The return of power dressing has been a big story this Milan Fashion Week, and Donatella Versace spiked hers with a fierce sexiness plus a dash of kink.
Her vast runway set, all glossy red like a fresh coat of nail polish or a new Ferrari, was a slick companion to the latex leggings that underpinned nearly half the exits. They were skinny counterpoints to the oversize, strong-shouldered tailoring that occasionally brought to mind recent Balenciaga, including the opening look, the model a near ringer for Kim Kardashian West and all almost entirely encased in black. (T-shirts declaring “I (heart) You But I’ve Chosen Versace” were also reminiscent of Demna Gvasalia’s wry slogans, especially during his Vetements days.)
The corseted waists, however, were pure Versace, incorporated into clingy jersey dresses and sculptural puffer jackets, or worn as bare little tops under cropped parkas, and those boxy blazers.
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Micro miniskirts with chain belts added to the ’90s mood, and got as much airtime as long, clingy jersey tube skirts or dresses, with full, low-slung pants a third option.
Heavily winged black eye makeup hardened the soft features of Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski and heightened the goth glamour of shaggy tweed suits and dresses in houndstooth patterns, bomber jackets in poufed, couture-like shapes and the sky-high, pointy-toed pumps with their double-layer platforms.
Coed fashion shows seem to be waning, with Gucci parading mostly menswear earlier in the day, and Versace focused solely on womenswear, the backbone of the Milanese house.
For the finale, scrims running the length of the runway rose slowly to reveal all the models in groups of five and striking poses reminiscent of that famous Peter Lindbergh shoot depicting the supermodels of yore as a girl gang. Power dressing, indeed.