Mila, reviews this year’s Milan Fashion Week in
response to the New York Times’ question: Does Milan
matter?

‘Does Milan matter?’ This was the title of an article written by Vanessa
Freedman, fashion editor for the New-York Times, at the end of Milan fashion
week 2017. In comparison to New York, Paris and London, Milan has nothing
disruptive to say to the contemporary fashion world, according to some.
I think that with this year’s fashion week we proved Freedman wrong. This
September’s edition was full of surprises: unexpected endings to shows,
parties full of heat and excitement, glamorous people striding down the city’s
streets under the pale moon or bright sun. It’s true that Milan Fashion Week
doesn’t resonate with everyone but surely we can forgive the odd fashion
disaster every now and then?

One moment that characterized fashion week was the Versace finale, which
brought back the 90s style with the supermodels of that decade. Donatella
Versace managed to reunite a group of her brother Gianni’s favourites: Cindy
Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell and Helena
Christensen. This was to honor his iconic vision of fashion, bringing together
some of the most famous models of a generation.

The moment of the week was, once again, Alessandro Michele’s show for
Gucci, with the formidable contribution of Elton John, who gave the designer
full access to his personal clothing archives. The result was a flashy catwalk
full of bright colours, glam rock jumpsuits and musical note leather patches;
overall it was a view which dazzled the eye. This certainly put pay to the
accusation that Milan Fashion Week has grown predictable and boring.

Some of the most original collections in Milan could be found behind the
closed doors of the city’s most prestigious private homes, which host special
events. These ‘underground’ events provide a sense of mystique, uncovering
Milan’s secret beauty, which lies in quiet back gardens and elegant ground
floor apartments.

Milan Fashion Week hosted its inaugural show in 1958. The autumn event is
held in February of each year, whilst the spring collections are hosted in
September/October. It is considered a part of the ‘Big Four Global Fashion
Weeks’, alongside New York, Paris and London. It is partially funded by
Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian
Fashion), a non-profit association, which promotes the development of Italian
fashion.