MILAN FASHION WEEK AUTUMN/ WINTER 2023: Part 1
GUCCI, DOLCE & GABBANA, GIORGIO ARMANI, ANTONIO MARRAS and KRIZIA

by Cecile Paul · Published February 28, 2023 · Updated March 1, 2023

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It was a Love Affair at Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Antonio Marras – Hearts in all Shapes and Textures Featured Prominently, and Red, the Colour of Love, Penetrated Collections in a Multitude of Guises.

A red shaggy faux fur heart-shaped collar. At Gucci

Image Credit Milan Fashion Week and Vogue

There was a definite touch of the romantic in many of the collections (were designers enamoured with Valentine’s Day just past?) with Gucci blatantly displaying heart-shaped collars and offering us plenty red references, Dolce & Gabbana prioritizing red as an accent shade, Antonio Marras’ models’ displaying oversized heart pendants and brooches … and even the King of Cool, Giorgio Armani, deliberately choosing to show his collection (that included many pink shades) on a pink marbled runway! Love was definitely in the air!

As for textures, unsurprisingly we saw plenty tactile faux fur in most of the collection, across all shades – notably vibrant and super bright at Gucci and Krizia. Shapes tended to verge on the oversized spectrum rather than neat and close-cut, with men’s sized shoulders spotted on coats and jackets. The trend for transparency continued, as seen at Gucci, Krizia and Dolce & Gabbana.

All in all, there were no radical, standout surprises – just fabulous, colourful and textured pieces to drool over … exactly what the Fashion Doctor ordered for some Autumn Winter mood-enhancing medicine!

GUCCI

Gucci’s collection for AW 2023 was rock chic in overdrive, boho glam on steroids! Sexy, gritty and very rock ’n roll! And we’re not only talking about the fashionistas who flocked to front-row at the event – the likes of ASAP Rocky, Florence Welch and Dakota Johnson …

The ensembles were glamorous to the extreme – and in many ways less fussy than the very individualistic and eclectic ones we’ve been getting used to at this brand over the past few seasons. Current creative director Michele most certainly had a penchant for faux fur in the most vibrant of shades – shocking pink, lettuce leaf green, pillar-box red, marled yellow ochre, for show-stopping sequins and rhinestones and for sexy, reveal-all transparency.

Love was in the air too and hearts were a definite theme: party dresses were embellished with heart-shaped skirts, coats came with oversized, blood red faux fur heart-shaped collars and pops of red, the colour of l’amour appeared in many places – hair, hand bags, tops, skirts, culottes, tights, stilettos, sunshades and bras all had a decidedly scarlet touch.

Watch Gucci’s show here:

A leaf green shaggy knitted dress. At Gucci

Shocking pink faux fur. At Gucci

A shaggy sequin coat. At Gucci

Bare all! At Gucci

Ermin faux fur. At Gucci

A blooming romantic dress! At Gucci

Faux fur with a lavender tinge. At Gucci

Transparency and rhinestones. At Gucci

A chunky marled ochre jacket. At Gucci

Half-hearted! At Gucci

A heart-shaped skirt. At Gucci

Shimmery and transparent. At Gucci

Red pantaloons. At Gucci

Electric blue furry vibes. At Gucci

A vintage touch to this lingerie ensemble. At Gucci

DOLCE & GABBANA

Known for their sultry, super sexy feminine, beautifully tailored and luxurious pieces, Dolce & Gabbana pulled out all the stops the keep churning out variations on their signature looks with this AW 2023 collection. A super sharp belted pillar box red trench coat rubbed shoulders with a glamorous fur collared gold leather coat … an enveloping boxy red feathered coat shared the runway with an oversized leather biker’s jacket… These are classics, cut to perfection, with every detail oozing “Dolce & Gabbana”.

The sexy side of the brand was very evident (let’s not forget Dolce & Gabbana were one of the very first brands to, thirty years ago now, transform lingerie into a day-time look) in all the midriff-baring, lingerie-like pieces (lacy teddy suits, tulle slip dresses, bras, corsets, etc), transparent frocks, bodysuits and shorts. A palette of red, black and white dominated. This is the Dolce & Gabbana we’ve come to know and adore – no more and no less.

Watch Dolce & Gabbana’s show here:

Red feathers. At Dolce & Gabbana

Sharp, sleek, sexy and red. At Dolce & Gabbana

Glamorous gold leather. At Dolce & Gabbana

Transparent and sexy. At Dolce & Gabbana

Lingerie is the new outerwear. At Dolce & Gabbana

Midriff-baring chic. At Dolce & Gabbana

Reveal and expose. At Dolce & Gabbana

Stunning, elegant white fur. At Dolce & Gabbana

Classic black and white. At Dolce & Gabbana

ANTONIO MARRAS

A brand that has, over the decades, delivered extraordinary collections that speak of Marras’ Sardinian textile and craft heritage, delivered an Autumn Winter 2023 collection full of anthropological and historic surprises, taking inspiration from cultures around the world as well as looking back over time.

The scene was set when the first model, Carmen Kass, made a dramatic entrance in a head to toe black ensemble, the only decoration an oversized ivory heart-shaped necklace. The heart symbol ran through the collection – from embroidered hearts on tailoring to oversized heart brooches pinned to lapels. Red featured in many of the pieces of tailoring and indeed red tartan paid homage to Scottish Highland influences whereas grey and brown tweeds and plaids were a nod to traditional British country-house attire.

Dresses covered in wolf prints (a wolf howled in the audio too, just in case one didn’t notice the prints!) with black ribbons were reminiscent of frocks from the late 19^th and early 20^th century. Cosy faux fur featured heavily – in garments as well as accessories and handbags. A standout piece in the collection is the oversized grey tweed men’s coat embellished with floral appliques and hearts – so covetable, and so very AW 2023!

A huge heart pendant. At Antonio Marras

Grey tweed and beige prints. At Antonio Marras

Wolf heads! At Antonio Marras

Faux fur hooded coat. At Antonio Marras

A sportwear take on things. At Antonio Marras

The standout, must-have piece from the collection! At Antonio Marras

Country-house look, but with a tweak. At Antonio Marras

Fur, fur and more fur! At Antonio Marras

A crafty heart brooch. At Antonio Marras

Tartan and lace. At Antonio Marras

Tartan and tweed. At Antonio Marras

Avant-garde tartan. At Antonio Marras

A stunning ensemble of tulle, lace and tweed. At Antonio Marras

The transparency trend seen here too. At Antonio Marras

KRIZIA

Creative director Antonio D’Anna continued on his quest to introduce Krizia to a new, younger audience and chose to do so this season though a series of youthful shapes, textures and silhouettes. Tactile fabrics (most notably so the metallic jacket, hand-knitted mohair sweater and sunshine-yellow shaggy fur coat) and sculptural shapes (a stunning pod-shaped brown jacket and transparent top with sculpted skirt dress) added to the forward-looking ethos of Krizia’s Autumn Winter offering.

A crafty hand-knit. At Krizia

Shaggy sunshine yellow fur. At Krizia

Liquid satin in this sky-blue top. At Krizia

Transparency and tailoring meet in this dress. At Krizia

Shaggy faux fur. At Krizia

A very striking metallic fur jacket and gold boots. At Krizia

A pod-like jacket. At Krizia

GIORGIO ARMANI

Super sleek and fluid as ever, Giorgio Armani’s collection for Autumn Winter 2023 is testament to this brand sticking closely to their signature classic silhouette. Textured pieces included a stunning long-ply shaggy fur jacket, fur shawls, a pleated furry waistcoat, embellished jackets and various very elegant fringed shawls.

The trademark Armani shapes – prominent shoulders on the jackets, languid, loose-fitting slacks and fluid, liquid sheath dresses, soft pyjama suits and sarong skirts – were all there to be marveled over. Colour-wise, Armani stuck close to their tried-and-tested neutral colour palette, with mocha, biscuit, copper, black and rather romantic pink in the mix.