Milan Fashion Week Spring Summer 2015: Our highlights

Hopping over, we made it to Italy where some of biggest fashion houses dominate the scene with their rich heritage past. Typically, a lot of designers in Milan tend to delve into the nation’s fascinating history or iconography to shape their collections but this season, it was less refreshingly apparent across the board.

Certain trends – florals, nature and clean whites – reinforced looks that we’ve seen at the previous fashion weeks so ultimately what reigned supreme here were the countless interpretations of denim in outfits and the resolute reference to the seventies that carried with itself and effortless bohemian outlook.

Dawn of the Denim

On more than one occasion, we’ve sought comfort in our trusted pair of denim jeans, so clearly the indigo fabric is doing something right. By picking up on that, designers in Milan readily had their runways strewn with denim in multiple different variations and styles.

Gucci for instance did a wide-legged ankle-length trousers, denim-on-denim combinations and a dress that mimicked sneakers with shoelaces going up the neckline. While on Fendi‘s runway, denim pants were done in the style of harem pants and Dolce & Gabbana did their version of jeans in an elegantly bejeweled manner. Finally, Trussadi‘s all-denim looks were pulled off in relaxed silhouettes to amp up on the comfort factor and Bottega Veneta delivered denim in a surprisingly darker more refined hue.

Seventies Revival

While New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week saw specks of the 70s inspiration sprinkled here and there, at Milan Fashion Week, it was as though the designers unanimously voted to bring out the liberating bohemian decade.

Flared pants, wispy maxi dresses and dungarees were evidently the order of the week. Gucci sent down a series of high-neck dresses with neck scarves and wide-legged trousers while Etro threw light on the seventies by way of references in true Woodstock form – loose-fitting blouses, fringing and heaps of tassels as the models sashayed down the runways.  A lot like a hoard of Pocahontas just came to life.

Others who were unequivocally seventies include Prada‘s and Costume National‘s high-neck pieces to Alberta Ferretti‘s and Dolce & Gabbana‘s generous fringing.

Mix of Textures

Beyond the usual Italian sophistication and polished craft, this season, designers seemed ready to experiment with textures for one. From Dsquared‘s voluminous ruffled skirts and dresses to Fendi‘s feathers and PVC, Gucci‘s shaggy furs and brocade at Prada, the runways gave birth to a rather texture-rich season.

Tangerine Orange

Sure there were the white and nude shades making their expected appearance on the runways but the one colour that stood out prominently was orange – it’s spring summer after all so a bright, saturated colour definitely needs its limelight. Even though Karl Lagerfeld never uses orange in his collections, other designers unabashedly embraced the vibrant shade with open arms.

Expect to see Fausto Puglisi patterned orange, MSGM‘s striped variation and Antonio Marras‘s burnt orange dresses which came with a slight sheen.

Read more on our fashion week highlights:

New York Fashion Week SS15
London Fashion Week SS15

Tarandip Kaur