lifestyle SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2016 Fashion Models present creations for fashion house Bottega Veneta as part of the Women Autumn/ Winter 2016 Milan Fashion Models present creations for fashion house Blumarine as part of the Women Autumn/Winter 2016 Milan Fashion Week Week yesterday. yesterday. — AP/AFP photos Emporio Armani, Versace, Diesel headline Milan fashion he Italian fashion industry is deeply tied to its manufactur- ered with sequins. Pants are slim fitting, flaring to a cropped ankle ing base, with the textile mills that populate northern Italy or finishing in stirrups, while dresses have hidden zippers that Tkey to helping designers realize their particular visions. This with a simple pull can reveal or conceal thighs and more. A model presents a could explain the fashion world’s fascination with reclaiming dis- Gigi Hadid didn’t need a zipper to flash the crowd, inadvertent- creation for the used industrial spaces to show off the finished product. The third ly or not, from the low-cut knit evening dress she was modeling. show for fashion day of Milan Fashion Week for next spring and summer started She got a high-five from the designer as she left the runway. The house Versace. with the fashion herd thronging past bemused Italian postal collection also marked the return of Baroque elements to Versace, workers preparing the day’s deliveries as the well-heeled and with black and white swirls set against psychedelic acid prints. freshly caffeinated crowd filled an old depot that became the Outerwear ranged from serious dark trenches with leather trip to backdrop for Diesel Black Gold’s Milan womenswear debut. ladylike pastel tinged white furs. The space even came with its own, complementary, industrial- sized “No Smoking” sign, which once safeguarded the daily mail Synthetic pleasures but now protects high fashion. Gucci has adopted a former rail Marco de Vincenzo indulged in synthetic pleasures for his next depot nearby, while Giamba and No 21 showed off their wears in collection. The designer, who has the backing of LVMH, plays the an abandoned factory set in a middle-class neighborhood in a serious business of fashion at the highest levels of technology, juxtaposition that demonstrates how integrated work and life in creating lustrous fake furs out of hand-woven Lurex jersey and Italy are, despite stereotypes to the contrary. Some highlights shiny textiles with a watery finish from organza mixed with silk from Friday’s womenswear previews for fall/winter 2016/17: and nylon. “It is important with the fabrics that I define as a little borderline, like fake furs in Lurex, are done very well. And here Female power Made in Italy makes the difference,” de Vincenzo said backstage. Donatella Versace’s woman is an urban powerhouse. The col- The result was a lush, shimmery, peluche coats with graphic lection turns on daywear, from power suits to athletic-trimmed patterns in bold color combinations, like a light blue jacket with ribbed knits. Versace said that “every single piece is wearable, red amoeba-like spots that suggest an exaggerated animal print, desirable, real.” Men’s jackets are feminized, deconstructed into a and snug, gathered and knotted sheath dresses in shiny prints full dress with a plunging back, or finished with a jagged hemline cov- of asymmetry. Put together, the collection conveyed a nostalgia that comes with long-loved pieces retrieved from the attic, but printed on blouses and became colorful broaches. Armani’s indul- Instagrammer Bianca Brandolini D’Adda purred at a photo back- with a colorful modern edge that created a world all unto itself. gence in whimsy never comes at the expense of the brand’s stage of a black bustier dress with a bodice of a repeating cat face Take for example, a sheer smocked purple dress fitted with an youthful elegance. Short trousers were loosely pleated, resem- pattern, declaring: “That one!” The Giamba girl is glam-thuggish in accordion peplum at the waist, combing elements both modern bling skirts, and skirts were mini but not micro. Jackets were a hoody pulled over a baseball cap, baggy leather shorts over and bygone. cropped and disciplined, with a double-breasted pea coat gaining matching leggings and finished with a sequin jacket. Alternatively, Shoes featured neat rows of ruffles up the front of booties or sophistication from a green high-neck sweater that peeked from she’s coquettish in a long lacey and a sequin dress that runs the covering open-toe sandals. And de Vincenzo created his first bag, the hem and pixelated print trousers. Evening looks sparkled, gamut from transparent to frilly ribbon-covered numbers. Such a ladylike piece with a twist, a bear paw flap. Binding the collec- including sheer cropped tops with a collage of shapes protecting touches as sheer lace and images of an open mouth being fed a tion was the persistent, unflinching use of bright, clashing colors: the wearer’s modesty worn with Bermuda shorts that were as soft raspberry lent a kinky expression to the collection. bright green, yellow and purple blurring together, electric blue, as a skirt. Fashion is all about inspiring girls to express themselves “in a and red. “It takes courage, it takes a lot of things, to do fashion ruthless way,” Valli said backstage, even if they “do it at home, with today,” de Vincenzo said. “I am following my route, without rush- Kinky girls pieces from their wardrobe or buying vintage.” The discussion ing.” She’s a very kinky girl, the Giamba girl’s a super freak. The looks about rushing looks into stores misses the point, he said. “I think it for Giambattista Valli’s signature Giamba line are made of lace and is nice to inspire and if we bring the things right to the stores we Back in black diesel gold leather, sheers and furs, graffiti prints and zebra patterns for an are never going to be billionaires like Zara, Mango and H&M,” Renzo Rosso has repatriated his Diesel Black Gold fashion label urban jungle feel inspired by Nan Goldin’s photographs of 1980s Giamba said. “I do fashion, of course, to sell. It’s a priority. But the to Milan from New York, in a victory for the Italian Fashion Greenwich Village subculture. Italian-Brazilian socialite and biggest priority is to inspire people with a new look.” Chamber, which under new management is working to energize the national fashion system. Rosso brought menswear to Milan Four eyes for fashion several years ago. “Together we want to make Milan the most Fendi’s finishing touch for its latest collection was shades with important fashion week in the world,” Rosso said backstage. wavy blue-striped accents, echoing the looks. For Prada, eyewear Texture defined the clean, youthful looks, with a velvet top with came with ornate twirling stems. While eyewear, particularly sun- puffy short sleeves tucked into a quilted mini, or a soft turtleneck glasses, have long been a fashion trend, and more and more a sweater paired with a stud-laden leather mini. mainstay on fashion runways, the promotional pairing has been at The latest Diesel Black Gold collection combined power with the whim of the fashion designer. Now the government is back- utility: Jackets were inventive combinations of a standard leather ing plans to create more of a unified fashion system, bringing biker front finished with a billowing quilted hoodie in the back. together federations promoting shoes, handbags, jewelry and Trousers were high-waisted, including Diesel’s trademark jeans in furs with Italy’s ready-to-wear apparel sector for commercial a version with stripes of contrasting stripes of velvet, leather and events. The project could launch as soon as next year, officials said. sparkling brocade. Footwear included lace-up military-style boots. In a taste of things to come, this year, the annual Mido eyewear The color palette was rigorously blue, black and gray with a few fair, the world’s largest, was held during Milan Fashion Week, a rare white contrast pieces. coincidence. “We need to work more to demonstrate that we are a great country in terms of style,” Mido president Cirillo Marcolin said Pop goes Emporio in an interview. “We have to work a little bit more together to com- At 81, Giorgio Armani shot a youthful wink at the fashion pete with the big power of French conglomerates.” Italy is the No 1 crowd from his Emporio Armani line. The designer embraced the producer of premium eyewear in the world, and fashion house digital language of today’s youth, creating his own off-skew emo- licenses are one of the segment’s main components alongside jis out of circles, triangles and squares in yellow, pink and green - more architecturally oriented frame design. Revenues for Italian the season’s motifs. One of the winking pieces, a cropped striped eyewear producers grew 12 percent last year to 3.5 billion euros, sweater, best belied an understanding of the digital generation’s according to figures released Thursday. That compares with rev- Fashion designer Donatella Versace (right) salutes model desire to transform this global communication form into wearable enues of 62 billion euros for Italian ready-to-wear last year. — AP Gigi Hadid at the end of the Versace women’s Fall-Winter mascots - that is the desire to make the virtual concrete. A model presents a creation for the show for fashion 2016-2017 fashion show. Armani dubbed the collection “New Pop.” And his Emporio house Versace as part of the Women Autumn/Winter 2016 fall/winter 2016/17 geometrical motifs graced handbags, were Milan Fashion Week. Prada offers ‘see now, buy now’ bags straight off Milan catwalk taly’s Prada blended military, nautical and 1940s looks elbow-length gloves.