Ferrari, Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta Offer A Character Study In Clothing
The relationship between designer and muse was pulled into the spotlight once again on day five of the SS25 shows at Milan Fashion Week. Some muses were abstract ideas of personality, while others were already-existing examples of long-standing relationships and collaborators.
At Ferragamo, Maximilian Davis was inspired by ballet and the dance's long-weaving story with the house, like how Rudolf Nureyev danced in shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo and an image on the moodboard now of dancer and anthropologist Katherine Dunham with the house's creator. The reference was sometimes literal, with models walking the catwalk in second-skin cashmere wrap cardigans and ribbon-lace shoes befitting a rehearsal studio.
As the collection progressed, movement was brought in via ballooning silhouettes that spoke of the escapism that dance allows the body in louche tailoring and tracksuits. 'Freedom expressed through a wardrobe,' said the show notes.
Davis also looked to the Caribbean, with its energy exposed in frayed denim, jelly moccasins and raw-finish seams to counteract the collection's otherwise puritanical feel. 'I’ve always incorporated different historic eras in my work – eras which feel relatable to me and my heritage,' says Davis. 'At Ferragamo, I’ve sought out similarities – and the beauty of this brand is that there are so many different stories you can relate to.'
A new chapter was written at Dolce & Gabbana where Madonna was placed front and centre as muse. Named 'Italian Beauty' the collection was celebrating the idea of a powerful female figure, immortalised in the public eye and culture. 'A woman who plays with her identity, transforming blonde into a signature trait,' the brand said.
The collection was a clear ode to femininity at-large, with lingerie worn exposed and clothes cut to emphasise curves in a colour palette of black, the babiest of blues, white, nude and red, along with bouquet prints pulled from the archive. Corset details were exposed to 'showcase a strong and confident femininity.'
Madonna herself moved from the moodboard to the front row to watch her likeness and influence traverse the catwalk, this time dressed in a full lace veil. A post-bow embrace for Dolce and Gabbana proved that this collection had its muse's seal of approval.
At the most-anticipated show of the day (or season), Bottega Veneta's Matthieu Blazy looked back to childhood. 'As a kid, there is the adventure of the every day – there’s a feeling that anything could happen, no matter how fantastical and we are not so bound by regular expectations and conventions,' he said in a statement.
Guests were invited to sit on plush animal seats like you might find in a child's bedroom, as comforting as they were playful. Among those on the front-row were Kendall Jenner, Julianne Moore, Jacob Elordi and A$AP Rocky.
Despite infantile inspirations, the clothes themselves were powerful and confident, in keeping with the design signature that has made Blazy's tenure so revered. These were pieces to aspire to. And yet still a sense of unease and unfamiliarity that was labelled and expressed as the natty idea of 'chic awkwardness... characters discovering who they are through clothing and accessories by remembering who they once were – a coming-of-age and becoming something else.'
Clothes here were intentionally misproportioned with 'grown-up' pieces given hyper sizing or worn creased and tousled to bring together Bottega's exacting Italian craftsmanship with the childlike energy of discovery. Leather appeared as fluid as water in dainty paillettes while denim, though stonewashed, was impeccably tailored to precise instruction. Business stripes were put in place in a 'slubbed and disrupted' fashion, evoking the idea of being pulled from the dressing-up box.
Perhaps most fresh this season at Bottega Veneta was a sense of irreverence. A lightness of touch was there; throw-away shopping bags were reimagined into something precious, while Barbie pink cropped up as though in a childhood fantasy.
'What would the kid in you want?' Blazy asked.'I wanted to feel the primal pull of fashion once more, a coming-of-age fascination that encompasses the joy of looking, discovering and dressing: the power of wow!'
A refreshing proposition and a reminder that fashion — an industry that finds itself in a difficult climate of flux and uncertainty — is often best delivered through the perspective of that excited, innocent eye that many of us started out with. It's food for thought for the season ahead.
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