Milan Fashion Week SS21: Valextra, Giuseppe Zanotti, GEOX, and More

Valextra’s “MarVles” collection marks a special multidisciplinary collaboration between designer Patricia Urquiola and marble artist Budri. Debuted in-person at the house’s Via Manzoni boutique and globally with a film by Federico Pepe and Le Dictateur Studio, “MarVles” features 19 limited-edition takes on the house’s compact Iside bag, separated into three mini-collections—the Fuse, the Bow, and the Edge series. Imagined in organic tones referencing natural marble (like powder blue, army green, terracotta, and soft pastels), the end product is a series of designs where details are juxtaposed—like a slate-gray Iside with a geodesic fixture of four types of marble at it clasp, a version of the square bag in black with an ornate marble handle, and an all-leather iteration in cream with colorful geometric designs.

Giuseppe Zanotti embraced the transformation brought on by the changing world around us, proposing a new direction in personal style, too. Women’s footwear featured unexpected embellishments for the wearer who is unafraid to make a statement—like a pair of suede booties with American Western details, a block-heeled sandal with a thick gold chain encircling the foot, and an elegant heel in black with a cloud of chiffon and organza ruffles. For men, loafers and sneakers were the mainstays of the season—like in styles like a loafer in black and floral printed silk and sneakers that began to blur the lines between streetwear and eveningwear.

GEOX presented its Spring/Summer 2021 collections for women and men in an open-air courtyard. Embodying ideas like comfort and elegance in a cosmopolitan life, the collection highlighted high-tech fabrics and footwear built for comfort. For women, we saw simple yet classic outerwear styles in a palette of peachy hues and pinks. Shoe styles included a selection of romantic, warm weather staples like sandals with ruffled details and slingbacks with pointed toes, available in flat or blocked heels. The menswear collection brought functional and contemporary outerwear styles, made for versatility and breathability (like a yellow and gray windbreaker or a softshell bomber jacket), presented alongside footwear made from innovative materials like recycled plastic jacquard.

A short film by Oliver Astrologo introduced the new collection by René Caovilla, which honored the elegance of the woman. Formatted like a fashion show and captured within the streets and canals of Venice, the film debuts sensually chic footwear styles like the Aika, which updates an iconic Cleo sandal in handmade embroidery, a lace and crystal Cinderella shoes, and (our favorite) a river pearl-covered Cecile.

For Spring/Summer 2020, 1910 Borbonese created accessories for the traveling collector. Understated and chic, hints of distant lands shone through in the terracotta hues of cities like Marrakech and Casablanca. Sustainable materialization like craquelé calfskin and recycled nylon highlight the importance of ethics in craftsmanship. The season focused on scale and the juxtaposition of shape in its foundations—like a saddle-shaped bag in a mini belt variation or an over-the-shoulder silhouette; a slouchy oblong handbag in a thick, textured material with leather details; a modern take on cat-eye glasses with geometric edges; and oversized hairbows in fabrications that match the season’s handbags.