The term 'femininity' conjures a certain kind of image: flirtatious, girlish, ladylike, romantic (and we've seen plenty of these interpretations during this show cycle thus far). But for some of us there's another thought that springs to mind: Prada. Few do femininity quite like Mrs Prada.
On day three of Milan Fashion Week, she and Raf Simons interrogated this idea head on, asking: What is feminine? What is feminine beauty? What is femininity today? The Prada answer this season: it's clothes that women want to wear, clothes with an edge, that aren't restrictive. Clothes that you can pair with I-just-got-out-of-bed hair and still look great. ‘There’s an idea of liberation. Total liberation,’ explained Simons. ‘Within feminine beauty, when you think of its archetypes, there is lots of restriction of the body – here, it is free. And ideas can be liberated also. In turn, we didn’t want to limit ourselves, with a narrative or a theme. We like to take a risk – we like to try to create something different.’
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On the runway, little black dresses and slightly crumpled shirts were shown alongside boat neck dresses and boxy leather jackets with matching mini skirts. ‘Gestures of glamour’, as the duo termed them — a bow detail on the front of a dress or a faux-fur trim; clusters of pearls as buttons on a wool coat; bijoux dangling from the neckline of a cabernet-coloured sweater — were peppered throughout. ‘Glamour was something we were attracted to, instinctively, and its connection to femininity,’ said Prada.
Max Mara, meanwhile, spotlighting the ‘untamed heroine’ for its collection, referencing the novels of the West Yorkshire-born Bronte sisters as inspiration. Gothic heroines a la Cathy Earnshaw (protagonist of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights) and Jane Eyre (from Charlotte Brontë’s gothic novel of the same name) are imagined through the codes of Max Mara, fusing it with an urban spin.
Earnshaw’s ‘wild passion’ and Eyre’s ‘demure demeanour’ came to life with 19th century-inspired silhouettes, echoed with belted waists contrasting with full skirts; while riding coats and britches inspired outerwear and culottes, shown alongside evening gloves, ribbed woolen stockings and corset-like tops.
At Emporio Armani, femininity was explored through Giorgio Armani’s signature lens, a back and forth between the masculine and the feminine. The collection was texturally rich, mixing washed wool sets, fringed tops, shaggy coats and quilted jacquard jackets with luxurious velvet pieces, some adorned with embroidery. Looks were accessorised with berets, ties and studded flats, while playing card motifs ran throughout the collection too, a nod to the ‘playful spirit’ of the collection, the brand said.
Also on day three, MM6 Maison Margiela zeroed in on the wardrobe as a system, taking staples — like the trenchcoat, the trousersuit, the T-shirt, the skirt — and playing with the proportions to transform them into statements, finishing looks with opera gloves and watch-less watches to amp up the drama.
Etro’s Marco De Vincenzo closed the day with a bohemian take on the woman’s wardrobe. Colourful paisley and flora prints adorned silk dresses, oversized knit jumpers and brushed wool coats; while fringed wool dresses and silk scarves were present throughout. Embroidered prints designed in collaboration with artist Maria Jeon were also front and centre, shown beside skirts and tops that evoked chainmail body armour.
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