If a lot of the fashions being shown this week in Milan seemed a little too much, Bottega Veneta stood out for quiet, but ultimately captivating chic, hinged on handsome tailoring and sumptuous, eye-catching accessories.

Making his debut as creative director of the brand — he was promoted from ready-to-design director following the ouster of Daniel Lee — Matthieu Blazy did not make the hard U-turn some expected.

There were still runway fireworks — a pair of fiery orange furry platforms, and dramatic leather circle skirts with crinolines of stiff fringe swishing beneath the hems. Yet most of the clothes registered as conservative and timeless, with subtle but interesting design features, like the sensational navy peacoat with its boomerang sleeves and rounded back, or the cropped pants with the hems sloped forward to exalt the towering platform pumps and to convey Blazy’s idea of craft in motion.

“A silhouette that really expresses the idea of motion, because Bottega is in essence a bag company. So you are going somewhere, you’re not staying home,” he explained backstage.

He also cited a wish to “give a place back to the idea of tailoring, especially in Italy.…I think it’s a nice alternative to loungewear.”

Blazy opened his display with a palate-cleansing outfit — a white tank top and jeans — that seemed more in tune with his previous job at Calvin Klein, where he worked as a design director under Raf Simons, who was among the guests seated on cubes of crushed metal topped with black leather cushions.

The press notes clarified that that the pants were not denim, but “a printed, supple nubuck, startlingly realized.” Blazy repeated the visual trick with striped men’s business shirts worn as short dresses over thigh boots. These too were made of printed nubuck, which in retrospect explains their sturdy appearance and underscored the designer’s vision of luxury as the “private pleasure of ‘quiet power,’ something felt, rather than seen.”

The designer works in a minimalist vein with usually a single visual flourish: short tank dresses came gently padded at the top, or sprouted stiff sprigs of leather fringe at the collarbone, while longer styles had ballooning skirts that were deflated on one side via a side slit.

The men’s collection was more firmly rooted in the classics and focused on outerwear: double-breasted topcoats generously proportioned and leather trenchcoats boasting demonstrative closures. The house’s signature woven leather — intrecciato — was worked into boxy clutch bags, unorthodox and hardly leak-proof hip waders, and his or hers double bucket bags slung over the shoulder like Jack and Jill might carry pails of water.

Backstage after the show, Kering honcho François-Henri Pinault put his arm around Blazy’s shoulder, and celebrities including Julianne Moore, Neneh Cherry and Tracee Ellis Ross lined up to embrace him.

Here is a designer who is unapologetic about addressing a more mature customer.

“You know, it’s very important to think about who wears what, and who has the money to afford it,” he told reporters in a scrum, leaning forward to speak into the bouquet of iPhones thrust at him. “I like the idea of being able to dress my parents, and that if they come to Bottega, they can find a coat. I’m really against this idea of just youth.” — Miles Socha

Giorgio Armani paraded his signature fall collection without music in light of the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, a voiceover explained before the lights went up at the designer’s intimate, subterranean runway theater on Via Borgonuova.

The designer, one of the first to scuttle in-person shows amid waves of the coronavirus pandemic, certainly knows how to read the room.

The silence somehow accentuated the plushness and delicacy of his clothes, so many of them carved from velvet this season. Even the intricately beaded flapper dresses for evening, which lapped over slim pants glowing like a tin of caviar, made scarcely a tinkle.

In a Milan season rife with overcharged power dressing, Armani stuck to a soft sell, his men’s jackets snug and short with the attitude of a cardigan — when they weren’t replaced altogether by cardigans, or fleece shirt jackets with glossy utility pockets. Pegged trousers often came up short over the hefty footwear with lug or platform soles.

Women’s tailoring had that same languid ease, with small shoulders and waists, alternating between metallic brocades and light-absorbing velvets, or some combination of the two.

The designer cited his passion for Art Deco in the show notes, and this was felt in all the gleaming black and silvery surfaces, the geometric brocades and the Jazz Age vibe of a shaggy faux-fur coat in black and white, or the shades of blue arching on a long puffer coat, also done up in velvet.

Soft and sparkly pants, occasionally tucked into high sparkly boots, seemed to be Armani’s big statement for fall, even worn under spangled dresses.

But for stars likely to appear in front

of a podium this awards season, there were a few winners with above-the waist appeal thanks to intricately beaded spaghetti tops.

While at times overly busy — the ubiquitous velvet even appearing as vests tightly wrapped under business suits — the collection felt in tune with these perilous times with its restrained attitude rooted in soft power.

“There is no skirt that is comparable to the modernity of pants,” Armani told a post-show press conference. — Miles Socha

With the power-dressing craze gripping Milan, the Jil Sander show offered a soothing reprieve.

In a venue reminiscent of an artist’s atelier, with plush curtains and replicas of ancient Greek statues scattered at the center, Lucie and Luke Meier explored a gentler kind of dressing based on their unique interpretation of tailoring and femininity. It was beautiful.

The Meiers chiseled couture-like silhouettes in double-breasted jackets and coats in wool and boucle fabrics. Instead of going for the big shoulders, they opted for a more obliging hourglass-y shape, which felt fresh, particularly as blazers with short skirts peeking out from underneath.

With the same sculptural approach, they etched sophisticated, curved volumes into the bell-like sleeves of coats, in charming short capes with button details on the shoulders, and in satin padded jackets cinched at the waist. Even quilted outerwear was elevated with a poetic touch by the designers’ expert hands, reworking it with balloon sleeves and printing it with hand-drawings of zodiac signs, reprising a flourish from their men’s collection paraded in Paris last month.

More feminine than usual, the lineup included short dresses with bows — stripped of their girly appeal thanks to the purity of their lines — and fluid frocks, either graciously draped or cut in elongated silhouettes with deep necklines. Contrasting surfaces, swinging from guipure lace to crafty and furry knits, added to the artisanal feel.

What stood out was the duo’s ability to inject dynamism in all these elements, as textures looked substantial but moved lightly. They covered bodies with softness and ultimately conveyed an effortless allure.

“It’s all about the elegance,” Lucie Meier said backstage. But it’s also about revealing how much strength there can be in delicacy. There’s no need to scream confidence to show it. — Sandra Salibian

The return of power dressing has been a big story this Milan Fashion Week, and Donatella Versace spiked hers with a fierce sexiness  plus a dash of kink.

Her vast runway set, all glossy red like a fresh coat of nail polish or a new Ferrari, was a slick companion to the latex leggings that underpinned nearly half the exits. They were skinny counterpoints to the oversize, strong-shouldered tailoring that occasionally brought to mind recent Balenciaga, including the opening look, the model a near ringer for Kim Kardashian West and all almost entirely encased in black. (T-shirts declaring “I (heart) You But I’ve Chosen Versace” were also reminiscent of Demna Gvasalia’s wry slogans, especially during his Vetements days.)

The corseted waists, however, were pure Versace, incorporated into clingy jersey dresses and sculptural puffer jackets, or worn as bare little tops under cropped parkas, and those boxy blazers.

Micro miniskirts with chain belts added to the ‘90s mood, and got as much airtime as long, clingy jersey tube skirts or dresses, with full, low-slung pants a third option.

Heavily winged black eye makeup hardened the soft features of Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski and heightened the goth glamour of shaggy tweed suits and dresses in houndstooth patterns, bomber jackets in poufed, couture-like shapes and the sky-high, pointy-toed pumps with their double-layer platforms.

Coed fashion shows seem to be waning, with Gucci parading mostly menswear earlier in the day, and Versace focused solely on womenswear, the backbone of the Milanese house.

For the finale, scrims running the length of the runway rose slowly to reveal all the models in groups of five and striking poses reminiscent of that famous Peter Lindbergh shoot depicting the supermodels of yore as a girl gang. Power dressing, indeed. — Miles Socha

Ferrari went all out to stage its first show in Milan, setting up what could arguably be one of the longest catwalks ever inside a huge pavilion at Fiera Milano City, where the red and yellow lighting effects were conceived to recreate the luxury brand’s storied assembly line in Maranello. It was impressive, as was the collection.

Chairman John Elkann’s aim is to place Ferrari’s apparel in the uber-luxury range to reflect the brand’s own positioning, staying away from clever merchandising and logoed caps. With his second collection for the brand, Rocco Iannone succeeded in achieving this goal, presenting sophisticated couture-like cuts and tailoring techniques blended with technological innovations, which may have been less visible from afar but certainly make a difference for a Ferrari customer. Case in point: a white cashmere coat with contoured shoulders defined by meticulous stitching and flat-felled seams. The logo was not entirely absent from the coed lineup and popped up on a black hoodie, for example, but it was generally cleverly disguised in the lettering on a leather puffer jacket, or a series of yellow loop sweaters and little black dresses.

Not surprisingly, speed was the starting point for Iannone, as was the Futuristic movement, embodied by a camouflage print obtained by breaking down the silhouette of Ferrari’s signature prancing horse, its parts enlarged and colored in bright red, blue and black combinations.

Other graphic prints derived from thermal scanner grids, while an abstract motif was created from a hologram of the logo and an enlarged photo of technical filaments. A jacquard jacket made of fibers derived from recycled plastic bottles and woven with “glow in the dark” yarns was eye-catching.

Pencil shape skirts came with adjustable metal zippered slits or flared out at the hem. Zip details added edge to coats in leather or shearling. Cargo trousers were coated with black crystals while suits and jackets in carbon fiber, as well as iridescent looking tailored suits in metallic fabrics, added glitter to the runway.

“There is cross-pollination in tailoring, which is no longer the classic tailoring of yore. Traditional labeling is over,” said Iannone, who showed jackets worn over drill cotton cargo jogger pants.

Elkann said before the show that Sunday would be cause for a double celebration, since it was also Iannone’s birthday. To be sure, the show was a good way to mark the day. — Luisa Zargani

Salvatore Ferragamo design director Guillaume Meilland is determined to take the brand in a more modern, casual-luxe, gender-fluid direction. At the fall 2022 presentation, there wasn’t a bow in sight.

To be expected, accessories were front and center, but they were trend-right, rugged, lug sole hiker and combat boots, as well as a new running shoe with rainbow soles referencing Ferragamo’s iconic 1938 shoes.

The brand debuted a utilitarian soft, foldover bucket bag with studded base, and a half-moon bag with a chunky leather chain that was a motif throughout, and a little too reminiscent of Jonathan Anderson.

The 36 coed looks also played off the brand’s leather goods heritage in fun ways, with 1960s-inspired leather button-front minis and a gorgeous green leather A-line coat borrowing hardware from Ferragamo bags.

Meilland mixed in plenty of texture with a feathery looking black sleeveless top of shaved, lacerated shearling, worn over blue duchesse silk trousers, for example, as well as on cable knit knit sweaters and long john pants.

But there was a practical lightness to a flirty red, weightless knit ruffled keyhole tank, a draped knit tunic that looked great over pants, and a poncho made from two wool cashmere scarves.

Meilland referenced workwear in Dickies-like chinos made from cotton silk, and a pair of wool overalls.

“The idea is if you know your heritage, you can take it further,” he said. “But everything is informed by function and I think that’s right for a brand like Ferragamo.”

The brand has had many iterations and the current one is still being written under new chief executive editor Marco Gobbetti. But this season, Meilland did a good job of bringing Ferragamo into the fashion conversation without being overly referential of the brand’s past.

— Booth Moore

“No rules — we’ve had enough rules for too long. Freedom!” said Dan Caten after the Dsquared2 show, summarizing the mood of the fall collection.

In sync with the male offering unveiled last month, the women’s lineup embraced a traveling theme that hinged on layering and a marriage of vibrant patterns and rich textures. But it turns out the Dsquared2 woman travels more lightly than her fellow mate.

The Catens breathed a sense of ease in the eclectic looks, which somehow appeared more linear and simplified compared to recent efforts. Is this the twins’ first step into an uncharted land?

“It’s a new energy — it’s young, it’s modern,” said Dean Caten, defining the muse of the season as a bohemian traveler.

The new vibe was set with a cool show opener that had a fluid skirt mixing prints and tulle worn over baggy denim pants and paired with a striped knit. Layered yes, but also easy-breezy.

As the lineup progressed, the designers splashed graphic patterns on silk dresses and embroidered mini pompoms on tulle frocks; mixed denim separates with tartan kilts in different lengths and hues; cut velvet pants in loose shapes and elongated the silhouettes of colorful cardigans, and knit dresses to convey a laid-back attitude. Great shearling aviator jackets, puffers in different proportions and blankets in checkered motifs offered a sense of protection without weighing down the nonchalant designs.

The color palette of earthy tones and pastel-hued accents contributed to the relaxed appeal of the collection, which refreshingly traded Dsquared2’s usual boldness for harmony, still irradiating a positive and youthful energy.

— Sandra Salibian

Massimo Giorgetti reached for the stars with his fall collection, using a new, darker palette and emphasizing Italian embroidery and craft, in a break from his visually bold, pop color and print collections of the past.

“In January, NASA discovered a new star, and I was completely obsessed,” the designer said backstage. “It was a coincidence because I wanted to do an intimate show in our new [headquarters], and I already had this theme. And when this star was discovered, I went crazy.”

Standing in front of his mood board, which included gorgeous photographs of the new stellar discovery, he spoke of his obsession with the 2011 sci-film “Melancholia,” with astrology and with Bjork, who was on the soundtrack and influenced the brand’s new logo, inspired by one of her album covers.

All of it made its way into the “Astrophilia” collection, in which Giorgetti left his streetwear past in a land far, far away, showing instead special, dressed-up pieces, each one sprinkled with star dust.

He scattered stars like confetti on the shoulders of oversize blazers and overcoats, adding a touch of glamour to the season’s power tailoring trend and layered an oversize star-patterned cardigan over a chic star cutout ribbon fringed skirt for a cozy touch.

Glitter coating on cargo pants, jeans and draped jersey tops upgraded the everyday. And while Giorgetti’s silver star sequin bodysuit, jingling pink star dress and cosmos-printed slipdress may not take you to space, they will definitely take you to a party.

“I wanted to do something a little elevated,” he said. “And if I’m being honest, I also wanted to do something a little less young.” — B.M.

It takes a lot of hubris to keep guests on their feet in the dark — literally — for 45 minutes waiting for a show to start.

Not to mention then staging a slow-moving runway procession, and when it got to be too much for some, not letting them exit. As in guards physically preventing them from leaving.

That was Marni, and it was a s–t show. Which is too bad, because what Francesco Risso had to say was quite interesting.

To stage his latest experiment in creative community and upcycling, he chose a cavernous, overgrown green space with a central rock formation (I swear I saw, or at least imagined, a snake). Everyone packed in around it, and some dude thought it would be the perfect moment to light a joint.

When the show did start, models pushed their way through holes in the crowd in their journey up over the rock, each with a guide to help light the way.

A metaphor for the human experience? Possibly. As the Ram Daas saying goes, “We’re all just walking each other home.”

The clothes were tattered and worn, with jeans and plaid trousers slashed all the way down the legs, a blush satin slip ripped into strips, and tailoring deliberately mended with sparkling threads.

The spiky rubber clogs and boots could be the next must-have fugly footwear. DIY knit balaclavas, upcycled biker jacket bonnets and twisted wire crown headpieces abounded. Hand-knit striped scarves dangled from cuffs and dragged on the ground.

It was like a school play in the best — and worst — way.

Afterward, the models made their way outside to a blue sand courtyard set for a bohemian banquet with cakes, grapes and Champagne. One woman jumped up on the table and started posing in her creamy slipdress pinned at the sides, her rubber cowboy boot crushing an aluminum ashtray.

Risso has developed an enviable community of collaborators, or “interpreters,” as he called them. And it turns out they codesigned the collection, bringing meaningful pieces from their own wardrobes to wear with the Marni pieces. Risso himself wore a tailcoat that belonged to his grandfather, along with a hand-knit scarf and horned crown.

“I love this mutual sharing of these objects, it creates this fragile armor. Things that are there in our wardrobe that we wear with such pride because they become the meaning of who we are. Sometimes we forget about them, but I get fascinated about how each person brought with them stories,” he said, keying into the season’s theme of DIY self-expression. “There’s a lot of mending, and bringing emotions and a sense of time to pieces. It’s the opposite of making something cold and dry and detached, it unities us in how we make it together.”

The virtues of co-creation, treasuring what you have instead of always running to the new and being yourself in your clothes could be the path to fashion enlightenment. If only it didn’t take so long to get there. — B.M.

A few hours before Trussardi debuted its first collection by GmbH design duo Serhat Işık and Benjamin A. Huseby, swashbuckling thigh boots were being ferried to the roof for spray-painting.

Squint a little at the run-of-show pinned to a board two flights down and you might think you are looking at avatars from some dystopian video game melding the medieval and the futuristic.

Suffice it to say, it’s a new day at the historic Milanese brand, founded 111 years ago, and now bristling with the underground energy and edgy tailoring that Berlin-based Işık and Huseby bring to the table.

Like the late founder Nicola Trussardi, who staged fashion shows in the Piazza Duomo and was always closely connected to Milan, the two designers said they closely studied what is being worn on the city’s streets today. The ubiquitous lightweight puffer jackets and skinny jeans revulsed them, and so they challenged themselves to create versions to their liking: the former transformed into a puckered blouson or a swallowtail coat; the latter erupting into flares, sprouting utility pockets and a waistband reminiscent of a castle’s battlement. Both seemed a little forced, but their proposed narrative for the brand — an interplay between fantasy and reality, history and the present — has promise.

The superhero shoulders echoed the power dressing gathering steam this season, as models whisked through the under-construction Trussardi boutique. Here was another show testing one’s physical endurance, the bone-shuddering music played loud enough to ripple the silvery panels lining the runway. One guest spotted ceiling plaster loosened by the sub bass; several plugged their ears.

The designers acknowledged the protective allure of their gloomy, mostly black Trussardi clothes, from the hoods worn by men and women — also a commentary on hijab prohibitions — to the imposing caftans that closed the show, trains dragging behind the models.

Wraparound mirrored sunglasses with the brand’s new ouroboros logo at the temples were undeniably cool. — Miles Socha

Backstage at the Palm Angels show, Francesco Ragazzi described the grand spectacle he mounted on the outskirts of Milan — filled with billboard images of the latest campaign shot by David Sims, palm trees suspended from a mirrored ceiling and Rod Stewart among the guests — as a “statement on who we are today, it’s about connecting the dots,” of our identity.

The designer has been enamored with youth subcultures all his life, and part of them rather than observing from the sidelines. One could tell it looking at the diverse and cool audience, everyone looked authentic in their skater-chic outfits.

For the fall coed show, the first in two years and the first during Milan’s women’s season, he sampled characters. “I feel like I’m doing a movie. There are characters I need to identify and I’m dressing them,” he said.

The cinematic production unfurled down a fictitious Sunset Boulevard in the after-hours, where Ragazzi’s cool strollers were clearly up for a thrift-shop hunt.

They wore bouclé tweed blazers; leopard-patterned velour track pants with sunset-colored sequined bombers; ‘70s tuxedo blazers dotted in crystals with ripped jeans; chunky knits bearing variations on the stars and stripes flag, and palm-printed pajama sets trimmed in fleece.

The eclectic mix — spring from disparate references from Kurt Cobain to Jamiroquai — was all in the name of individuality. When models crowded the industrial space for the finale, Ragazzi’s knack for conjuring an authentic vibe was on full display.

— Martino Carrera

The whoosh of white noise in outer space. A giant glowing orange sphere. A white sand landscape with a rolling robot camera bolting around at high speed. That was Ambush designer Yoon Ahn’s otherworldly vision brought to life on the runway for the first time.

Like something out of the film “Dune,” it was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. And soon you’ll be able to see it in the metaverse.

For all the buzz in fashion about NFTs and the metaverse, very little in the way of tech, even tech talk, has made it to Milan Fashion Week.

An exception was New Guards-backed Ambush, started by Ahn and hip-hop singer Verbal as a jewelry collection in 2008, which in 2016 expanded to ready-to-wear.

The precocious robot was filming the spectacle for Ambush Silver Fctry, the Ambush metaverse launching in March. Unlike other fashion projects in the space, the new world will exist on the web on its own, rather than as part of Decentraland, for example. (Info was available through a QR code at the show venue door.)

On the runway at least, the new world leader was Bella Hadid, strutting the planet surface with slicked back hair, wearing a black maxi coat nipped at the waist, a barely there mini and buckled thigh-high fetish boots.

“I want to present who these characters are,” Ahn said.

To clothe them, the designer homed in on elongated silhouettes, statement tailoring with near military precious and tactile outerwear with attitude. An oversize blazer with black leather bodice, and cargo jacket with leather collar, were particularly gorgeous, sharp but shaped at the waist for sex appeal.

In a season of so many shearlings, Ahn’s cropped flight jacket, shaped at the waist and with sweetheart collar, was a knockout. Cutout and twisted black jersey dresses and gowns had real sophistication, and the swinging wood beaded fringe on some added a handmade, artisanal quality to the future aesthetic.

In addition to twisted silver earrings, cuffs and collars, Ahn pushed her jewelry technique into clothing, on a chic silver chain mail tank dress, and into accessories; see the “A” chains adorning heart shaped bags.

Men’s padded leather vests, second-skin tops and moto pants completed Ahn’s 360-degree view. She’s building a compelling, future-thinking brand narrative; now it would seem, the sky’s the limit. — Booth Moore

The venue may have been more sleek and contained than in previous shows — an all-black box and no humongous sculptures, merry-go-round swings or a sea aquarium — but Philipp Plein still succeeded in creating quite the stage.

Plein presented his fall collection at the historic Palazzo Melzi d’Eril building that formerly housed Krizia’s headquarters and that will be the home of his first hotel, restaurant and club. He had images of glowing flames projected behind the slim mirrored runway, with his logo burning brightly. Models walked to thundering music and the fire motif was also reproduced on roomy sweaters for men. A lightning symbol embellished the lapels of a jacket worn over patent leather pants.

Plein’s diehard fans were not disappointed — one guest stood up for most of the show filming the models dancing and was finally grabbed and arm-wrestled to her seat. The designer offered his run-of-the-mill va-va-voom and heavily logoed looks, which this season included cardigans with jewel buttons worn as minidresses over thigh-high Latex boots and slipdresses with strategically placed cutouts. His signature bling was still there, with bedazzled sequined body-hugging short dresses and a gold knit dress. Plein’s women are unapologetically sexy, cue a white double-breasted jacket exposing the bare back.

The outerwear was strong for both men and women, with beautiful shearling and leather biker jackets — one in, ahem, flaming red was a standout.

Plein mixed sartorial men’s looks with a casual streak, such as a well-cut velvet tuxedo jacket over jogging pants, python biker jackets over distressed denim jeans or a tailored coat over a tracksuit.

He introduced an allover print featuring a range of wild animals, from giraffes to lions and hippos, with studded motifs that looked a bit fussy, but there were also a series of fun varsity jackets and cardigans adorned with imaginary basketball team logos and insignia, from Skulls to Bears and Scorpions.

Ahead of the show, Plein spoke enthusiastically of soon becoming a father. He meant it — he took his bow and then asked his partner to join him on the runway, kneeling down and softly kissing her belly. — Luisa Zargani

Here comes a sexier Philosophy. In an imaginary lush cabaret, its dense atmosphere marked by dim lights and languid live music, Lorenzo Serafini presented his noir take on seductiveness, decisively stepping toward a more daring territory.

In a season that has seen many brands exploring a darker side of their muses, turning girly attitudes into fiercer and more mature body-awareness, the brand added a layer of self-affirmation to the sensual narrative, opening the cast to different genders and body types.

Take the host of the night: French artist Luc Bruyère, aka Lucky Love, effortlessly sporting a look from the women’s label while performing an acoustic version of the 1968 Italian hit “La Bambola.” While in the original song Patty Pravo lamented the torments of being treated like a doll in the hands of her lover, Serafini overturned such a perspective with an empowering collection.

He first worked with proportions, designing strong shoulders either in rounded shapes — as seen on padded vinyl jackets and coats covered in a chain motif — or in pointy silhouettes, as introduced in second-skin dresses and marinière knits. Pointy bras peeping under soft cardigans added to the silhouettes and the overall retro flair, which swung between the ’20s and ‘40s.

Backstage, Serafini said he was inspired by Berlin cabarets during the Weimar Republic, with the seasonal mood board behind him filled with sensual illustrations of German artist Jeanne Mammen.

Just like in Mammen’s artwork, masculine and feminine elements blended in the collection, ranging from tuxedo blazers and pinstripe sartorial pants to transparent lace in long dresses and lingerie pieces. In his juxtaposition of textures, the designer also included billowy frocks with plunging slits and necklines, multicolored mohair knits and cool faux fur jackets in pink and baby blue statement hues.

Crystal fringe on cardigans and barely there crystal net dresses swinging at every stride catapulted the lineup into an extra glam zone, but even these sparkly elements couldn’t dent the intimate feeling Serafini poured into the collection.

— Sandra Salibian

Clothing with a positive message. That’s what Nigerian British designer, and 2022 LVMH Prize finalist Tokyo James is out to do. It’s refreshing.

“As a brand, I’m really interested in humanity,” he said backstage ahead of his first physical runway show in Milan, supported by the Camera della Moda. “We celebrate too many of our differences which is not important. We need to look at what brings us together.”

A former stylist and editor, James launched his line in 2015, challenging stereotypes associated with African fashion through edgy tailoring with a London rebel spirit, which has made fans of music stars Burna Boy, Naira Marley and Ghetts, who recently wore a custom Tokyo James suit to the Brit Awards.

This collection was about resilience, the designer said, and the strength within all of us to weather the ups and downs. As a  totem, he chose a frog. Yes, a frog.

“A frog symbolizes commonality because there’s a frog everywhere,” he laughed, explaining how the bright green, orange and blue hues were based on frogs around the world.

Spikey hair and fabric covered glasses set a punk tone for the co-ed collection, where James’ tailoring shined the most, on suits rendered in fuzzy mohair; in chartreuse silk buttoned to the side; with whimsical frog embroideries; with stripes of silver zipper pulls down the front, or ruching at the waist and back creating a slight bustle effect. Leather and mohair patchwork jeans and jean jackets also looked great.

Like frogs, football is another commonality, and through a partnership with Nike, James put soccer pleats on all his models, and upcycled several materials, using shoe laces as trim on a black strapless ruffled dress, and Nike high-top uppers as patches on a collectible-looking leather jacket.

The womenswear POV was less developed. Rather than sexy cutout dresses and metallic knits, his flair for tailoring could be pushed further on the feminine side. A gray coat dress with embroidered frogs on the bust was a strong example. — Booth Moore

Lavinia Biagiotti decided to hold her fall show at Rome’s Centrale Montemartini, the city’s first power plant dating back to 1912, which was converted into a museum in 1997. The location is impressive, as industrial and classic archeology meet in a contrast of beautiful marble statues, precious mosaics and the original diesel motors or the huge steam boiler.

The designer, whose company is based in Guidonia, outside Rome, has been highlighting several landmark locations in the Italian capital, such as the museum of the Ara Pacis or the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline Hill, and after her spring show at the Maxxi museum, she was fascinated by the Centrale Montemartini because she felt it could represent “the energy of beauty.”

“Too often, the beauty of a statue, of a dress, of a painting or of nature are imagined as static, as something to admire — the dress in a window, the statue in a museum — but I like the idea of bringing beauty in our daily life, in movement. Maybe because our clothes were hanging in our wardrobes for two years,” she explained. “Statues of the muses stand in this museum and fashion is a modern muse that renders woman and beauty central.”

Biagiotti filmed the runway show, which was unveiled digitally on Sunday during Milan Fashion Week, as she emphasized the connection with the city. Her friend Anna Cleveland opened the show wearing a flared and belted dress under a furry cashmere coat in an all-white — a signature color for the house, and here in sync with the hue of the statues. The mosaics of the venue inspired the pattern of another satin dress or a miniskirt. Gold was also a strong color for Biagiotti, seen in a braided cashmere top and ankle-length skirt.

Responding to the daily needs, there were also a number of tailored pinstriped suits and houndstooth dust coats, but Biagiotti knows it can’t be all work and no play and offered doll-like flounced and ruched evening dresses in taffeta juxtaposed with body-hugging goddess dresses. The collection reflected the designer’s evolution as she further extended her reach. — Luisa Zargani

In a strong and sleek collection, Ports 1961 artistic director Karl Templer put a fresh spin on wardrobe classics.

“An idea of a new generation of self-expression” inspired his approach, sparking the youthful vibe that ran through the lineup.

For example, Templer reinvigorated sartorial tropes with corseted tailoring — checking the box of a big trend in Milan — pairing it with frilled skater skirts that swooshed over models’ chunky boots.

Playing with contrasting textures and balancing masculine and feminine elements, he gentled tailored looks with Victorian-inspired shirt collars, or alternated them with lovely short dresses with frills and diaphanous frocks in longer lengths. As a counterpoint, he introduced denim jackets with sliced sleeves and functional puffers, both punctuated by military passementerie.

As Templer let his creativity travel between cities, he mixed the collection’s irreverent British attitude with a touch of French flair. Cue the cool Breton striped sweaters and knit dresses that enhanced the lineup’s graphic quality.

“It is no longer localized, it is global so you can interpret it how you want,” Templer said about his fashions and the cross-pollination of references. Certainly, the series of oversize chunky knits with thick braid motifs have a universal appeal: They were the most covetable pieces in this smart and wearable collection. — S.S.