Italy’s fashion capital Milan houses the brands and the creative directors that need no introduction, who use their rich archives in a way that addresses – and dresses – modernity.
From Fendi to Prada to Gucci, these are the brands that form vision boards for designers across the world; their archives preserve more than just clothing lines, but cultural moments too.
Despite the demise of quiet luxury as branded items reappear, in Milan, clothes retained a sense of timeless, stated elegance, the kind of elegance that is self-confident, but that also returns to earthy neutrals, classic tailoring and monochrome fabrics, and that plays things safe (sometimes, almost too much so).
Fifty six shows and 67 presentations later, these are Citizen Femme’s highlights from Milan Fashion Week‘s AW24 runways.
Enduring Legacy
Fendi
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Since becoming creative director of Fendi womenswear in September 2020, Kim Jones has effortlessly spoken to Fendi’s rich archival history, all while making sure the conversations they bring never run quiet in the present. Fendi’s AW24 collection is another testament to this, as Kim Jones toyed “with a British elegance in ease and not giving a damn what anybody else thinks, something that chimes with Roman style.” Touches of Jones’s eternal muses from The Blitz Kids and the New Romantics appear through interesting necklines, bold colours and sheer materials, to complement the refined overarching feel of the looks. Creative ways of layering and formal experiments through draping bring new and ambivalent ways of wearing traditional knitwear as well as a laissez-faire attitude to dressing for colder climates – they also touched upon the utilitarian in a uniquely Fendi way. For accessories, the Peekaboo, Baguette and By The Way bags returned, while the new bag, Simply Fendi, made its debut. Most unmissable however, was the jovial Fendi x Chupa Chups – a European childhood classic – grounding the high fashion brand in an infantile humour that plays into Jones’s cleverly real and articulate creative hand.
Ferragamo
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Named by fashion’s digital audience, Instagram, as one of the best shows of the season, enamoured talk complemented Maximillian Davis’s new collection for Ferragamo. Though unexpectedly, the almost military feeling of the opening looks (especially in the thick khaki outerwear) was anything but outwardly playful. Love for the new collection stems from its subtle – yet progressively becoming more overt as the collection unravelled – 1920s visual codes, where dropped waists, sculpted lapels and androgynous experimentation calling to the likes of Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo met the runway in a clean, modern way. “The 1920s used clothing as a way to celebrate freedom,” explains Davis, “and that expression of freedom is something which resonates with me, with my heritage, and with Ferragamo.”
Gucci
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Sabato de Sarno’s third show for Gucci arrived in Milan this season following his SS24 womenswear and menswear collections which have already created a signature style for the designer. Choosing to return to similar pieces and colours – and moving away from continual pressure to be new every season – de Sarno’s ombre beading (on coats, skirts, and stilettos) from SS24 returned with tall platform, horsebit loafers. However, AW24 was far from boring, with makeup reminiscent of that worn by 60s Italian movie stars, and a sensual focus on the eyes with Italian-shaped lapels and plenty of movement in the fabrics. There was a beautiful detail in the invites too, each being a notebook with the guest’s initials monogrammed in the signature Rosso Ancora red. Each book was handmade and bound by independent Milanese stationer Pettinaroli referencing the artisanal luxury at the heart of Gucci itself.
Giorgio Armani
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With an inspiring presence in Milan as well as the global industry, Giorgio Armani’s designs have long been used as reference in modern runways – on mood boards and in fashion’s dynamic attitude. This week, the show took place in the intimate 17th century Palazzo Orsini which is where the first ever Armani collections were shown: a tangible way of returning to the brand’s roots. This season opened up new realms of the fashion universe with starry skies painted on garments with flared sleeves, textured jacquards, fur, and shiny cire with embroidered dragonflies. The Armani constellation sure is a bright one.
Prada
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“Yet rather than an intellectual examination, this collection is an emotional reaction, to ideals of beauty that still feel resonant,” said Miuccia Prada of her AW24 collection. The dynamic duo – Miuccia Prada and Raf Simmons – did it once again. Not nostalgic (a word rejected by Mrs Prada herself) but rather experimental with time – romance emerged through the coquette-style ribboning, and the ethereal quality of undefined and demure frames meant dresses flitted through spacial and temporal dimensions in a way that artfully resists chronology. Bags referenced many classical shapes, however the way they were worn was innovative; each belted onto a model’s wrists or arms to hang in new ways.
Milan’s Modern Woman
Philosophy de Lorenzo Serafini
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First established in 1984 by designer Alberta Ferretti, the Milanese luxury fashion brand, Philosophy, is now helmed by Robert Cavalli and Dolce & Gabbana alumni Lorenzo Serafini. Known for prints – often floral – and intricate patterning, Friday’s autumn winter show instead showcased a collection that focussed on solid colours; characteristic pops of pigments were largely found in the shoes rather than the garments in a very Alfred Hitchcock kind of way. Another very earthy palette played with winter neutrals – a reoccurring trend across New York, London, and Milan fashion weeks so far. Greys had a slightly blue (rather than deep charcoal) undertone, drawn out by the fresh orange and azure blue satin shoes. Lorenzo Serafini’s footwear experimented with the silky materials and functionality of the trending ballet pump, punctuating heavy wool fabrics. However, forest greens, greyed pale browns, and oxblood reds unexpectedly turned to neon green and bright yellow for a colourful finish.
Ermanno Scervino
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Young in comparison with most Italian brands, this Florentine fashion house by Toni Scervino and Ermanno Daelli was born in 2000 yet still delicately cuts through the fashion week noise. In their AW24 Collection – titled ‘Fashion Atlas’ – clothes mapped the body with strong shapes using thick textures such as heavy wools in herringbone and pinstripe fabrics. Although each item – especially the blazers and jackets – upheld a dramatic architecture, the designers did not use any corseted or rigid enforcement in the seams, to prevent the collection from veering away from ready-to-wear. To finish, Milan’s runway saw beautiful eveningwear, bordering on ethereal, with sheer, shimmering, and beaded slip dresses.
Max Mara
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There was not a camel-coloured teddy coat in sight this season, but outerwear remained the hero of Max Mara’s AW24 collection. Inspired by French author and woman of letters, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette – a feminist icon of the Belle Époque era – silhouettes from the 1910s reigned supreme with structural coats and power jackets standing proud on the runway. Forget the brand’s classic camel colour palette, this season deep inky navy, jet black and smokey greys evoked an after-dark appeal, one of sophistication and powerful self expression.
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Lead image credit: Max Mara AW24
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