The latest Milan fashion week was all about rebirth and new beginnings. Sabato De Sarno presented his highly anticipated first collection at Gucci, characterised by clean lines with a return to normality with subdued colours and understated fabrics, while Peter Hawkings debuted at Tom Ford, playing with the founder’s glam and sensual aesthetics. Both brands showcased short hemlines and an almost naked appeal, with the idea of not wearing being a central theme during the whole fashion week, if not the fashion month.
Milanese Minimalism as a Return to the Bare Essence?
A new naked minimalism has been seen in myriad ways. At Prada, light chiffon dresses floated as models swept by, while hot pants proved a favourite at Max Mara, Gucci and Bally among the main ones. The dresses came in maxi when made of transparent fabric, and mini when featuring opaque materials. Some looks were embellished with fringes, ties and trains. Italian brands made extensive use of crystals, especially in footwear, bold colours albeit tending towards pastels, and impactful tailoring with narrow waists and sharp shoulders, as seen at Versace.
Let’s find out the hottest trends from the latest Milan fashion week – and how they will influence our wardrobe choices for Spring-Summer 2024.
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Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Hot Pants
From left to right, a look by Bally, a velvet outfit by Tom Ford's Peter Hawkings, two ensembles from Sabato De Sarno's debut collection at Gucci
You either love them or hate them. In summer, hot pant trends make micro shorts increasingly desirable.
The most iconic look was the one seen at Bally, where the creative director, Simone Bellotti, emphasised leather tailoring, as he proposed them with blazers and ballet flats.
Max Mara brought hot pants to the catwalk with classic heels and oversized sweaters, while Tom Ford’s Peter Hawkings focused on velvet, silk and very defined tailoring.
At Gucci, we saw them as imagined by Sabato De Sarno in every combination of fabric and colour, ready to jump into your closet, helping you create your next favourite outfit.
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Go Big or Go Home: It’s All About Oversized Shirts – and How to Style Them
From left to right, a look from Walter Chiapponi's last collection for Tod's, an outfit by Matthieu Blazy for Bottega Veneta, an ensemble by Fendi's Kim Jones and a look by MM6 Maison Margiela
Oversized shirts are a must, both on the catwalk and for the long A-list of celebrities sitting in the front row. One of the 5 Spring-Summer 2024 trends to watch out for, this item can be adapted to your style, whatever it may be.
Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy has imagined a chic ensemble, combining the shirt with a wide fringed skirt in a very trendy pastel colour.
The simplicity of an elegant white shirt paired with leather trousers intrigued Kim Jones at Fendi, while designer Walter Chiapponi reimagined the look by creating a cotton poplin tunic that perfectly complements loose trousers, as seen in his latest runway show at the creative helm of Tod’s.
Another interesting take on the classic shirt was seen in the collection of MM6 Maison Margiela, where the creative team used oversized shirts for tailored looks that didn’t aim for perfection.
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Adorned in Crystals – Upon Crystals
From left to right, a look by Sabato De Sarno for Gucci, Claudia Schiffer in a Versace dress, an ensemble by Prada, and a Moschino look by French fashion icon Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele
Knowing how to dose crystals is a gift, as is how to dose them to create a casual outfit suitable for everyday life. The combination of Giorgio Armani trousers with a crystal dress is a great inspiration for an elegant, quintessentially Armani-style evening outfit. At Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons opted for crystal-studded knitwear, adding decorative details such as belts with metallic fringes and perforated eyelets.
Queen of glamour Donatella Versace was inspired by the fuses the swinging 60s and her brother Gianni’s 90s, revisiting checkerboard styles and supermodels. She chose German supermodel Claudia Schiffer, who made her comeback to the catwalk closing the Spring-Summer 2024 Versace show in a “close-fitting mint green and silver metal mesh column dress with a checkerboard pattern - a motif launched by the house for its Spring/Summer 1982 collection,” as Vogue France stated.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Moschino invited four stylists to interpret the legacy of founder Franco Moschino – a good way to mark the occasion when their creative director seat is still empty after Jeremy Scott left his role a few months ago. Alongside the mini-collections by Katie Grand, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, and Lucia Liu, French fashion icon Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele also presented her proposal – she unveiled a sleeveless top made of dazzling stones, worn with black shorts and sparkling accessories.
At Gucci, we saw a bright orange mini-dress with crystals in mesh paired with a Jackie bag filled with precious gems.
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Have Broad Shoulders and Go Forward
From left to right, a look by MSGM, an outfit by Philosophy’s Lorenzo Serafini, and a look by Prada
Whether balanced by a narrow waist, emphasised by tailoring, or combined with bias cuts, boulder shoulders remain a staple for Spring-Summer 2024. At MSGM, Massimo Giorgetti focused on a tailored tartan blazer, which makes the shoulders even more evident. Prada’s Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons duo went for a tailored silhouette with broad shoulders as their starting point, sometimes paired with short shorts and a marked waist. Finally, Philosophy’s Lorenzo Serafini came up with strong shoulders in a comfortable version, with a soft-line suit appropriate for both everyday and evening occasions.
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A New VIP (Very Popular Pantone) in the Making
From left to right, a look by Versace, two outfits by Sabato De Sarno's debut collection for Gucci
Hey, Pantone team: a new signature colour is going mainstream in Milan. Burgundy is an iconic, long-loved colour in both the beauty and apparel industries, but it had never taken centre stage at Milan Fashion Week until now.
Sabato De Sarno reinvented Gucci classics such as the monogram and introduced Gucci Rosso Ancora, described as “a deep and rich shade of oxblood, just a few shades darker than the middle stripe in Gucci’s signature tri-stripe motif”. The colour was inspired by the interiors of the Savoy Hotel, where founder Guccio Gucci used to work in London.
But dark red was not exclusive to Gucci; while Versace’s blazers are making their way into the brand’s modern fashion lexicon, burgundy was a popular choice for a must-have leather style for Spring-Summer 2024.
To sum it up, at Milan Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2024, designers were torn between looking back at the past with nostalgia and celebrating the sensuality and evolution of fashion.
Agnese Pasquinelli
Fashion Business, Digital Communication & Media student, 3rd year, Milan
