Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS
Published
Sep 25, 2023
Despite the rain, traffic and exorbitant delays, Milan Fashion Week forged ahead with unwavering energy. After Sabato De Sarno’s much-anticipated debut at Gucci on Friday, Saturday proved to be just as exciting, with its share of new shows and big shows. From the first show by the cool Milanese label The Attico and the new chapter for Bally under the direction of Simone Bellotti, to the glamorous minimalism of Jil Sander and the unbearable lightness of Missoni.
Fortune favours the bold, is what we were all thinking as we watched The Attico’s very first show on the catwalk in Milan on Saturday. Unlike Gucci, which had also opted to show in the open air but changed plans last minute, the brand’s two founders, Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini, kept to their outdoors venue and miraculously dodged the rain. They took over Via Guerrazzi, in one of Milan’s most upmarket districts, to stage a high-profile fashion show attended by a host of colleagues, from new Gucci designer Sabato De Sarno to Dsquared2 creative duo Dean and Dan Caten and Moncler’s Remo Ruffini.
Just a stone’s throw from the magnificent Parco Sempione and the Arco della Pace – Milan’s Arch of Triumph – this street is lined with elegant period buildings, from which the models exited and entered as if they were at home. Perfectly in tune with the spirit of the label, whose name ‘attico’ means the ‘penthouse’, the ultimate symbol of easy, affluent living. While waiting for the show to start, some of the boys offered margaritas to the audience slumped on soft sofas. The tone was set.
Glamour and rhinestones were the order of the day, with sexy fishnet outfits, decorated with feathers and crystals, tight-fitting and sensual, wrapping the body, sometimes split here and there, in transparent black veil or silver sequins, made up of garlands of tassels or draped in shreds of sky-blue tulle. Large ruffled collars, maxi coats inflated with woollen fringes and jackets with broad shoulders completed the looks enhanced by vibrant colours such as electric blue, red or fuchsia.
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The Attico also offers more streetwear looks, masculine silhouettes, with leather jackets, long trench coats, suits, jeans, cargo or military trousers combined with extra-large, unstructured jackets, while white cotton jeans and tank tops were slipped under long fur-lined coats. It’s all about dressing up, just like the two founders, two strong influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, have always imagined. They charted their own course and made a name for themselves, first on social networks and then in the glittering world of fashion, before launching their label in 2016.
Originally from Civitanova Marche in central Italy, Giorgia Tordini, aged 36 grew up with her father as a shoemaker and her mother as a retailer. After graduating from the IED fashion school in Milan, she launched two successive labels before moving to New York, where she worked as a consultant for various brands. In 2015, she met 31-year-old Gilda Ambrosio from Naples, also the daughter of retailers and a graduate of Istituto Marangoni, with whom she created The Attico. As ambassadors for their own brand, the two Italian party girls initially focused on festive wear, using their contacts to find the right positioning for easy luxury.
They were quickly successful. They reached 200 retailers, including Galeries Lafayette, Harrods, Antonia and Saks Fifth Avenue, and in 2019 Moncler boss Remo Ruffini took a 49% stake in their company through his Archive holding company.
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A 360-degree revolution for Bally, who is going from Cruella to Heidi. Gone is the ultra-sophisticated, glamorous and sexy woman imagined by Rhuigi Villaseñor over the last two seasons. After turning the spotlight back on the Swiss luxury shoe brand owned by the JAB Holding Company group, by repositioning it at the top end of the market and dusting off its image, the Californian designer of Filipino origin handed over the reins to Simone Bellotti in May.
The latter has made a radical shift to focus on a more accessible and commercial wardrobe, with basic pieces for everyday wear. The link with Switzerland was underlined by the rigorous cuts and by a bucolic touch, through a floral print, but also playful accessories like a little cowbell that hung from a bag, a mini-pouch around the neck and a belt to carry flowers collected in the meadows.
Wearing a cap, black boots or flat lace-up shoes and a school bag, the wise Bally girl dresses in navy blue suits with a sky blue blouse. She strolls through the large cloister of the Basilica of San Simpliciano, lit by blue neon lights, in casual outfits, wearing micro-shorts and knitwear, or a pair of jeans and a red jumper. Sometimes she dares to wear a suit or colourful leather dress.
On closer inspection, some of her clothes seem more sophisticated than they appear. Like the skirt of a caramel leather suit, which was cut very short at the back.
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A change of register for Missoni, with a very summery collection full of lightness and transparencies, in a pastel rainbow palette. Designer Filippo Grazioli showed his models in an immaculate white décor, invaded by huge metal globes. They wore enormous silver meteorite rings or earrings and futuristic glasses and looked as if they had just arrived from another planet.
The very sexy collection exuded a feeling of freshness and joy. Impalpable fabrics wrapped the body in delicate drapes. Tops and skirts in transparent, strassed voile were superimposed on tight-fitting dresses or jumpsuits and the house’s famous zigzags were reworked in different proportions.
Other transparent outfits, in white with ruffles, let models’ underwear show through. Ultra-short dresses came right up to the buttocks. Ribbons were woven into mini net dresses, extending into twirling fringes, while suits were cut from openwork cotton from St Gallen.
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As always with Jil Sander, Lucie and Luke Meier infused a whispered elegance into clothes that look simple, but are sophisticated in their cuts, details and materials. The cuts were clean, very graphic, almost geometric, and the proportions were ample, lending a certain solidity to the silhouette topped with a small woollen cap, and often paired with heavy boots.
In particular, the duo tackled the trench coat, which was enlarged, with a double bib and slit under the sleeves. It is available in beige or khaki and can be transformed into a cape. It can be worn with or without a belt, or topped with a large collar that extends into a mini cape covering the shoulders. Jackets were wide and square, sometimes with a huge sailor collar. Dresses, either sheath or bell-shaped, fell to the floor.
The predominantly black, grey, beige and white palette was illuminated by sparkling, diamond-like stones, worn by men and women alike, in earrings, necklaces and even as fringes on sandals. The tips of shirt collars featured large metallic dots and some pieces were also embellished with ribbon fringes for a tousled effect.
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