Milan was in full force and ready for Fashion Week! 68 shows (8 being digital) took place and ended September 26th. The celebrities started to arrive and the airport fashions were being reported! It seems that we are seeing much more eclectic and random fashion choices so far. I think we can all pretty much agree that this is normal (in the US, at least). Anything goes when traveling, really - I’ve seen travelers in pajama pants and then on the other spectrum a cocktail dress (I’m sure she was stepping right off the plane for a fabulous night on the town). The travel wear was a mismatch of slouchy denim boots with spandex black shorts, white graphic t-shirt and leather jacket (Julia Fox) and a flowy wide leg relaxed fit trouser with a black oversized sweater (Thanks to Lily Allen). Let’s stop there and talk about the exception, Heidi Klum, who was trending in an amazing leather one piece tracksuit with a neon green sneaker. She looked so chic and effortlessly cool in her getup. Sign me up for that travel outfit!
Okay, enough with airport fashion. Now onto the celebrity hype and the fashions that decorated the start of every show!
Kim Kardashian was slaying, as usual, in leather (a few all-black ensembles that were my absolute favorite and then a green leather suit with matching gloves at Prada and of course killing it with her collab with Dolce & Gabbana). Word on the street was that Julia Fox and Kim K continued their style face off and well, Kim K WON!
Before I go insane with how fabulous the Diesel Looks were…
Let’s talk about Fendi, Creative Director of Fendi. Kim Jones packed the front row with decked out A-listers for the show before the show (Rita Ora and her partner, Oscar-winning screenwriter Taika Waititi, Swedish pop star Neneh Cherry and daughter Mabel, fashion influencers Chiara Ferragni and Leonie Hanne, and many more). In Jones’s latest collection for Fendi there was a mix of chiffon and tweed, giving a playful edge to daytime and imbuing evening with a fresh sexiness (Article in the The Indian Express). A lot of low-rise cargo pants with numerous straps and sometimes over skirts and enough pastels to feel serene until that neon green hit you. The inspiration of the collection was from two separate Karl Lagerfeld Collections (Spring/Summer 1986 and Autumn Winter 2000). It felt more like a 90’s inspired collection.
Okay, Diesel time! “Glenn Martens' Diesel Showcases Denim Like You've Never Seen It.” (Article By Hype Beast) Let’s just talk about some of my favorite looks! The stunning blue long sleeve floor length dress with light blue lace insets and that killer knot necklace (WHAT??). I didn't even mind the shower thongs with the dress. Moving on, there was the amazing piece with the acid wash denim bra and high waisted jeans with a drop waist that had a low slung belt (AHHHH! LOVE IT!). I also loved the denim V neck dress with the hook eye closure that then added an almost floral motif that went into a sheer nude length dress and denim mules in a light wash! One of my real favorites was the pastel cami that then wrapped into a denim belt and then created the softness again with a silk chiffon skirt that almost fell right into the high light gray suede boot. Absolutely STUNNING! With this collection, I could literally see myself not just in a couple looks but well I was up to at least 10 looks I loved! Diesel was mind-blowing, seemingly comfortable in all designs, but also with an edge that I enjoy and want to emulate!
I want to talk about Valentino Garavani (the one stud mini handbag in hot pink. Yes please!), Giorgio Armani (Class and Elegance repeated again and again! I especially loved the blue silk dress with the purple beaded and fringe overlay), Sunnei, (I loved the braided/twisted neckline that kept popping up in different skirts and dresses) Missoni, (I am loving the oversized Zig Zags and Sheer Dresses) Versace, (Loved Paris Hilton in the Pink Mini Dress!) Bottega Veneta, (Can’t get over the Brown Leather Sleeveless Dress) Dolce & Gabbana, (Loved the whole Collab from Kim K and Dolce & Gabbana - refreshing and all wearable) Benetton, (I am ready for some new culottes and I loved all the bright colors), and Bally (Still drooling over the open front jean shirt with the straight sequin skirt and slit up the front with belt). I can’t put into words how much I enjoyed specific elements of the designs and pieces with all of these designers and how in many aspects the brands were transforming, each one very differently in their own way.
But the truth is, the only show that meant something to me - I mean really really meant something to me, was the GUCCI Show!
So grab a glass of wine for the amazing 50-minute Gucci YouTube of the show!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhROrqqJpuI
The one show I cannot get over was Alessandro Michele’s piece of art for Gucci and his unbelievably thought provoking Twinsburg Show. I believe this work of art was making us look in the mirror at ourselves and it is exactly what the world needed. I cried as I watched it. Literary bawled! I was at first thinking “Wow, 68 sets of twins!” but as the show started an ominous recording kept playing of repeating phrases that exemplified the notion two things perceived as parallel, yet complete opposites in reality. As the models walked, identically dressed but on different stages and later reappeared holding hands before letting the grip go (each set of twins doing this differently) and walking their individual walks and really being their individual selves, I felt and saw something totally different!
How many times do you just want to be recognized as an individual? How many times do you think I need to blend in? If I blend in and wear the same types of clothes that others do then will I be accepted?
What if I face my fears and have the courage to walk a runway (or walk outside) and become my own self by wearing whatever style that moved me (if I had a twin or not)? What if my subconscious mind could be the positive voice telling me that I don’t have to be normal, that even if I wear a uniform (or I am dressed up as my twin), I am still different? What if you believe that voice when it tells you that you are remarkable and you can create art and transform from within? Those are the questions that got me thinking while watching this Collection…and there is more…
And what about the specifically placed Gremlins (in bags, as belts, held in hands and on the bottom of a maxi dress)? What does this mean? What is this saying?
What is a Gremlin? The Oxford's dictionary definition is as follows::
- an imaginary mischievous sprite regarded as responsible for an unexplained problem or fault, especially a mechanical or electronic one.
In Alessandro Michele, Twinsburg the Gremlin was said to represent “the fear of our evil self”.
Wow, and does this resinate? Hell yeah it does! Just another stroke of genius behind this unbelievable representation of what we need to take a look at…not only as a society but within our own selves.
We all have moments where we fall in love with something we have picked out and worn - sometimes you can feel shattered if someone else owns the same piece or, at other times in life, you would be completely flattered. No one truly wants to look like someone else or feel the same way others feel about clothing, design, color, music and art. We want our individuality and we want to feel good about who we truly are inside and out and how we dress is a part of that sense of identity and worth (regardless if it is Gucci).
As Michele stated “Another person doesn't become you once they put on the same article of clothing as you. The magic of fashion is how it comes to life differently for every individual. “The same clothes emanate different qualities on seemingly identical bodies. Fashion, after all, lives on serial multiplications that don’t hamper the most genuine expression of every possible individuality." (Article by AP News)
Michele later said this: “the show was an exploration of our own inner selves, and the reveal that we harbor a sort of inner-twin, who might hold us back or spur us on.” His idea of “the other’’ was shaped by an unusual family arrangement growing up believing he had two mothers: his own genetic mother and her twin sister. He called both “mamma” as they raised their families in neighboring apartments because they couldn’t bear to be apart. He said he only started to understand the difference at age 7, when his aunt died. “I had two moms, because we all lived together, so I really appreciated what taking care of other means,’’ he said.
One of the most potent quotes from Alessandro Michele this past week was this:
”There are times when I ask myself, why am I doing this? Somebody is talking about nuclear war. Politics is a catastrophe. The situation on the planet is a disaster,’’ Michele added. “But as human beings the only weapon we have is to imagine something else, and to make it happen.’’(Article by Harpers Bazaar)
I think we all need to take this advice and imagine something else and to make it happen.
When I buy my next piece of Gucci, I will be reminded of Alessandro Michele’s Message and I hope others will too. We can all stop self sabotaging ourselves, others, our world, our planet and stop to imagine something else and make THAT happen.
THE END.
💛
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