Milan Fashion Week AW19: What to expect from the shows

Though fashion’s near-constant game of musical chairs has begun to settle once again, the autumn/winter 2019 season will roll around this month with surprises nonetheless. In Milan, the impetus of Italian fashion—driven in no small part by the maximalist flamboyance of our digital lives—has not quelled, yet may be questioned all the more this month with the arrival of newer, calmer voices on and off the show schedule.

Daniel Lee’s last (but not least) debut

After the considerable reshuffling of creative directors at luxury houses over the past 12 months, British designer Daniel Lee’s co-ed show for Bottega Veneta on 22 February may be the last of the “debuts” at a major brand for a while. Provocatively teased by a strong pre-collection lookbook last December, along with a seductive ad campaign photographed by Tyrone Lebon, it’s difficult to judge Lee’s output so far without seeing the influence of his time at Céline under Phoebe Philo. But quite frankly, who’s complaining? (On a side note, design geeks industry-wide will be heaving sighs of relief to note Lee has kept the brand’s serif logo—bucking a trend seen at Burberry, Balmain and Saint Laurent in recent years). Lee’s first steps at Bottega appear to be pretty straightforward reflections on clean, modern luxury—think material-focused, block-coloured, minimalist clothes—and should sit well alongside designs coming out of houses like Jil Sander (also in Milan) and Loewe (in Paris).

Old names, new contexts

A quieter, off-schedule launch this season will come from the Swedish-Italian designer Marco Zanini, who is launching his own label Zanini after gaining much renown for his delicate designs at Rochas and a short stint creating whimsical haute couture at Schiaparelli. More recently, Zanini set insider tongues wagging when he collaborated with Milanese bootmakers Santoni; his men’s and women’s ready-to-wear capsule featured a mouthwatering colour palette and impeccable attention to detail both inside and outside the garments. Anchored in that Santoni sense of practicality, the clothes were a first, indulgent foray into daywear, and we’re expecting a similarly meticulous approach to his own brand, perhaps with a touch of his Nordic roots mixed in.

Elsewhere, the behemoth roulette wheel that is Moncler’s Genius programme will receive its third injection of new design partnerships (the label ditched traditional seasonal collections last year in favour of eight regular “drops”, each in collaboration with a big name). This time it’s Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli who is returning after a one-season pause to pair up with long-time friend Liya Kebede who, alongside her supermodel status, designs and produces her own ethical label Lemlem in her homeland Ethiopia. Other upcoming names include British talent Richard Quinn and American creative director Matthew Williams of 1017 Alyx 9SM (formerly Alyx).

Gucci returns…

Elsewhere in Milan, the show calendar forecasts business as usual, kicking off with Gucci’s return to its sprawling Gucci Hub headquarters again after last season’s one-off sojourn in Paris, where the famed Le Palace nightclub played host to a fashion extravaganza. With last season’s #GucciShowtime campaign—a cinematic ode to mid-century Hollywood backlots—still fresh in our minds, we can only imagine the theatrics in store for Alessandro Michele’s AW19 follow-up. We’d be surprised if it didn’t continue Gucci’s profound reach right now among both LGBTQ+ communities and young Hollywood.

Millennials: instinct vs strategy?

Other brands tapping into the youth of today include Marni and Versace, though their strategies could not be further apart. Francesco Risso, in his third year at the helm of Marni, has plumbed new depths with his darker, more eclectic view of the artsy label—implicating underground artists, masterful street casting and an ever-more exaggerated silhouette that has breathed new life into the brand. After the buzz surrounding his grunge-inflected men’s show in January, expectations for a bold womenswear collection are high. Since Versace’s September sale to Michael Kors Holdings (now known as Capri Holdings), we have so far witnessed little forward-looking design, but rather a continuation of the profusely nostalgic overload of Versace-isms that have marked recent collections, with 1980s tropes aimed at those who never knew them the first time around. Banking on an iconic archive may supercharge Versace’s millennial impact for now, but it will be interesting to see how Donatella—who is staying on as creative director—will move the conversation forward.