Milan Fashion Week: Luxury’s Quiet Reign Faces Bold Rebellions
For the past year and a half, a hushed, elegant, and timeless form of luxury has reigned supreme on runways and in boutiques. As Milan Fashion Week unfolds, concluding on March 3rd, the majority of brands are adhering to this established aesthetic. However, a few are staging noteworthy rebellions, injecting vibrancy and audacity into the fashion landscape.
Dsquared2, celebrating its 30th anniversary, pulled out all the stops. The Canadian brand transformed a vast exhibition space into a miniature North American town, complete with brick buildings lining a "Fashion Avenue." Vintage cars chauffeured models to the foot of the runway. The spectacle began with rapper Doechii emerging from an armored van, sporting a micro-parka and shorts so abbreviated they were practically held together by a belt. Streams of dollars emblazoned with the faces of Dean and Dan Caten, the founders of Dsquared2, spilled from the waistband.
The collection itself was unabashedly sexy, colorful, and opulent. It featured dresses slit daringly high, exposing skin from shoulder to toe, crop tops that bared midriffs, jeans slung low on the hips, trailing furs, and shimmering lamé jumpsuits reminiscent of New York’s iconic Studio 54 disco. Models struck poses and danced, encouraged by a crowd of extras populating the cardboard city. While the stylistic message wasn’t profoundly groundbreaking, the celebratory atmosphere was undeniably infectious.
The staging at Diesel was equally monumental. Designer Glenn Martens commissioned 7,000 graffiti artists to decorate a giant sculpture resembling intertwined inflatable dolls. "I love the idea that thousands of people from around the world came together to create the set," Martens stated. "We gave them carte blanche to express themselves freely, in the democratic spirit that characterizes Diesel." Some of the graffiti was explicitly political, with recurring references to the "Gulf of Mexico" and messages of support for the LGBT community.
Diesel’s models, sporting contact lenses that gave them an almost zombie-like appearance, remained true to the brand’s signature sexy-trash aesthetic, showcasing jeans that revealed the top of the buttocks and skirts that barely covered the underwear. This time, however, it was juxtaposed with a sophisticated touch: tailored wool suits in a houndstooth pattern, evoking a bourgeois sensibility. Martens then proceeded to deconstruct, distress, and fray these pieces, adding a rebellious edge. As is often the case with Diesel, the focus on materials and proportions was what truly made the show compelling.
Blumarine also presented a fresh direction. After a period of stylistic wandering, the Italian brand, founded in 1977, recruited Georgian designer David Koma to revive its boudoir-kitsch aesthetic. And in that realm, Koma succeeded admirably. Lace dresses that were entirely transparent shared the runway with fur-trimmed floral slips, leather pants laced up the sides and adorned with large metallic belts, and panties (worn solo) that sparkled with a rhinestone butterfly strategically placed on the pubis.
Some looks offered a more subtle allure, such as an immaculate cocktail dress with a decidedly preppy vibe. However, upon closer inspection, the bustier was so deeply cut that it hinted at the areola. For those who thought the Y2K style was passé, Milan is clearly challenging that notion.
The contrasting presentations highlighted the tension at the heart of contemporary fashion. While the quiet luxury trend continues to hold sway for many brands, representing a return to quality, craftsmanship, and understated elegance, these designers are reminding us that fashion can also be provocative, playful, and intensely personal.
Dsquared2’s boisterous celebration of its history and identity served as a reminder that fashion can be about joy and spectacle. Diesel’s fusion of its signature edgy aesthetic with unexpected tailoring demonstrated the power of subversion and the importance of pushing boundaries. Blumarine’s unapologetic embrace of its playful and sensual DNA proved that fashion can be a vehicle for self-expression and a celebration of the body.
These three brands, in their distinct ways, offered a powerful counterpoint to the prevailing trend of understated luxury. They reminded attendees that fashion can be many things: a form of rebellion, a source of joy, a celebration of individuality, or a platform for social commentary.
As Milan Fashion Week continues, it will be interesting to see if other designers follow suit and challenge the dominance of the quiet luxury trend. The presence of these bold and innovative collections suggests that the fashion landscape is far from homogenous and that there is still room for experimentation and self-expression. The clash of styles, the juxtaposition of elegance and edginess, is what makes fashion so dynamic and captivating. The quiet reign of luxury may be facing a colorful and exciting insurrection. The audience, eager for the unexpected, is certainly receptive to the revolution. This Milan Fashion Week proves that even within established trends, there is always room for a new perspective, a louder voice, and a more daring aesthetic.
