Before anything, I want to apologize for the brief hiatus. The holiday season left me unable to post ample content. But I am back and have a bunch of cool content I look forward to sharing with you all. The first of these being fashion week reviews. From now on I will do as many write ups as my schedule allows me, and share my opinion on the new collections that brands come out with each fashion week.
To kick it off, this past week’s Milan Fashion Week.
From January 9th – 14th many companies premiered their 2020 Autumn/Winter Collection. With these new collections came a wide range of looks. While some brands stuck to their roots and delivered traditional styles, others stepped out of the box and did quite a bit of experimenting. For some, keeping it simple and true to self prevailed. For others, their efforts to step out of the box were just not “it”. After viewing all of the collections, many of which I did and did not like, I narrowed it down to my favorite and least favorite.
Worst Collection: Marni
Going into their 26th year, Marni wanted to tune into their dark side with this collection. The OTB Group owned brand performed a dance orchestrated by Italian choreographer Michelle Rizzo. This made for a show that was entertaining yet distracting from the collection itself. Marni’s Creative Director, Francesco Risso, noted inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe’s book The Masque of the Red Death. Although he made a valiant effort, the collection itself was far from stellar. Risso experimented with bisected coats, cropped polos and oversized fits but ultimately fell short on executing a sufficient Autumn/Winter collection. That earned Marni, in my opinion, the worst collection in Milan Fashion Week.
Worst Piece: MSGM
MSGM tried dabbling with their dark side as well. Instead of written work, MSGM’s Founder and Creative Director Massimo Giorgetti found his muse in horror films by Italian director, Dario Argento. This collection included carcoats, floral prints and western bow ties. What ruined it for me was when they tried to incorporate Mario Kart’s purple piranha plant onto their floral prints!
This button down is far from “it”, and the addition of a bolo tie was the final straw. Despite the rest of the collection having the occasional decent look, MSGM should’ve kicked this one to the curb.
Best Collection: Tom Ford
There is a lot to be excited about in this Tom Ford collection, but what first struck my eyes was the color. All models were shot behind a bright pink background that compliments all the clothing. Ford frequented gleaming colors on many of its pieces including the trousers, coats and ties. But what sold me was the styling. Each individual piece complimented each other and there was a fair amount of nifty accessories. Some of these included iPhone and Airpods cases. All in all, Tom Ford delivered on every aspect of this collection and presented chic fashion-forward looks that can be sported by men of all ages.
Best Look: Neil Barrett
Crowning a best look was difficult. Far too much went into this decision, but I kept to a specific criteria for coming to this conclusion. First off, the entire outfit needed to be cohesive. If there is a great piece that is styled poorly with the rest of the outfit, it both takes away from that garment and could reflect poorly on the styling team. Second, I need to have never seen anything like it before. It comes as no surprise that much of today’s fashion is recycled. This creates for a lot of experimentation, mixing and matching different styles to achieve the ultimate goal: a feeling of luxury. Lastly, the piece must have the right colors. Color is arguably the most important factor. On several occasions, I have thought pieces would look better in different colors. But for my favorite look this was not the case. Everything just came together perfectly. For me, this was the seventh look of Neil Barrett’s new collection.
This look is complete due to the garment and accessories’ proportions relative to the model’s physique. Notice that the hoodie/cardigan hybrid extends to just above the knee and the tote reaches ankle length. This provides balance between the top and bottom halves of the outfit. The tote bag I have actually never seen in this shape and size. But it works! It looks professional and realistic with both work attire and a casual weekend outfit for a day out. On top of stellar styling and avant-garde accessories, Neil Barrett brought the outfit together with effortless color coordination. The mid cut black boots with an exposed white sock trim match the oversized hoodie/cardigan hybrid’s color scheme. These socks’ trim also matches the banded button down shirt.
All in all this fashion week brought me mixed emotions. While I was happy with some looks and collections, I did leave wanting more. There just were not quite enough complete collections to leave me content with this fashion week. I’ll be looking forward to Paris Fashion Week for more substance. Milan Fashion Week’s Final Rating: 6/10.
Baker's Rebellion 