Vanessa Friedman says "Does Milan matter?". Let's discuss!

[Inlimbo]

MILAN — It was 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, the Bottega Veneta show was about to start, and François-Henri Pinault, chief executive of Kering, the French conglomerate that owns the Italian brand, was het up.
Were the models late? Had some clothes not arrived? Did he — oops — not like what he saw?

Nope. His morning had been ruined because of the news that the Trump administration was changing the federal government’s policy on sexual assault on campus, potentially allowing colleges to raise the standard of proof required, a decision widely seen as altering the balance of power toward the colleges and away from the victims.
Kering has a women’s foundation that had done a lot of work on the issue, and he couldn’t believe what he had read. He was wondering if there was a way they could protest the decision. Between that and the Mexico City earthquake (his wife, Salma Hayek, is Mexican) there were things on his mind besides fashion.

At least until the show began. Then the sporty 1970s shapes — straight skirts and boxy jackets and belted trench coats and T-shirt gowns — in color field combinations of chartreuse, lilac and dusty rose, teal and olive green and dark gray, adorned with metal grommets and glinting mirrors so the utilitarian was transformed into the decorative, demanded a certain attention.
A few Pocahontas fringed dresses aside, this was a smart (in every sense of the word) proposal for how to navigate a world where attention is elsewhere; a sophisticated reminder that between no frills and fantasy, aesthetic invention can still be found. The priorities were right.

Still, it’s been a largely out-of-focus season in Milan. Italy has been something of a peripheral player in the European narrative of late — in the various dances among Macron and Merkel and Trump and May, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni rarely cuts in — and designers seem equally confused about their own roles in the greater fashion ecosystem.

In the bowels of a decrepit theater, Antonio Marras threw a Weimar-like cabaret for the end of the world, complete with a woman soaring overhead on a swing, and piles of distressed velvets, beading, fringe, florals and regimental stripes. Also a brass marching band. A model at Salvatore Ferragamo walked in one direction in a fringed flapper dress and almost bumped into a model walking the other way in a cherry red bathing suit and matching sheer anorak. A hand-painted python halter dress and a watercolor velvet gown with teeny straps passed like ships in the night. It wasn’t clear where to look, or what was the point. (Well, shoes.)
“It’s just clothes” is the usual refrain; there isn’t any big point! And there’s nothing wrong with just clothes — except that the outside world has so much more urgency than what has been on the runway, the connection between the two seems increasingly frayed.

Angela Missoni, celebrating her 20th anniversary as the family brand’s creative director, decided to do it with a combined men’s and women’s show dedicated largely to … party duds. Hot pants and sheer metallic maxi dresses, disco leggings and matching crop tops (the men mostly got to wear pants, lucky them), all in the signature fine-gauge knit. It was pretty but ultimately the fabrics were awfully thin. So was the idea.

Milan has never really been an intellectual fashion city; leave that to the deconstructionists and conceptualists of Paris and London. It’s more about the immediate gratification of extraordinary fabric and high-voltage cleavage. But at the very least such clothes should ease your way in the world; give you a sense of possibility, or strength, or protection as required by moment. They don’t have to espouse philosophy. They do have to serve a purpose. If only to create visual coherence in a chaotic time.

See, for example, Marni, where the designer Francesco Risso, in a much-improved sophomore outing, tackled the subject full-on, embracing plaid, 1950s sofa florals, diadem pearls, canvas and leather (also some David Salle nudes), and then taming the mess in controlled combinations of corsetry, voluminous skirts, clown pants and cocktail frocks. Or Etro, where for the first time Veronica Etro, the women’s wear designer, and her older brother Kean, who handles the men’s wear, worked together on a joint collection.

Instead of a recipe for confusion, it brought a balance often missing in the brand. The combination of his tailoring and flower-children-on-the-silk-road (they both have a genetic love of paisley and maharajah-meant materials) created a tension that was apropos.
Which was broken, finally, at Versace, where in a Tribute collection to her brother, Gianni, Donatella Versace revived the wild prints of the 1990s in a riot of thigh-high jeweled boots and catsuits and schoolgirl pleated skirts and sharp-shouldered jackets.

At the end of the show, the curtain came up on a tableau of supermodels — Carla, Claudia, Helena, Naomi, Cindy — in gold chain mail goddess gowns, who proceeded to strut so convincingly down the runway they reduced the jaded fashion audience to gibbering fanbots. Those legs! That hair! That elemental force of femininity!

For one cathartic moment, you couldn’t think about anything else.

source: The New york times


I personally completely disagree. I find this article pretty pointless and it's sad, because I usually enjoy reading Vanessa's reviews. But this, after New york orrible FW, sounds more like a petty attack than anything.

 

[jeanclaude]

With Paris Fashion Week about to finish I can´t help but wonder "Does fashion matter?"

I think is not a country question. I think the problem is the creativity crisis that the industry (and not only the fashion industry alone, because you can find this in film and music industries too) is suffering.

 

[dior_couture1245]

With Paris Fashion Week about to finish I can´t help but wonder "Does fashion matter?"

I think is not a country question. I think the problem is the creativity crisis that the industry (and not only the fashion industry alone, because you can find this in film and music industries too) is suffering.

Absolutely. The creativity crisis is real and it's a much larger issue that stems from many, many contributing factors that have been brewing for years. Creativity exists out there - I just don't know if we're in a time where those with financial power are willing to take risks on true creatives. I think many suits feel burned by the last decades' brightest stars' falls - McQueen and Galliano.

However, I don't place the blame entirely on the suits. Bold, shattering and magical creativity in its purest form takes an enormous amount of personal bravery on part of the creator. I think there is also too much fear to create something that may shock, or at the very least make people face themselves. It's too easy to copy others and lift aesthetics from the greats that came before, that's easy and requires no vulnerability...but it takes real work and real courage to dig deep and find your own voice. I don't know if we're in a time, either, that encourages individuals to put in that great effort. We live in a social media era where surface level is all that matters.

It's a very complex problem. Bravery is the only solution, I believe.

Side note - I honestly cannot read fashion show reviews anymore. These people are just the laziest and so unintellictual. Every review, and I mean every review, all starts exactly the same - "The hard, dark, dangerous time we live in with X, Y and Z! Ahhh! SCARY!!" It's so mind numbing. Seriously! Every review! By every critic for every publication!

 

[jeanclaude]

Absolutely. The creativity crisis is real and it's a much larger issue that stems from many, many contributing factors that have been brewing for years. Creativity exists out there - I just don't know if we're in a time where those with financial power are willing to take risks on true creatives. I think many suits feel burned by the last decades' brightest stars' falls - McQueen and Galliano.

However, I don't place the blame entirely on the suits. Bold, shattering and magical creativity in its purest form takes an enormous amount of personal bravery on part of the creator. I think there is also too much fear to create something that may shock, or at the very least make people face themselves. It's too easy to copy others and lift aesthetics from the greats that came before, that's easy and requires no vulnerability...but it takes real work and real courage to dig deep and find your own voice. I don't know if we're in a time, either, that encourages individuals to put in that great effort. We live in a social media era where surface level is all that matters.

It's a very complex problem. Bravery is the only solution, I believe.

Side note - I honestly cannot read fashion show reviews anymore. These people are just the laziest and so unintellictual. Every review, and I mean every review, all starts exactly the same - "The hard, dark, dangerous time we live in with X, Y and Z! Ahhh! SCARY!!" It's so mind numbing. Seriously! Every review! By every critic for every publication!

I agree with you. And it doesn´t help the fact that people is more interested in luxury than in design (and they tend to mistake one with the other).

And about the reviews, the problem is that they are not longer reviews...just press releases in disguise.

 

[bc collector]

To a point, I think she scratched an open sore, so much so that some Italian fashion press went ballistic in reply (I'm Italian myself).
As a premise, it's fair to say that it's difficult to think of Italian fashion in such generic terms and as a whole, let alone say that it's never been strong on intellectual fashion: I actually think the best Italian designers (starting from Armani, then Gigli, Prada, Jil Sander - not Italian but acquired, so to speak) have shown us how to speak to a very cultivated audience...then, for some reason, most Anglo-American press tends to see in Versace and D&G the quintessential Italian designers: their choice and one that reflects their own perceptions and prejudices about what Italians are.
That said, it is undeniable that Milan, over the last ten years at least, has lost many positions to Paris. The why and the how would require a treaty, but in short the main problems are a lack of generational turnover and the fact that Milan has always been a business hub where excessive flight of fancy or experimentation have not been well received or tolerated. It's a hard working city but somewhat provincial, less open to the world than its main competitors and less attractive to foreign talents. Add that the whole fashion world is now run by big luxury conglomerates, none of which is in italian hands...

 

[bc collector]

Plus: guys, don't shoot on the fashion press and don't judge it as a whole. There are some great reviewers out there (Horyn at the Cut, Foley and Iredale at WWD, Friedman and Trebay at NYT, Blanks and Flaccavento at BoF...)

 

[gossiping]

well i think it was the best milan fashion week in years. there were about 5 good collections in ny, 3 in london...

etro, missoni, fendi, versace, tod's, alberta ferretti, n21, sportmax, philosophy, ermanno scervino...all great stuff.

i think milan is the city that has always remained as it was a few years ago but thats when fashion was best. and i really hope it continues to stay.

 

[Benn98]

Milan hasn't been relevant in years - she's right, but this article is way overdue. The age of Italian fashion has long passed primarily because of their inability to innovate. And what's more laughable is the key players and cling with arrogance onto this bygone vestige. I find it preposterous that London keeps being treated like the bastard of the four when it contributes such a tremendous amount of progressive creativity which aligns more with the world we're living in!

And while we're at it, maybe it's time to introduce a new market!

 

[jeanclaude]

Plus: guys, don't shoot on the fashion press and don't judge it as a whole. There are some great reviewers out there (Horyn at the Cut, Foley and Iredale at WWD, Friedman and Trebay at NYT, Blanks and Flaccavento at BoF...)

The problem aren´t the writers, the problem is the "editorial line" of the publications.

As an example, Tim Blanks doesn´t write in the same tone for BOF than for Vogue.

 

[billiejbob]

With Paris Fashion Week about to finish I can´t help but wonder "Does fashion matter?"

I think is not a country question. I think the problem is the creativity crisis that the industry (and not only the fashion industry alone, because you can find this in film and music industries too) is suffering.

Absolutely 110% agree. I think in terms of creativity and originality in fashion this moment in time is the most uneventful and unoriginal period of fashion...period.
Designers are being dictated to by management. Business has restricted creativity. Yeah, from a business sense big houses (and all other houses for that matter) want to make profit so it makes sense, but it's to the detriment of true originality and creativity.

These days these "revolutionary designers" like Maria Grazia Chiuri and Alessandro Michele are less designer and more stylist. And those who still run their fashion houses, ie D&G have lost any sense of reality and forward vision.

One only need to read the comments in the forums of TFS to truly understand the criticisms of collections. I hate the fact that so many fashion "critics" still praise terrible collections only so that they get invited to next season's show. I've started ignoring people like Tim Blanks who is one of the big sell outs to certain houses *cough cough LVMH*.

It'll probably get worse too when the big name stylists and editors for big magazines begin to leave too ie Grace C.

Such a shame because every season I hope my interest for fashion is reignited but every season it just worsens.

 

[AnaD]

I find it preposterous that London keeps being treated like the bastard of the four when it contributes such a tremendous amount of progressive creativity which aligns more with the world we're living in!

Absolutely this.

London is so ignored when it comes to the international fashion press that I wonder why not many people are making a bigger deal out of it. I get that many may be intimidated by the wilder things seen on some of the runways, but for the most part the designers showing have some of the clearest, most creative visions that are seen during fashion month.

Besides, London has never been the Fashion Week you look to for glamour, that's for Milan and Paris, it's the one where you actually see ingenuity. London deserves just as much hype swirling around it as NYFW, especially since the latter has become such a drag. For me Fashion month (especially this one), always starts in the second week, that's when I start getting excited by what I see being shown.

 

[Street_a_Licious]

fashion has barely changed for over a decade. i mean, i could present you an entire collection from 04 onwards and it would still feel fresh and perfectly wearable without feeling dated. that's not something you could have said in 07 about 97, nor in 97 about 87. yes, designers play with proportions, some colors, etc, but at the end of the debate, stuff from one decade ago is still directional.

as for Milan, i've always seen it as being in the middle of being commercial between NYFW (very commercial) and PFW (hardly commercial). it's a good mix of fashion forward with stuff that people can actually imagine to wear. also, as long as the italian brands pay for advertising, yes, they matter

 

[HeatherAnne]

Ah, gosh, I'm a jerk, but here goes -- Does Vanessa Friedman matter?

Does anything in fashion matter anymore?

Why pick on just Milan.

Goodbye.

ETA: I posted before I ready everyone else's responses, glad to see I'm not alone, and that I can still count on the fashion spot during these blah times.

 

[Benn98]

Italians React to NYT Milan Story

Italy's Corriere della Sera did not agree with the observations made on Milan's fashion.

By Luisa Zargani on September 28, 2017

t*t FOR TAT: “Is Milan relevant in fashion? Our answer is yes,” stated Italy’s Corriere della Sera this week, reacting to a New York Times article that questioned the focus and importance of Italian designers. “No, we don’t agree [with the accusations],” said the Corriere. “Who says that quality does not mean creativity? The first cannot exclude the other, stitched together as they are by the threads of culture and good taste,” it responded, challenging the Times’ belief that Milan’s fashion is not intellectual compared to Paris and London.

“The Italian fashion industry now understands that it must show a united front[…]We had not seen such a powerful and vivacious Milan Fashion Week, in terms of content and attendance, for years,” continued the daily. Corriere also did an interview with Stefano Gabbana and Antonio Marras. “I have never had so many foreign clients as in this season, nor seen as much interest from the press. I am only a grain of sand, surely, but I very well know that everyone carefully observes what happens in Italy,” Marras is quoted saying.

“Fashion should be joy freedom and happiness. What’s the point of talking about politics? Please stay home if you are not able to enjoy all this beauty,” Gabbana posted on Instagram. “This is the way to destroy fashion: looking at it with wrong eyes and soul!! Please deal with your fashion and if you only come to Italy to criticize our fashion stay home. This is not a positive attitude. Fashion is another thing and you are probably not able to enjoy it!! Italy is the excellence place!! And the best place to be.”

In the Corriere interview, Gabbana elaborated on the issue. “Milan has everything, everything.[…]We know how to produce everything: fabrics, accessories, buttons, even the clothes’ labels, the shopping bags. So it’s convenient for the others to diminish us, make us feel at fault.” Responding to the accusation of being too commercial, he said that “not everyone must necessarily be intellectual designers. Is Sophia Loren an intellectual? No, but she is famous even on Mars.” In the article, the designer championed his own answer to the First Amendment: The New York Times reporters have been banned from the Dolce & Gabbana shows for years — as have those from WWD. “We were tired of the insults, so we left them out. I hope the others will do it, too[…]. You don’t like what I do? Go see someone else!”

Source: WWD.com

 

[dodencebt]

In the article, the designer championed his own answer to the First Amendment: The New York Times reporters have been banned from the Dolce & Gabbana shows for years - as have those from WWD. "We were tired of the insults, so we left them out. I hope the others will do it, too. You don't like what I do? Go see someone else!"

That's the spirit Stefano, you wise, mature adult!

 

[Pricciao]

That's the spirit Stefano, you wise, mature adult!

role model of the mankind, amen!
Elon Musk, there's your candidate for the starship leader. Keep all the evil Earth rugs the hell to the ground!

 

[Lola701]

Stefano's reaction is exactly the kind of things that makes people think that Milan doesn't matter.
By banning people, he proves that he is not commited to have a non-stop conversation with fashion.

I still think that Milan matter but the problem with the english and american press is their snobbish attitude towards what is shown at Milan. There are a lot of great talents in Milan...A generation of designers lead by Marco De Vicenzo who are giving a fresh blood to the italian fashion scene. But a lot of editors only comes to Milan for the big shows from advertisers. Krizia, Iceberg and others well known fashion brands there have experienced some changes at their creative direction but no one seems to care...except for italian people and maybe some french magazines.

So, of course if you go to Milan with your only goal being to attend Gucci, Prada, Versace....etc. you'll ask yourself if coming to that city matters. Fendi is a great case in that matter. For a longtime sending good collections and having a great financial success, Fendi was totally left out by some editors. Today, they are a little bit forced to mention the house because they have seen that customers loves Fendi. From the bags to their menswear, the house is experiencing a kind of quiet momentum in the industry and the press can't ignore it.

In Paris, we have the power to push our own designers. Jacquemus is the perfect example. No matter what foreigners said, he was championned by the press. From TV to ELLE or Numero, they have managed to make him the star he is today. And look at the results: he can open PFW and all the editors from around the world will show up.

But yes, they should maybe ask themselves if NYFW and LFW matter? And on a bigger scale, as said here, does fashion still matter?

 

[Inlimbo]

In Paris, we have the power to push our own designers. Jacquemus is the perfect example. No matter what foreigners said, he was championned by the press. From TV to ELLE or Numero, they have managed to make him the star he is today. And look at the results: he can open PFW and all the editors from around the world will show up.

But yes, they should maybe ask themselves if NYFW and LFW matter? And on a bigger scale, as said here, does fashion still matter?

Amen! Agree 100% with you.

 

[gazebo]

This is all *Fake Fashion News*!

 

[StoneSkipper]

But yes, they should maybe ask themselves if NYFW and LFW matter? And on a bigger scale, as said here, does fashion still matter?

That, I think, is the most important question. Does the concept of high fashion as a whole still matter? This isn't the 90's anymore, when supermodels and high fashion designers had this major role in popular culture - since then, fashion has changed, and our values has changed, and now a regular person is likely to look at fashion today and think "who would wear this thing?" and "give this model a burger!" and walk away. Fashion today doesn't draw interest from the layman (hell, it doesn't even draw interest from the people in it anymore).

The thing about NYFW and LFW is that they're having a conversation with people in a way that MFW just isn't. For example, we've seen the rise of inclusive casting in New York, with big brands like Michael Kors and Prabal Gurung embracing non-standard models. (And although it isn't exactly a hotspot for creativity, there are people like Chromat's Becca McCharen who try to marry the concepts of creativity and diversity together.) And London has been a hotbed for street casting, especially in menswear (Charles Jeffrey Loverboy, Liam Hodges and a-cold-wall are successful examples of this trope). Brands like these are able to see what the customer wants and give it to them, while mantaining a creative, high fashion sensibility, while Milan... well, Stefano's answer tells me everything I need to hear. (And it's odd, because Dolce & Gabbana has been a leader of the non-standard casting trend - they're essentially showing their clothes on their intended customers, which is both a brilliant business models and a desperate cry for attention, but I digress.) It's going to be hard for a vanguardist, traditional city like Milan to stay in the forefront of today's fashion.