From bourgeois to underground, the return of sensual dressing trickled down to the collection of younger names in Milan.
At CHB, the brand helmed by designer Christian Boaro, sensuality was a subtle affair. For fall he consciously carried on the message of his previous collections, aiming for consistency rather than newness. His were bourgeois ladies covered in exquisite tailoring (a silk duchesse coat was a standout), with lingerie-inspired lace tops peeking from underneath.
Slipdresses with a ‘90s feel in shimmering lilac silk and plunging V-necks mingled with suit vest-like tops leaving the back exposed, while crystal net frocks over lace spaghetti dresses were the most overtly revealing concoctions. Men, too, joined the no-gender play wearing faille capes over lace tank tops and matching gloves which also underpinned evening suits in iridescent silk.
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Drome’s creative director Marianna Rosati channeled her love for niche music clubs which were hardly impacted by the venue closures during the pandemic. She imagined her sensual night owls mingling again in some underground basement ballrooms clad in leather outfits with a mistress-y feel.
Leather corsets and garters were turned into statement tops worn over rib-knit catsuits with crisscross details running down the front, while vinyl pencil skirts were zippered and three-belted, exuding an S&M feel. Cutouts exposing the collarbone and heart-shaped bodices in leather or furry velvet were paired with straight-cut sartorial pants crafted from pre-loved fashion.
Corsetry was also strong in Alessandro Vigilante’s fall collection, inspired by Jirí Kylián’s “Petit Mort” ballet, its title referencing sexual ecstasy. Cropped boleros outlined bra shapes worn over corseted pants, while vinyl bandeau tops, barely there and revealing the bosom were paired with ladylike pencil skirts. Cutouts defined the front of short frocks and exposed the back of shapely knitwear pieces.
ATXV founder Antonio Tarantini continued his study of the human body, exploring new ways to enhance it without restraining it. In his sensual, genderless collection, he worked with jersey, twisting, torching and draping it in long tunics and dresses that revealed sensual cutouts and asymmetries. To counterpoint this effect, he cut narrow pants in different lengths from duchesse satin, as well as introduced denim, which was rendered also in unexpected hues, such as fire red. The result was a focused collection charged with subtle eroticism and evoking the ‘90s aesthetic.