It was a busy weekend in Milan, with the likes of Versace, Roberto Cavalli, Jil Sander, Dolce and Gabbana and Bottega Veneta all unveiling their new autumn/winter 2014 collections to their adoring public.
Dolce and Gabbana AW14
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were inspired by all things dream-like for their ‘Enchanted Sicily’ Dolce and Gabbana autumn/winter 2014 collection. Despite the intricacy of the pieces and the overall new season vision, the collection was very simplistic, with medieval influences creeping through every so often. Bold, exaggerated shoulders, woodland inspired prints throughout as well as flower and key embellishments, and even a new type of handbag that even requires a padlock; it was all in there!
Our highlight was definitely the finale, as this time round we were treated to a parade of sparkly yet somewhat gothic Tinkerbells strutting down the catwalk. Can you get on board with looking like a gothic fairy for the new season? The Dolce and Gabbana boys certainly make it look appealing don’t they?
Versace AW14
Donatella Versace also pulled out all the stops for the Versace autumn/winter 2014 show – no surprises there, really. “This is a collection about the power of a woman, not just her inner strength, but the attitude she presents to the world. Every woman can find that power in Versace,” she said of the new collection.
Powerful and provocative are definitely two words which can be used to describe the majority of the new season pieces; an abundance of bias-cut dresses made their way onto the Italian catwalk, as did asymmetric hems, military references, and stunningly tailored trapeze coats in bold and vivid colour palettes. Oh, and lots and lots of fur. Long fur, short fur and all other fur in-between!
Roberto Cavalli AW14
Another designer who went for the over-the-top theme was Roberto Cavalli – not that we would expect anything less! Akin to Donatella Versace, Roberto Cavalli also made sure we knew that it’s all about fur for the new season, presenting it to us in all shapes, sizes and colours. Signature Roberto Cavalli prints, leather, snakeskin, sparkles, leather, the aforementioned fur, and more party dresses than you can shake a stick at. There were some Great Gatsby inspired flapper dresses which got us particularly excited!
Eagle-eyed showgoers may have noticed a very special face in the front row too – Miss Cheryl Cole! Chez has been under the radar for the past few months, but she came out to support Roberto Cavalli, as she is one of his most famous fans – often wearing his creations on stage and on the red carpet.
Jil Sander
Although Jil Sander wasn’t there to helm her eponymous label, the autumn/winter 2014 collection didn’t suffer at the hands of the design team, as clean and structured clothes made their way onto the runway, with unassuming outerwear playing a huge part in the show.
Bottega Veneta
The Bottega Veneta show didn’t disappoint either. “The collection is about movement, energy and focus,” said creative director Tomas Maier. “We are always thinking about what clothes should do for a woman and her personal experience of them.” And fluidity and movement was certainly apparent in the pieces; classic and feminine pieces for the established woman as opposed to the experimental girl. It’s all about the woman who know what she wants!
