Top, from left: Arthur Arbesser, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Gucci, Jil Sander
Bottom, from left: Marni, Moschino, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace

By
Jonathan Shia

LAST LOOKS: BEST OF MILAN, FALL 2016

The attitude at the Fall 2016 Milan shows was one of strength and power. Hard-edged suiting and metallic dresses offered different options for a contemporary sort of uniform, and our ten favorite collections all presented new visions for dealing with an increasingly confusing world.

Alessandro Michele’s yearlong reign at Gucci has not been known for its aggression, which made the new season’s Eighties power shoulders and the show’s strobe lights all the more refreshing as he displayed his talents with a new force. Jeremy Scott at Moschino took his inspiration from the original bonfire of the vanities with dresses that were singed and burnt through and came down the runway trailing wisps of smoke. The military influence was clear at Versace, where utility jackets and skintight dresses had a powerfully athletic air in their glowing neon colors and jagged camouflage prints. Sailor caps hinted at the navy at Prada, where the Fifties silhouettes and floral prints invoked the heady, patriotic sprit of World War II.

Karl Lagerfeld sent out waves of ruffles and frills at Fendi, where the highlighter palette gave the house’s famous furs and accessories an electric jolt. Massimiliano Giornetti also reveled in color at Salvatore Ferragamo, with bright hues sparking across skirts and coats in an effervescent celebration of joy and optimism. Arthur Arbesser’s clean collection—inspired by the painter Michaël Borremans—had a gentle shine, with soft autumnal colors and a print of falling leaves that had a classic mitteleuropean appeal.

Rodolfo Paglialunga of Jil Sander leaned on the namesake founder’s famous minimalism, with sharp suiting and clean dresses that were assertive and full of attitude. At Marni, Consuelo Castiglioni demonstrated her eclectic eye with innovative shapes and prints that were unafraid to make a statement. Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier went with a grown-up sense of elegance, offering luxurious dresses and outerwear for a woman completely confident in herself and her abilities. Milan offered plenty of options, each an individualistic vision of how to confront both sweeping change and life’s little, everyday troubles.

Take a look at our ten favorite Fall 2016 collections from New York and London.

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Left: Arthur Arbesser
Right: Bottega Veneta
By
Jonathan Shia

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