Men’s – In Search Of A Spark. Gucci AW24

January 13, 2024 | Design & Culture by Ed

Sabato De Sarno‘s vision for Gucci is taking shape of a formula. His debut womenswear collection was a product-centric, straightforward parade of unoffensive clothes; the ad campaigns operate on blank backgrounds and offer no visual risks; and his first menswear collection for the brand is also moving in that generic, business-is-business direction. Except for one kinky, taken-out-of-the-Tom-Ford-book look where the model wore nothing but a pair of tailored pants, a tie-leash and a pair of leather gloves, this Gucci outing left you with no bold impression. Maybe because most of the looks were the same as in De Sarno’s September debut – like the opening over-sized coat, or the navy v-neck knit with embellished collar, or the color palette consisting of pops of cherry red? It’s actually quite surprising the designer has such confidence in these couple of looks that he’s already mirroring them. It’s probably to early to call, but De Sarno’s Gucci feels like mash-up of your favorite Italian brands: a bit Prada there, bit of Valentino here (where the designer worked before his Gucci appointment). The only signifiers that make it Gucci are the monogram logo, placed on belts and backpacks, and bag re-issues. Don’t get me wrong: those are really good clothes, there’s nothing wrong about all these timeless pea-coats and loafers. But I don’t think De Sarno is giving us enough reasons to be invested in his new Gucci. The designer gives big statements on “artisanship“, “Italianity“, “beauty“, even “good taste“. But as he says himself, “I don’t have a narrative for my collections at the moment”. That shows.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Eye Has To Travel. Bottega Veneta SS24

September 25, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

“The eye has to travel“. Matthieu Blazy‘s sumptuous spring-summer 2024 collection for Bottega Veneta seemed to be a visual response to that phrase, coined by Diana Vreeland, the legendary fashion editor who happened to love the noisy jewellery around her employees’ necks to know where they were at all times. The collection was an audacious, charismatic and bold journey, but not inspired by specific locations or geographies. It’s a travel seen through a rather philosophical lens, as Blazy said, “it’s about what you can become after this journey as well; everything you get from a journey transforms you.” Leather wrap poncho topping a leather trench. Shaggy salt-and-pepper coat. Crocheted raffia dresses with the giant pompom embellishments. A large “straw” bag made from leather intrecciato. Those were just a couple of instances when you really want a run-of-show listing the garments’ textile information and the techniques employed to create them, like a map legend. Blazy’s aim was to “create some kind of new culture”, and he succeeded (interestingly, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons investigated the topic of “culture about clothing” this Milan Fashion Week). The Belgian designer who reinvents Bottega believes in the transportive possibilities of fashion. Wear those “banana leaf” sandals or carry the bag and “you escape.” Rachel Tashjian of Washington Post summed it up perfectly: it’s a “very Roland Barthes way of seeing as a form of social exchange, in which every passing person is a jumble of signals and symbols, and you put together a narrative in your head that’s half-reliable assumption, half-fictional fantasia“. But you can extract the backstory, and this was still an extraordinary collection, more like couture than ready-to-wear when it comes to the craftsmanship that went into individual pieces, from the cowl neck top and “bias-cut” skirt made from strips of different colored leather to the chunky woven jacquard coat that read almost like fur. “Where people call craft dusty, I think it’s the opposite,” said Blazy. “It’s a world of possibilities.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Monte Verità. Bally SS24

September 25, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

At Bally, a quiet revolution is upon. Simone Bellotti is the new design director at the Swiss brand, replacing the brief stint of Rhuigi Villaseñor, who left abruptly in May. An experienced designer, Bellotti spent 16 years at Gucci under Frida Giannini and Alessandro Michele, and is now tasked with bringing the dusty brand into new territory. His debut is promising, and much more convincing than the other Milanese debut – Sabato De Sarno at Gucci – this season. For his spring-summer 2024, Simone mined the label’s rich archive “that holds incredible treasures of made in Switzerland craftsmanship”. Bellotti was drawn to explore a mysterious, expressive and subversive flip side of the spirit of the country’s culture. He came across the story of Monte Verità, a utopian community of free, creative souls founded in Ascona at the turn of the 20th century. A haven for spiritual regeneration and artistic and mystical practices, it was visited by famous intellectuals and artists – Carl Jung, Herman Hesse, Rudolf Steiner, Paul Klee and many others sojourned in the retreat, basking in the healing atmosphere of the alpine landscape. The collection he sent out was a fine, sensible exercise in balancing the contradictions between practicality and imagination, elegant design and subtly humorous details. The result: A.P.C., but luxe. A niche that was unfilled in Milan for years.

For both genders, outerwear was the collection’s core, cut with soft precision mostly in high-quality leather. Elongated straight-line or boxy blazers paired with matching shorts, pencil skirts or relaxed trousers were offered alongside A-line dusters and sleeveless zippered bombers and treated with a fresh, youthful approach. Eccentricity and the “out-of-control element,” as Bellotti put out, came by way of taffeta minicrinis, poufy ultra-short ballerina skirts or minuscule tutus made from swirls of rosettes and girandoles, peeking out from masculine trench hcoats in shiny black leather, or paired with a short-sleeved, square-cut office shirt in crisp Swiss poplin. Adding a note of witty homage to Swiss traditions, a strawberry print gracing both a pretty one-piece bathing suit and a small rectangular handbag recalling a kid’s miniature travel bag was drawn from a picnic tablecloth. ‘Appenzeller’ talismans in the shape of tiny cow bells were rendered into bags’ charms, hanging from the straps of trapeze crossbody bags in bright, cheerful colors. Finally, after all these years of uncertainty, Bally found its person.

Understated Eclecticism. Jil Sander SS24

September 25, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Jil Sander – the designer – is a minimalist, but Jil Sander – the contemporary brand – is minimalist no more. Backstage of their eclectic spring-summer 2024 fashion show in Milan, Lucie and Luke Meier explained that their collection was a study of shapes. The two knit dresses were examples of that with their clingy ribbed bodices blossoming below the waist into fuller skirts. Rhinestone necklaces signaled that the brand is open to a bit of opulent bling. Experiments with shapes were further translated in tailoring: the designers cut jackets as boxy as squares and paired them with sailor-collar shirts and shorts to accentuate the silhouette. Or else they elongated their lines, showing duster coats on the guys and extending the men’s jackets nearly to the knees while raising the waistband of baggy shorts well past the navel. There was a looseness to their approach to tailoring; it suggested that they feel freer to play than they did in their earlier days at the label. That freer sensibility held true of other categories too. Button-down shirts were accessorized with metal discs on their collar points, like built-in jewelry, and vests came with twin portholes on the upper chest outlined in the same polished chrome. The portholes were a little on the large side, but you appreciated the instinct. No quibbles with the giant cat face prints on a couple of tunic dresses.

Work In Progress. Ferragamo SS24

September 24, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Maximilian Davis‘ Ferragamo is a work-in-progress, which isn’t a bad thing. Spring-summer 2024 reads as a rather new direction taken by the young creative director, which proves he doesn’t work on a formula – as most of designers in Milan. No Gancini motif, no Hollywood angle, no oversized cutout bags, pretty much no Ferragamo red. Three shows in, Davis is learning while doing, and he isn’t scared to experiment. A refined palette of black, white, and green defined the collection that was all about investment wardrobe building-blocks. Sleek black suits walked the runway with fragile waistlines and open-air sleeves, but there were also some eccentricities, like wooden beading applied in wide belts and statement vintage-y prints. Still, I couldn’t help but count all the similarities to Phoebe Philo’s final collection for Céline. I’m so looking forward to Philo’s return this season… But back to Ferragamo for a minute. Leather car coats in deep green were satisfying, just as V-neck pullovers and pocketed cargo pants. Figure-shaping dresses restructured the human form. Caped versions revealed refined chest structures in motion, completing the 64-look collection with a series of sheer garments featuring intriguingly sculpted edges. There’s certainly a spark about Davis’ take on Ferragamo. But he still needs time to truly polish his sensitivity.