Meet the Italian designers dominating the high street this summer
Photo by Cleo Vermij on Unsplash
During the 11th and 16th centuries, Italy was at its peak of artistic development, and major cities in Italy began producing luxury goods. Yet, the real beginning of modern Italian fashion started in the 1900s, when fashion soirees became popularised and Milan became a staple for luxury fashion. While Italian fashion was intended for the rich and famous before the 1900s, it was in the 70s and 80s when Italian fashion became ‘ready-to-wear’ including pieces like miniskirts, coats, jackets and more. Now, iconic Italian brands like Armani, Fendi, Gucci, Prada and Versace dominate the fashion world.
While there is no distinct Italian style, and Italian pieces can range anywhere from tight-fitting to baggy, edgy or amorous – there are certain pieces that are uniquely Italian in design. Silk scarves, bold jewellery, designer handbags, and statement jackets and coats are some of the most common Italian pieces.
In February 2023’s Milan Fashion Week A/W, certain trends and common themes were prevalent. With a heavy emphasis on fashionable office wear, like skirt suits and blazers, MFW was filled with some notable designers from luxury brands that are sure to be seen on high streets this summer.
Let’s have a look at some of the designers that dominated this year’s Milan Fashion Week A/W and some of the designs you’ll see of theirs around you.
Alessandro Dell’Acqua, of N°21, styles are incredibly likely to appear on anyone you may see on high streets. His collection featured tweed skirt suits and lots of pencil skirts, in a multitude of fabrics, that are easy to wear and style. Light greys were found in several of his designs, allowing the actual structure and design of the clothing to shine. Another notable design of Dell’Acqua’s was his seductive slip dress, with straps slipping off the model’s shoulders. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see two-piece skirt suits, paired with a designer bag and knee-high boots since Dell’Acqua’s collection.
Matthieu Blazy, of Bottega Veneta, is another designer to keep your eye out for. His use of knee-high boots and oversized tops in his collection is something we’ve begun to see in the last year on numerous celebrities, and are now bound to become even more popular. Celebrities like Ariana Grande and Kim Kardashian have made these pieces staples in modern fashion. You will see these celebrities wearing knee-high boots and an oversized tops, whether it be a sweater or a button-down. Blazy has obviously taken note, creating similar designs, and capitalising on this newest trend.
Another designer who focused on knee-high boots, and oversized clothing, particularly jackets, is Nicola Brognano of Blumarine. Borgnano included bomber and aviation jackets in his collection, sticking to muted tones, which accentuated the details of these styles of jackets. The knee-high boots were prevalent in his collection as well, designed in both shades of brown and black.
Photo by Maria Lupan on Unsplash
Walter Chiaponni, of Tod’s, hopped on the jacket and coat wagon, having several of his most notable designs including trench coats. His trench coats were a variety of colours – navy green, cream and black, with each supporting individual small details such as belts, buttons and shearling. One of his most beautiful designs was a pinstripe dress, with a pencil skirt silhouette and a blazer-style neckline. The muted tones of his collection were beautiful, showcasing the versatility of jumpsuits as both fashionable and industrial.
And, Maximilian Davis, of Ferragamo, also showcased the trendiness of office fashion, particularly the secretarial look. His collection sported suit jackets and trench coats, with one of the most notable being a fire-red pantsuit that screams ‘I’m a CEO.’ The trench coats were in true Italian fashion, with one of the coats made of fur, and dyed to have cheetah prints. Another trench coat was a red futuristic pattern. Textiles were particularly notable in this collection.
While these designers only skim the surface of some of the fantastic looks from Milan Fashion Week A/W, the repetition in styles and emphasis on office-wear chic were incredibly prevalent. And therefore, extremely likely to be seen in any major city this summer where fashion is critical. Try pairing a vibrant trench coat with a black pencil skirt and button-down, and black knee-high boots. We’re sure you’ll see MFW remnants all over the high streets.
