Left to right: Jil Sander, Fendi, Max Mara. Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Courtesy of Jil Sander, Fendi, Max Mara The Milan collections are not exactly back to normal — everyone must wear a mask and present proof of vaccination — but at least they are out of the box. For the past year and a half we’ve viewed clothes through the screen of a laptop or phone.
Now that live shows have mostly resumed, how are designers themselves responding to the difference? The most ambitious plan comes from Francisco Risso of Marni. Not only is he outfitting models for his show on Saturday night, but he’s also dressing his entire audience of editors and friends, whom he refers to as “interpreters.
If many of the fabrics in the collection seemed purposely rigid — you wondered if a white denim coat flecked with pink had been waxed or something — others emphasized an airy lightness. One of the most striking looks was a floaty coat, or a coat dress — your choice — in a pale pistachio blend of silk and viscose. Though the coat was obviously light, the barrel-shape cut and the weight of the fabric gave it structure.
Fendi. Photo: Courtesy of Fendi Roberto Cavalli. Photo: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Fausto Puglisi, in his first runway show for Roberto Cavalli, might have been better served if he had presented his many animal-print separates and punk-slashed gowns in a digital format rather than on a runway. They would have come across as graphic and sexy, in fact they may still seem that way to consumers on Instagram.