Sexy Is Back at Milan Fashion Week
Sexy is back, and it’s huge.
The return to the physical runway shows brought a bold desire for seduction, which was not only embraced and interpreted by major labels, including Prada and Versace, but that was also fully explored by smaller emerging brands.
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A former professional dancer, Alessandro Vigilante continued to share his erotic vision through the exploration of the human body while in movement. In a choreographed presentation, he unveiled a range of body-hugging, graphic separates that revealed sensual cutouts, including micro tops layered on leotards and dresses with deep side slits, as well as second-skin pencil skirts and high-wasted leggings. But this season, he tempered his edgier side by trading latex with knitwear in addition to introducing colors like lilac, orange and aquamarine to his usual palette of black and icy tones.
“I will never give up on latex but I deployed it a little bit less this season because it comes with its limits, as it’s not that easy to wear. And this time I wanted to deliver a more relaxed attitude, so knitwear conveys that sense of comfort I was looking for,” said Vigilante, who didn’t shy away from further injecting sexiness into his sartorial offering via cropped blazers and geometric, arch-shaped cuts on the back of jackets.
Drome’s take on sensuality was imbued with fierceness. Inspired by the rave aesthetics of filmmaker Gregg Araki and powerful sensuality of the women photographed by Nan Goldin and Nobuyoshi Araki in their “Tokyo” series, the brand’s creative director Marianna Rosati was savvy in mixing the label’s signature leather with knitwear, playing with silhouettes and textures. While leather was used to craft zippered bustiers and pencil skirts as well as tailored pieces delivering a tough attitude, micro knit pieces embraced the body like a second skin and winked to retro underpinnings through a crisscross motif, which ran through biker pants and leggings.
Courtesy of Alessandro Vigilante
Alfredo Cortese is not new to imbuing his collections with lingerie details, see-through fabrics and slinky short dresses, but this time, for his first AC9 runway show, he embraced a more decisive direction evoking a rebellious, raving spirit. As models strut down the runway covered in barely there knitted frocks with cutouts, bandeau tops paired with full skirts featuring high slits and sheer slipdresses trimmed in lace on towering platforms, they looked like night owls prowling the city’s streets at sunrise.
Christian Boaro is a seasoned designer — and one that has been very much connected to Milan’s youth scene and in tune with its sensibility. His take on sexy dressing for his CHB spring collection leaned toward a mature, grown-up sensuality with a certain bourgeois subversion and refinement. Cue lace slipdresses worn over white tunics and pencil skirts with a trail. An exquisite lace dress worn over lingerie had tiny crystals dotting the fabric seemingly whispering “look at me now.”
Courtesy of Krizia
Inspired by K-pop stars, Aniye By creative director Alessandra Marchi unveiled a bold collection for girls who want to stand out from the crowd. In keeping with the brand’s rock ‘n’ roll DNA, the lineup offered a range of looks with a stage-appropriate sex appeal, including laced-up bra tops matched with low-waisted flared pants, harnesses worn over voluminous gowns with high slits and leopard micro shorts paired with draped, cutout tops.
Certainly not an emerging brand, but one search for a new, modern identity, Krizia presented a cool collection at the Four Seasons hotel infused with a sensual, edgy vibe. A minimal black dress with a high slit and cutouts on the bodice was enriched with jewelry-inspired gold chains, which also peppered the open back of a men’s wear-inspired blazer worn with matching pants. Recycled PVC printed with Krizia’s signature feline motifs introduced transparencies in the collection via slick bandeaus and tank tops.
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