University of Fashion Blog

Posts Tagged: "Fall 2023"

VIRAL MOMENTS AT MILAN FASHION WEEK FALL 2023

- - Fashion Shows

Looks from Fendi’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Shutterstock)

Ciao Bella! Milan Fashion Week wrapped up after an exciting world-wind of beautifully crafted creations. The 6-day extravaganza (shows began on Tuesday, Feb 21st and ended on Monday, Feb 27th) was another fashion viral sensation that took over everyone’s social media feeds. But before we dive into Milan’s most viral moments, let’s take a look back in time of how it all began:

  • Milan Fashion Week, also known as Settimana della Moda, is one of the most important fashion events in the world. It is held twice a year in Milan, Italy, and showcases the latest collections from some of the most famous fashion designers in the world.
  • The history of Milan Fashion Week dates back to 1958, when the first Italian fashion show was held in the historic Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The show was organized by Giovanni Battista Giorgini, an Italian entrepreneur who wanted to promote Italian fashion on an international scale.
  • In 1979, the Italian Fashion Chamber (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana) was founded, to coordinate and promote the country’s fashion industry. Milan was chosen as the location for the new organization’s headquarters and the city quickly became the center of Italian fashion.
  • The first official Milan Fashion Week was held in 1985, and has since become one of the most important events on the global fashion calendar. Milan Fashion Week showcases the latest trends in clothing, footwear, and accessories from top Italian designers, such as Versace, Gucci, Prada, and Armani.
  • Over the years, Milan Fashion Week has grown in size and scope, attracting fashion editors, buyers, and celebrities from all over the world. The event is now a major economic driver for the city of Milan, generating millions of euros in revenue each year.
  • Milan Fashion Week has also played an important role in promoting Italian fashion and design. The event has helped to establish Italy as a global fashion hub and has contributed to the country’s reputation for quality craftsmanship and innovation.
  • In February of 2020 Milan Fashion Week took place before the pandemic hit Europe, but the February 2021 edition was entirely digital due to the ongoing health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on Milan Fashion Week, as it did on the fashion industry as a whole.

Backstage at Jil Sander’s Fall 2023 Show. (Photo Credit: Acielle/StyleDuMonde)

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Milan Fashion Week continued to be a platform for showcasing the latest trends in fashion and design. The resilience and creativity of the fashion industry was on display as designers adapted to the new reality and found innovative ways to connect with their audience.

Backstage at Moschino’s Fall 2023 Show. (Photo Credit: Acielle/ StyleDuMonde)

Today, Milan Fashion Week is back in full force and to quote the 1991 Queen song…The Show Must Go On!

MILAN FASHION WEEK 2023 MAKES A SPLASH

A look from Gucci’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Complex)

Gucci’s Fall 2023 collection was entrusted to their in-house studio team and they did not disappoint. The team sent out looks inspired by several chapters of the brand’s history, with plenty of sexy Tom Ford-isms and a few of charming Alessandro Michele’s codes mixed in. The team also dug through the archives and re-created Tom Ford’s 2003 horsebit handbags, however this season the bag got an oversized update in bold colors.

Looks from Prada’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

A look from Prada’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Inspired by acts of kindness, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showed their softer side for their Fall 2023 Prada collection. Paying homage to nurses’ uniforms, the duo featured white skirts in duchesse, organza, satin, and velour, with wedding-inspired floral embellishments as part of every-day outfits. A passementerie bonanza!

Looks from Bottega Venetta’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

This is Matthieu Blazy’s third outing for Bottega Veneta, proving he makes deeply desirable clothes that are sophisticated, chic, and yet oh so playful. For Fall 2023, Blazy looked to the streets for inspiration and the results were stellar.

A look from Avavav’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Avavav)

Beate Karlsson, the designer behind the label Avavav, used her fashion show as a commentary on fashion and its relationship with wealth, fakeness and failure. For her sophomore Milan runway presentation, the designer had the clothes literally tearing and coming apart from the model’s body. A study of fashion’s seriousness and ideas around bad quality and shame.

A look from Sunnei’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Sunnei)

Who doesn’t love a good fashion stunt. This season Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, the design duo behind the label Sunnei, had their models walk on elevated platform runway, turn their back and drop into the audience as they crowd-surfed, concert style. Talk about audience participation!

A look from GCDS’ Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Accessories were all the rage at CGDS’s show, as Guiliano Calza showed metallic chrome boots, bags with telephone-shaped handles, and cat-shaped crystal balls.“The collection relies on the face-off of the sweet and the darkly seductive, with accessories blowing the claws of domestic felines to human proportions, turning them into sensual weapons,” the show notes said of the shows. Meow!

Diesel’s Fall 2023 Runway. (Photo Credit: Diesel)

Sex sells. And no one knows that better than Diesel’s Glenn Martens as the designer’s runway set featured a giant pile of boxed condoms in the middle of the space — 200,000 Durex condoms to be exact. Even some of the Diesel’s looks also featured the Durex logos. Talks about product placement!

Backstage at Tomo Koizumi’s Fall 2023 Show. (Photo Credit: WWD)

Japanese wunderkind Tomo Koizumi made his Milan Fashion Week debut this season. Known for his exaggerated tulle confections, the designer showed off his knack for manipulating tulle into colorful, couture gowns. Koizumi is the latest emerging designer to show at Milan thanks to Dolce & Gabbana’s program.

Kim Kardashian at Dolce & Gabanna’s Fall 2023 Show. (Photo Credit: Red Carpet Fashion Awards)

Speaking of Dolce & Gabbana, Kim Kardashian rocked the label’s sexy looks throughout Milan. This season, Kim became the latest spokesperson and model for the Italian luxury house.

Ferragamo’s golden shoe on the Fall 2023 Runway. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

For his second collection for Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis looked to the 1950s for inspiration. “It’s how Ferragamo started, making shoes for films in the 1930s, and that grew into building relationships with movie stars like Sophia Loren and Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s,” he explained to Vogue. But the archival style he brought back had a more obscure provenance; it was originally created for a private Australian customer in 1956 and was actually gilded in 18 carat gold. On the runway Davis recreated the shoe with his signature angled heel—and wearable materials.

Looks from Roberto Cavalli’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: WWD)

Fausto Puglisi, the designer behind Roberto Cavalli’s Fall 2023 collection, created a patchwork hippie denim collection that was a denim lover’s dream.

Do you have a fav Milan Fashion Week moment?

VIRAL MOMENTS AT LONDON FASHION WEEK FALL 2023

- - Fashion Shows

Looks from Nensi Dojaka’s Fall 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Acielle StyleDuMonde)

It’s a wrap. London Fashion Week had one of its strongest seasons in years. In pure British style, the 5-day world-wind (Feb 17 – 21) combined a funeral, an awards show, the ‘coming out’ of Kate and William, designer debuts and some really great fashion shows. Held twice a year, London Fashion Week (LFW) is one of the most prestigious events in the fashion industry, showcasing the latest creations of some of the world’s most talented designers. LFW has been a major part of the global fashion calendar for over three decades and this year it became a British lollapalooza!

But first some history: London Fashion Week was first established in 1984, organized by the British Fashion Council (BFC) as a response to the dominance of Paris and Milan in the fashion world. The event was initially held in a West London car park, and featured just a handful of British designers, such as Jasper Conran and Betty Jackson. Over the years, London Fashion Week grew in popularity and stature, attracting a wider range of designers and international attention. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it became a platform for emerging talent, with designers like Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney making their debuts. In 2009, London Fashion Week was merged with the London Fashion Weekender, a consumer-focused event that allowed members of the public to see fashion shows and buy clothes directly from designers. This move aimed to make fashion more accessible and inclusive to a wider audience.

In recent years, London Fashion Week has continued to evolve and innovate. It has embraced new technologies, such as live-streaming and social media, to reach a global audience (which was extremely useful during COVID-19 lockdowns). It has also become a major platform for sustainable and ethical fashion, with many designers using environmentally-friendly materials and production processes.

Looks from Erdem’s Fall 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Acielle StyleDuMonde)

LFW now attracts thousands of visitors from around the world, including industry professionals, journalists, celebrities, and fashion enthusiasts. It remains an important event in the global fashion calendar, showcasing the creativity and diversity of British fashion.

A FUNERAL

Left To Right: Kate Moss, Helen Bonham Carter, Victoria Beckham, and Will Young all attended the late Vivienne Westwood’s memorial service. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)London Fashion Week kicked off in a somber mood as prominent guests in the fashion world gathered to pay their final respects at the funeral of the late Dame Vivienne Westwood which took place on Thursday 16 February at Southwark Cathedral in London. The funeral was a star-studded event where actress Helena Bonham Carter delivered the eulogy and Chrissie Hynde performed. The Cathedral was packed with Westwood’s family and friends as well as plenty of fashion industry guests included Marc Jacobs, Kate Moss, Tracey Emin, Victoria Beckham, Paul Smith, Zandra Rhodes, Bella Freud, Stephen Jones, Matty Bovan, and Ellen von Unwerth. Many guests paid tribute to the late Westwood as they followed one of Westwood’s many mottos, “When in doubt, dress up!” And dressed up they were, as they streamed into the Gothic cathedral in their finery to pay their final respects to the pioneering designer and activist, who died Dec. 29 at age 81.

AN AWARDS SHOW & A ROYAL PDA MOMENT 

Kate Middleton’s cheeky gesture to Prince William as they walk the BAFTAs red carpet. (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The Prince and Princess of Wales had a rare PDA Moment (public display of affection) at the BAFTAs (British Academy of Film & Television Award), which took place on Sunday, February 19th. The royals made sure to hold hands while walking down the red carpet and at one point the Princess playfully tapped William’s lower back as the paparazzi went wild. Princess Kate, who is a master at high-low dressing, looked stunning in a reworked Grecian Alexander McQueen gown (which she first debuted at the 2019 BAFTAs), paired with black gloves, and a pair of Zara earrings.

DESIGNER DEBUTS & HIGH BROW FASHION SHOWS 

A look from Burberry’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Daniel Lee debuted his Burberry collection by sailing into uncharted territory with more terrific color (case in point, cobalt blue) and faux fur than the heritage brand has seen in its 167-year history. Lee’s new vision for the iconic British house came laced with an appropriately cheeky duck motif. “The ducks I just found very British,” he explained backstage after the show to Vogue Magazine. “It made me think of the outdoors, and Burberry is an outdoors brand. It reminded me of rain, and protection.” After all, raincoats are in the brand’s DNA.

Looks from S.S.Daley’s Fall 2022 Collection, Right, Sir Ian McKellen. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

S.S. Daley’s collection for Steven Stokey-Daley was pure theatre. For Daley’s menswear show, he enlisted British actor Sir Ian McKellen (Shakespeare, popular fantasy and science fiction), who opened the show reading a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (of Ulysses and The Charge of the Light Brigade fame), a wildly unexpected surprise. AND OH SO HIGH-BROW!

A look from Simone Rocha’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Vogue)

Inspired by Lughnasadh, an Irish harvest festival with pagan origins, designer Simone Rocha turned her presentation into a ritual. The designer created beautiful lace gowns and crinolines that were stuffed with raffia.

A look from Dilara Findikoglu’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: GoRunway)

Turkish designer Dilara Findikoglu staged a fashion show entitled “Not a Man’s Territory,” which she stated came together after the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini in Iran late last year. The finale creation was Joan of Arc reincarnated, she told Vogue in an interview, “She’s coming back for revenge, dresses as she wants. And she has her knives.”

Looks from JW Anderson’s Fall 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Acielle StyleDuMonde)

This season Jonathan Anderson was inspired by the Scottish dancer/choreographer Michael Clark. Looking through Clark’s archive, Anderson decided he needed to look through his own archives as well. The result, a collection that brings together costume details from Clark’s performances mixed with details from early JW Anderson collections. Overall, it was a cosmic dancer delight.

Looks from Christopher Kane’s Fall 2022 Collection. (Photo Credit: Glamsquad)

Christopher Kane sent out a series of slinky jersey dresses, printed with hyperrealistic images of piglets, rats, and chicks – talk about animal magnetism.

Florence Pugh modeling a look from Harris Reed’s Fall 2023 Collection. (Photo Credit: Launchmetrics)

Florence Pugh knows how to make an entrance. So, who better than the bona fide red carpet star herself to open Harris Reed’s theatrical Fall 2023 show? The actress wore a harlequin sequin skirt with a thigh-high slit, a black corset top and a massive halo headpiece. Pugh set the tone for the event with a speech written by Reed about the transformative power of clothes. “In a sometimes judgmental world, our costumes can change who we want to be seen as, and who we are destined to be,” she said. “I invite you to embrace the lamé and sequins of life, because all the world’s a stage.” Reed offered ten beautifully detailed looks dripping in sartorial theatrics.

So tell us, what was your favorite moment from London Fashion Week?