iconic down jacket to new heights. Craig Green's collection, as well as Pierpaolo Piccioli's, tend to be the most popular. But we'd bet on Palm Angels, who's "I'M SO HIGH" prints scream youthful edge alongside the Moncler sleeve patch.
Image via Instagram / @Moncler
Jil Sander has never not been minimalist, so a neutral palette is nothing new. But as the nude designs and widely-cut dresses glided down the runway, the label so closely associated with bringing a "less-is-more" philosophy to the forefront of luxury felt inexplicably fresh. Whether the crochets or various knit patterns, all of which screamed ease, or the sideways-held handbags, the brand resuscitated the showgoers going into sensory overload amidst the sensationalistic shows that otherwise filled the week.
Image via Instagram / @JilSander
Marni has always balanced form-follows-function with frivolity. This season, in their accessories, they married symmetry with unconventionality: their two-sided purses and totes of this season are a perfect injection of playfulness and neutrality; of control and cool. And while they're not among the most obvious grouping of street-style-bait-cum-it-bags, they remind that fashion is meant for the pleasure of the wearer.
Image via Instagram / @Marni
The Fendi Baguette was never really out, per sé, but Spring's reiterations of the classic tied the best trends together. Not only is everyone dying for a mid-2000's revival bag (see Dior's saddle bag return), Fendi makes the case for its own mainstay. And as the Ready-to-Wear ranged from utility wear to flowing silk tops, skirts, and dresses; Lagerfeld's vision for the brand no longer relies on logomania.
Image via Instagram / @Fendi