As Milan Fashion Week is taking place, we’re following along so that we can share our thoughts on the new collections for Fall/Winter 2023. Here, we’re looking at those debuted by MM6 Maison Margiela, Moschino, Tod’s, Sportmax, La DoubleJ, and Borbonese.
Courtesy of MM6 Maison Margiela.
MM6 Maison Margiela’s signature remixed shapes toyed with deception in the Fall/Winter 2023 collection, undermining the assumptions one might make about where one garment ends and another begins. Giving new context to familiar pieces—hooded sweatshirts, classic knits, jeans, denim shirts, sartorial staples, and the like—the garments have been approached like collaborative cadavre exquis drawings, where unexpected materials or details appear, accenting more common shapes and styles. Imagined in all natural-colored leather, denim, and other neutral materials, there were ensembles like a pair of wide-legged trousers and a fitted turtleneck styled with suede ranch boots, over-the-elbow gloves, and a leather apron with sharp pleats; the intermingling of leather, knits, and a metallic-sheened fabric making up an oversized dress with a plunging neckline that revealed a bra layer with leather and hardware paired with thigh-high boots; and a dress made from a lightweight oxford button-up on top and the lower half of a tan blazer with pockets worn over a turtleneck and styled with a bomber, thin belt at the waist, and silver boots.
Photo by by Marco Ovando, courtesy of Moschino.
Moschino employed drama and distortion in a collection that melded an aristo-punk aesthetic with a surrealism recalling the oeuvre of Salvador Dalí. Among the first things that caught our eye was the punky spiked wigs worn by each model (alongside spikes as details elsewhere), remixed silhouettes rooted in biker leather and skirt suit sets, melting and unpredictable hemlines, and trinkets and baubles as adornments on nearly everything—from boots and purses to entire dresses. There was a pair of purple ensembles that featured fishnet layers, studded belts, and brooch-reminiscent embellishments; an ankle-length skirt and top set that repurposed the shape of a biker leather belt as a bandeau and used the jacket’s collar to make up the waist of the skirt; and an all-mesh mock-neck dress with a fluffy satin stole with jeweled trinkets applied as though mimicking a print.
Courtesy of Tod’s.
We’d coin the fall/winter 2023 debuts from Tod’s as a collection of modernized iconic essentials. The house’s reputation for quality leather and fine Italian tailoring prevailed through beloved pieces like peacoats, parkas, masculine suiting, and knits, though they’ve been given detail-oriented updates that feel almost futuristic. In warm browns and tones on the grayscale, were pinstripe suits with paper bag waistlines and tucked-in jackets, sleek, cropped pilot’s bombers paired with miniskirts, shirting with strong shoulders and starched cuffs, parka dresses, blazers sans collar, and overcoats with leather piping in opposing colors. Looks were styled with pieces like a pair of shearling Ballerina Bubble flats with ankle laces, heels with saddle details (available in leather and shearling variations), compact rectangular shoulder bags with horse bit hardware and emblematic letter Ts, and more.
Photo by Mariela Medina, courtesy of La DoubleJ.
La DoubleJ’s Fall/Winter 2023 collection debuted in a static display at the breathtaking 1549 structure of the Chiesa San Paolo di Converso, a deconsecrated church. Under the glow of a rainbow light installation by Studio Mandalaki against the venue’s towering ceilings and painted frescoes was the debut of J.J. Martin’s designs conceived out of a very personal, spiritual exploration through Egypt. Mannequins with custom crowns by Studio JoAnn Tan (fashioned around the concept of those worn by pharaohs and goddesses) were dressed in impactful looks combining ceremonious shapes and spirited prints in bold hues. Painted with sunbursts, beetles, poised felines, and other detailed patterns and motifs were looks like a yellow dress with sleeves that dragged the floor, featuring an ornate graphic and an enormous half-circle headpiece, and a layered look printed with cats and flora that featured a graphic hoodie worn under a lightweight trench coat and a heavier duster coat.
Courtesy of Bourbonese.
Within Milan’s oldest shopping destination, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Borbonese presented its latest collection in the opulent interiors of Ristorante Savini. The series of looks were savored by the senses, activated through satisfying textures and colors reminiscent of cosmetics and beauty products—like eyeshadow turquoise, blush pink, lipstick red, nude, and black. In refined effeminate shapes with a youthful touch were glistening patent leather pieces, silhouettes in OP suede, chain links acting as fringes and adornments, and looks crafted around dresses and skirt sets—like a sports-inspired pullover with links of chain lining its V pattern, a matching skirt in textured leather, and suede mule heels. Also of note were the bags accompanying each look like an oversized hobo shape, a clutch with a wrist chain, and a small rounded handbag with folded details in the leather and metal studs.
Courtesy of Sportmax.
Aptly named “Bare,” Sportmax’s debuts returned to the origin of things through a process of stripping back and peeling off. Conceived with the help of inspiration lent by artists and photographers like Nan Goldin, Peter Hujar, and Robert Mapplethorpe, the garments at hand posed a push and pull between covering and revealing through fleshy-hued garments that embodied a sensual vulnerability. Opposing ideas of structure and softness, androgyny and bourgeois elegance were pieces like leather overalls with micro shorts, tops with garter clips built into the hems (holding up sizeable skirts that revealed bare hips), draped pieces with knotted details, blazer dresses cinched at the waist with suspender straps, and masculine staples in supple sizes and fabrications.
