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Prada FW23

Milan Fashion Week FW23: Prada, Fendi, Max Mara, and More

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While Milan Fashion Week is underway, we’re following along to look at the latest collections for the Fall/Winter 2023 season. Below, find more on the debuts from Prada, Fendi, Max Mara, Kiton, Marni, and Brunello Cucinelli.

Prada

Prada Fall/Winter 2023.

Prada’s collection redefined the idea of beauty as something found in one’s actions over their appearance, and they did this through wearable styles that suggested care, love, and a firm grounding in reality. Varied colors (a businessperson’s navy or gray, alongside cheerful pink, red, aqua, and more) offered options for all moods and occasions, seen on the runway applied to classic and archetypal styles that were given a signature twist through special, attentive details—like wedding dress elements turned into daytime skirts, thin, pointed shirt collars in opposing colors, and curly bow embellishments on shoes. Looks we loved included a simple gray knit with a long white skirt and matching ballet flats each embellished with lacey details, a pair of black trousers with external seams and a green blouse taking details from a scout’s uniform, a snakeskin-textured set in red with a geometric handbag, and a long patterned dress with strong shoulders and gathered details paired with bright yellow footwear.

Fendi FW23

Courtesy of Fendi.

The wardrobe and styling choices of Delfina Delettrez Fendi were the informants for Fendi’s womenswear designer Kim Jones when conceiving the maison’sFall/Winter 2023 collection. From this study, Jones honed in on opposing ideas like the elevation of deconstruction, the mixing of gendered archetypes, and a disturbance of ladylike sophistication—ideas that imbued an aesthetic that might be described as a luxurious take on punk style. There were masculine sartorial pieces made anew with shoulder cut-outs, overcoats with peek-a-boo sequined linings, and trousers layered under pleated skirts. On the softer side of things, we saw sumptuous silks and lace juxtaposed with sharp and unusual knit or outerwear pieces, supple-but-fitted sweater sets, and jersey dresses with intarsia-printed dusters and leather boots. The collection also introduced a new handbag—the Multi, which was conceived to transform between two different styles.

Max Mara FW23

Courtesy of Max Mara.

In search of what is modern, Max Mara’s collection “The Camelocracy” found the house looking at the past for inspiration, which landed at the figure of Émilie du Châtelet. A female philosopher from the Enlightenment period, Châtelet’s work encompassed thoughts on women’s rights and education, the afterlife, and human happiness, among others. It was also known that she would frequently disguise herself as a man in order to engage with the greatest thinkers of the day in male-only cafés. Looking at her life and work in the earlier half of the 1700s, the house shied away from the restrictive elements of period dress that were said to be detested by the figure (like voluminous layering and whalebone corsets), selecting the more modernizable elements like rich brocades, bustiers, chemises, and side-hoops. When paired with an earth-derived color palette, monochrome styling, and a dash of romance—an homage to Châtelet’s relationship with Voltaire—the looks we saw were ultimately modern and pervaded an air of unfussy regality.

Marni FW23

Courtesy of Marni.

Earlier this month in Tokyo, Marni’s fall/winter 2023 runway unfurled four suites of designs focused on the colors yellow, red, white, and black, with a play on shapes that carried throughout. There were white polka dots on black boxy dresses, black plaid suiting and all-over white looks, bumblebee-colored grid patterns, and ladybug-dotted skirts. Including styles for men and women, we saw silhouettes both boxy and fitted, where details in line (like a top that created a v- shape with bare sections on each side of the torso), prints, and the mixing of patterns were the highlight. Standout ensembles included the opening look in all yellow, where the model was given an eerie look through specific placement of false lashes, a black-and-white overcoat with an overstuffed scarf and opposing-print heels and kitten pumps, and a black and red tunic dress that saw a white collar poking out from a paper bag shape, styled with a matching handbag and mismatched heels and socks.

Kiton Women's FW23-24

Courtesy of Kiton.

The epitome of Italian tailoring, the latest from Kiton suggested a steadfastness of quality and timeless elegance in the face of fads and quickly-fading trends. Designed to outlive themselves, the house’s latest garments have been cultivated from a single point of departure (the ultimate icon of timelessness), the dinner jacket. Comfortable, pliant silhouettes and luxurious fabrications like organza, moiré, cashmere, and silk knits were the go-tos, paired with a quintessential winter palette featuring colors like arctic blue, pearl gray, burgundy, and beige, along with the inclusion of bolder hues like a bright pink and fluorescent green. Looks we loved included a silken gown with a button-up front, long sleeves, and a neck scarf, a three-piece suit in navy featuring rippling, wide-legged trousers, a coordinating overcoat, and a tan leather bag, and a play on high-low styles featuring orange houndstooth jacket, a turtleneck, cargo pants, leather gloves, and a stylish take on suede hiking boots.

Brunello Cucinelli FW23

Courtesy of Brunello Cucinelli.

Brunello Cucinelli’s Fall/Winter 2023 womenswear collection flitted between two modes: an androgynous chicness and suiting staples twisted with an effeminate allure. Employing the house’s expert sartorial techniques to the fullest, the looks we saw toyed with opposition in volume and texture. There were smooth, crisp blazers with fitted, tactile fringed skirts, tuxedo pants with sequined mohair zip-up jackets, and plaid skirts with waffle-knit cardigans and sheepskin bombers. Also of note were looks like a calf-length teddy pull-over styled up with a long jersey skirt, leather boots, tall gloves, and a fedora, and a leather suit featuring a double-breasted jacket, worn with a long chunky sweater and lace-up boots. The collection was imagined entirely in neutral hues like cement, chestnut, cream, navy, gray, and black.

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Kelly Wearstler

THE WINTER EXPERIENCE ISSUE
2023

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This season’s Milan Fashion Week united a mélange of internationally renowned designers, who took to unlikely venues like Italian tram stations to debut looks that were truly inspired. Below, we’ve compiled our personal favorites from Margiela, Moschino, Tod’s, Jil Sander, Gucci, and Marni.
Whitewall highlights is favorite fashion collections, presentations, and shows—from new lines to artistic collaborations.
In Shanghai at the Smart Museum, 400 digital and physical treasures from the Prada archive are creatively presented in Pradasphere II.

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Go inside the worlds
of Art, Fashion, Design,
and Lifestyle.