Amongst the global fashion cities nicknamed the “Big Four”, Milan distinguishes itself from the others by one clear fact: it is the only one that is not a capital city. And this curious detail hides an entire story. Remaining an assembly of independent city states until unification in 1891, for many centuries fashion in Italy only existed on a local level, with a long legacy stretching back to the Middle Ages of different cities specializing in their own crafts, fabrics and luxury goods, as well as distinct sartorial flavorings. The echoes of this system rang through to post-Second World War when Italy first seriously entered the global fashion market, with several cities vying, overtaking and losing out to one another as they tried to set themselves up as the place for fashion. Among the contenders Florence looked particularly strong with businessman Giovanni Battista Giorgini assembling a series of then-popular designers from across Italy, including Emilio Pucci and the Fontana sisters, to put on fashion shows first at his own residence and then shortly after at the Sala Bianco in Palazzo Pitti. It was an immediate success, with numerous journalists in attendance and buyers from big American department stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue putting in orders. Other fashion shows were held in Rome and Venice, helped along the way by the newfound prominence of Italian fashion in film. The trio of Fontana sisters, based in Rome, found themselves dressing celebrity clientele (Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor among them), while the Cinecittà Studios hosted both foreign and local talent – most famously Federico Fellini, whose 1960 movie La Dolce Vita helped to cement the status of the little black dress, as well as a particularly voluptuous image of Italian style.
What about Milan?
In 1958 the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italia (National Chamber of Italian Fashion) came into being, with a mission to promote and protect design talent. Over the intervening decades more and more Italian brands came to the fore, with an emphasis on slightly more affordable luxury than their Parisian counterparts, as well as a knack for inventive textiles production, as exemplified by Etro and Missoni. As different cities continued to vie for the attention of the press and buyers, Milan’s status slowly grew. A northern industrial city with good manufacturing links, it became a natural home for many designers as the popularity of ready-to-wear collections exploded. From 1961, it was also the headquarters of the newly instated Vogue Italia. Then, as the 1970s and 1980s hit, a series of Milan-based designers including Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace became wildly popular, helping to cement the city’s status as a sartorial capital.
- Fashion culture12 throwback shots of David Beckham in the 2000s
Glamour and outrage
Towards the end of the 20th century a further slew of designer stars were rising: from Moschino with its provocative slogans, to Dolce & Gabbana’s excess and nostalgic nods to bygone eras, to Miuccia Prada reviving her family’s long-standing Milanese business with a series of minimalist backpacks before branching out into ambitiously understated womenswear. However, when trying to pinpoint moments that have come to epitomize Milan Fashion Week, it’s probably Versace’s supermodel extravaganzas that feel most fitting – particularly his 1991 show featuring Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista striding out lip-synching to George Michael’s Freedom! ‘90, having all just appeared in the music video. On the Versace catwalk these women ruled: intimidating in their outrageous opulence and commanding similarly outrageous fees for their appearances. Over the course of the decade this amped-up glamour infiltrated plenty of other design houses, most notably Gucci.
- Fashion culture12 throwback shots of David Beckham in the 2000s
When American designer Tom Ford joined the brand in 1990 (he was promoted to creative director in 1994), the label – which had started off in the early twentieth century selling leather goods – had a precarious future. WIth Ford’s FW95 collection, these fears were thoroughly laid to rest. Featuring slinky velvet suits, half-unbuttoned, jewel-bright blouses and coats in citrus shades, it was a sumptuous, sultry collection, and one that helped boost Gucci’s sales by 90 per cent between 1995 and 1996. 1997 marked a dark year in Italian fashion when Gianni Versace was murdered in Miami. His sister Donatella took over the reins, showing just three months later to a sombre audience that included Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani. The clothes were characteristically sinuous, paying homage to her brother while pointing towards her own creative sensibilities.
Present day
These days, plenty of the same names still rule the roost, as well as the MFW schedule. At Gucci, a new tone has been ushered in with Alessandro Michele’s eclectic, often baroque aesthetic: part chic granny dressed in her most expensive curtains, part glamorous alien descending to earth with a metallic shimmer. Moschino under the helm of Jeremy Scott stays true to its irreverent roots, now with added hyper-capitalist pop culture references thrown in (recent years have seen Scott finding inspiration in everything from Barbie to McDonald’s). Miuccia Prada continues to infuse her collections with a thoughtful approach to good/ bad taste, history and cultural moods: her FW19 womenswear show referencing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein drawing modern-day parallels with the 19th-century novel’s background of political uncertainty.
- Fashion culture12 throwback shots of David Beckham in the 2000s
Versace, too, remains, above all, an endeavour in exaggerated glitz and sex appeal. On the 20th anniversary of Gianni’s death in 2017, five of his favourite original statuesque supers paid tribute to him on the catwalk, showcasing a series of rippling lamé dresses. Donatella has also remained consistent in her stylistic nods to her brother. There might have been polo necks for FW19, but they were layered under strappy bondage bras, with plenty of safety pins scattered throughout the collection for good measure too. Change has obviously been inevitable elsewhere: Fendi’s FW19 show paying tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld, who had been head designer there since 1965. During that period he had seen Milan’s position in Italian fashion transform (though it’s worth noting that other cities still thrive: Florence holds menswear shows at Pitti Uomo), with a slew of brands from heritage stalwarts to ambitious upstarts helping to maintain the continuing allure of that all-important “Made in Italy” label.
More Fashion on Vogue.fr:
Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2021: Watch the shows online here
- Fashion culture12 throwback shots of David Beckham in the 2000s
