Milan Day One: When Time Is a Loop

MILAN — There was a strong sense of deja-vu at the Gucci show that opened Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday. It was as if the clock had been turned back two years, before the arrival of Sabato De Sarno, whose brief reign ended abruptly just over two weeks ago. And once again, we saw a collection remade from scratch in record time, signed by the design studio and put together by uber-stylist Suzanne Koller, who worked on Gucci’s transitional show exactly two years ago, following the ouster of Alessandro Michele.

The house of Gucci put little official emphasis on Koller’s input, of course, but her proclivity for deranged bourgeois tropes was front and centre in pencil skirts, satin scarves, enveloping coats and lingerie touches, generously splashed with Gucci codes of all eras, from the horsebit to Alessandro Michele’s slippers (sans fur) to the most tempting bags. The menswear was similarly inclined, with a sultry sartorial allure though possibly colder and certainly sharper. The ghost of Tom Ford was summoned at times, but didn’t quite appear.

The show — staged on a mirrored catwalk shaped like Gucci’s interlocking GG — was a lot to behold. But it certainly had a clearer point of view than in previous seasons, even if it came burdened with heavy Prada tones — beaded skirts, beaded jumpers, twisted Milanese sciura glamour — that ultimately made the goings rather derivative. As an interim outing, it was ok, functioning mostly as a reassessment of carryover accessories. Given Gucci’s sharp drop in turnover last year, a reshuffling was urgent, and a new creative director is set to be announced “promptly,” said Francesca Bellettini, deputy CEO of owner Kering, before the company’s results presentation two weeks ago.

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For his debut as creative director of Alberta Ferretti, Aeffe veteran Lorenzo Serafini, who worked for almost ten years on the brand’s Philosophy diffusion line, chose to show in a fabulous palazzo on Via Donizetti. The choice was fitting, both as a nod to Ferretti’s 90s heydays, when she used to show in the same premises, and as the backdrop for a collection which Serafini labelled “progressive romantic” (read: beautiful women who only come out at night, bedecked in frilly chiffon tailoring, slip dresses and coats).

This was a clear homage to Alberta when she was Alberta, with some Romeo Gigli thrown in for good measure. It was heartfelt, coherent and sincere, with Serafini’s trademark ineffable touch, but it also came with challenges. Although integral to the Ferretti brand, that lexicon has in fact been swallowed by labels that today have more relevance, such as The Row. The other problem was the nostalgic air, which Serafini should do his best to avoid in the future.

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Over at DSquared2, twins Dean and Dan Caten celebrated a milestone moment as the brand they created turned 30 years old. The anniversary outing featured collaborations with renegade fresh talents Vaquera, Magliano and Bettter, but the wild scene at the entrance, the crowd and show direction felt completely nostalgic. Still, such endurance as an independent brand calls for admiration. So does Dean and Dan’s dedication to sass, seduction, denim and camp — and a hell of a lot of gay cliches, all summoned on the catwalk in a disco clubbing extravaganza. The label has its fans: party-goers for whom dressing only matters when it leads to undressing. Like it or not, what it doesn’t lack is conviction.

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