Annelise’s Pick of MFW

Milan has never been my favourite fashion week, by far. Whereas I usually have to spend a few hours trying to narrow down my ‘Top 5′ favourite designers for London; New York; and Paris, I spend considerably less time with Milan as I tend to only find a handful that I actually like in the first place. The MFW design signature is far more showy, flamboyant, over-the-top and, let’s be honest, a bit tacky really (*cough*DSquared2*cough*. Not my style at all. I did find a couple, although it was a push and I’ve only featured 3 designers.

1. Francesco Scognamiglio

This is a collection, and a designer, that I actually do like! He has been included in my previous picks of Milan Fashion Week, and really does create some beautiful garments.

 2. Dolce & Gabbana

I have really enjoyed the recent Dolce & Gabbana offerings, harking back to Italian history and adding a sense of fun and an element of costume. The S/S ’13 collection is huge (over 80 looks), and features all sorts of fabrics, embellishments, prints, even some flour sacks!

3. Marni

The Marni accessories, shoes in particular, are what tend to interest me. I generally find the RTW collections not to my taste, and a lot of the prints I find just hideous. HOWEVER! This season Castiglioni has introduced some new ideas to the label – fresh, block colours, volume. It works. There are still some prints, but I ignored those, and the oversized leather looks delicious.

Key Trends:

• 60s – Only a few designers so far have picked up on this trend (see Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week), but it is one that is entirely wearable. Seen at: Gucci; Moschino.
• White – All over the Milan catwalks, and confirming itself as a trend to be taken seriously for next Spring/Summer. Seen at: Gianfranco Ferre; Roberto Cavalli; Ports 1961; Marco de Vincenzo; Blumarine; Missoni; Trussardi; Francesco Scognamiglio.

All images courtesy of Style.com