1) Versace's working woman
How many top models can you fit on one massively long runway?
At Versace, Gigi Hadid opened an impressive lineup of top girls of the moment: Karlie Kloss, Jourdan Dunn, Kendall Jenner, Adriana Lima, Natasha Poly, and more, all of them speed walking their way through laps and laps of the circuitous catwalk.
The brand was built on images of sex and power. But this season's collection was a little less about the bombshell and much more about the fierceness of the working woman, a different kind of power.
'This collection is so important to me. Every single piece is wearable, desirable, real. It's about expressing a woman's strength and her individuality,' Donatella Versace explained.
And so it was the daywear -- specifically, the outerwear and tailoring, including beautifully cut coats and jackets in navy with black leather trim -- that looked the most modern and shoppable. Mind you, the sex was still there, in the form of a line-up of shimmery mini backless dresses, leggy leather skirts and an accidental nip slip from Gigi. But it's the coats, and more of this idea of an empowered Versace working woman, that we want.
2) In the pink
At Emporio Armani, pink, which is popular across the board this season, was the colour pop of choice to break up a stream of black and grey tailoring, with the occasional blue and green moments mixed in. The colours came via a graphic theme of geometric shapes on polished masculine suiting, with slick, feminine separates. It was classic Armani, in a fresh colour palette.
3) Sportmax’s pared down silks
According to the press notes, the fall collection boiled down to one question: ‘Where does purity end and decoration begin?’ And in a way, that question kind of sums up the entire season so far as well. There seems to be a recurring tension between the functional, militaristic and pared back versus the highly decorated, eccentric and showy. Sportmax showed both, effectively producing something for everyone. The looks that had the most restraint worked the best, most notably a range of silk, liquid-like dresses, some with panels of accordion pleats inserted at the sides.
4) Bohunge
That’s the term we’re using to describe Etro’s new collection, which was a little Nineties Winona Ryder and a little Seventies Stevie Nicks with long layers in contrasting paisley, plaid and floral prints. The collection, designed by Veronica Etro, also ticked off many of the boxes on the list of big and micro-trends: velvet, shades of brown and khaki, sheer lingerie dressing and work boots were all in plenty supply.
5) A bomber to replace your blazer
Bomber jackets have been inescapable off the runway, but not entirely ubiquitous on. But it’s a highly functional, versatile and sellable piece, a seemingly easy retail win for the autumn/winter season. At Tod’s Alessandra Facchinetti stripped away the army connotations and showed them in bold colours with contrasting, furry collars and paired them with matching cropped trousers. It was essentially a young and fun update on the trouser suit — office and weekend appropriate.
Image: IMAXTREE
