Lady LUX

Although New York Fashion Week saw quite a bit of color on the catwalk during the first days, there was one predominant hue in Milan’s opening shows, or lack thereof: white.

Fendi, Alessandro Dell’Acqua’s new label No. 21 and Francesco Scognamiglio all had head-to-toe white ensembles for their first looks.

Apparently the word of the day was “volume” at Fendi, where tailoring was given a generous spring break. Instead of fitted, shirts were oversized and belted at the waist. Parachute skirts drew attention to the legs, managing to make large proportions glamorous and successfully denying Spring’s skin-tight maxim. A call back to “Charlie’s Angels” days, oversized sunglasses and wide-leg pants gave the show a very ‘70s sensation.

Dell’Acqua, the former lingerie designer who famously lost rights to his own name, gave his new label its first walk down the Milan runway. The opening 11 looks were completely void of color; however, after a dozen or so, colors such as khaki and dark navy blue got tossed into the pool. Similarly to the shows in New York, Dell’Acqua closed the show with dresses and skirts in a bright red – adding a subtle exclamation mark to his No. 21 debut.

Italian designer Francesco Scognamiglio may be celebrating his 10th year in the business, but he’s still climbing the ranks of international fashion. While he is hardly a name in the global market, huge requests by Italian celebs such as Lady Gaga might put Scognamiglio’s fashion in the spotlight. Scognamiglio definitely has a style all his own: a mixture of romance and rock n’ roll, in which black strappy stilettos are paired with oversized, see-through lace blouses. White tuxedos with striped sheer blouses make clothes originally appropriate for the workplace fit for the boudoir.

Tagged in: fashion week, fendi, milan, italy,