MILAN FASHION WEEK AUTUMN/ WINTER 2023: Part 2
PRADA, MOSCHINO, ROBERTO CAVALLI, ETRO and VIVIERS

by Cecile Paul · Published March 1, 2023 · Updated January 24, 2024

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Hurrah! This time we saw Real Clothes for Real People with Real Lives on the Runway … but don’t fret, Milan AW 2023 had its fair share of Fantasy and Theatrics too.

Leather, lace and striking adornments. Photography Eva Losada. At Viviers

Image and Video Credit Milan Fashion Week, Participating Designers and Vogue

One could sense a radical shift in the fashion narrative for Autumn Winter 2023: no gimmicky sprayed-on dresses, no sensationalist real-looking lion and wolves’ heads attached to coats, no baby bump-exposing Rihannas dressed in bits of nothing … instead, there was a decided sense of realness about the pieces this time around. Designers may simply have decided to do away with the shock factor element (for now …) and focus on real clothes worn by real people to go to work in, to relax in. Don’t get us wrong – Roberto Cavalli will always create fantasy garments and Moschino quirky ones, but even these seemed somewhat restrained as world events – wars, natural disasters and the likes – are impacting and shaping fashion – and the brands’ responses to those.

The result? Fashion is more ‘wearable’ than it has been in many years. Designers are reassessing what is ‘beautiful’ and the result is a refreshing take on the everyday, as seen at brands like Prada, Max Mara and Giorgio Armani. Hand bags are more modest than we’ve seen in years, shoes are sturdier and coats practical. Even at Roberto Cavalli, the brand’s usual extravagant excess was verbally downplayed, and Etro ‘domesticated’ its frilly offerings by covering these with none other than a … modest cosy blanket. In line with the general mood of fashion this season, Viviers’ stunning creations are endearingly anchored in a pair of flat, sturdy, practical and simple leather sandals – the kind that one can walk miles in.

The loud and clear message designers are sending for AW 2023 is, ‘down to earth, back to basics’, and in the words of the doyenne of Italian fashion, Miuccia Prada, “Mainly what I care about now is to give importance to what is modest, to value modest jobs, simple jobs, and not only extreme beauty or glamour.”

PRADA

Miuccia Prada tipped her hat to the people in our society who serve us, people like the nurses, and those in the army. The collection was full of white pieces, a clear nod to the uniforms worn by hospital staff: some short dresses got a practical leather jacket as accompaniment, others became long sheath dresses. Some white skirts were embellished with 3-D flowers as if part of a wedding attire (which, in many ways, is also some form of a care ‘uniform’!). Military uniforms – parkas, shirts, ties and trousers – all got the quintessential Prada treatment: trench coats became mini capes with epaulettes and parkas came in forward-looking nylon. Practical, simple, no-fuss grey and charcoal jumpers were worn underneath heavy coats and jackets, downplaying the pretty white skirts with their paper-like flowers. This is a new way of toning things down, of keeping it simple, of keeping it unassuming.

(However, Miuccia couldn’t resist the allure of a razor-sharp pointy shoe in a few must-have shades. Thank goodness.)

Watch Prada’s show here:

https://milanofashionweek.cameramoda.it/it/brand/11485

Where practicality and theatrics come together. At Prada

Paper-like flowers on this mini skirt. At Prada

A simple grey jumper downplays the drama of the elaborate skirt. At Prada

A boyfriend blazer. At Prada

A trench coat that became a trench-cloak! At Prada

A soft pink blazer and bright orange pointy pumps. At Prada

A soft hem on this minidress. At Prada

Sharp tailoring. At Prada

AA flattering column dress with its train. At Prada

A modest long sleeve black & white dress worn with a pop of bright yellow. At Prada

MOSCHINO

Remember Surrealist artist Dali’s super famous painting of the melting clock? Well, it seems Moschino based part of a collection of skirts and dresses on this painting – their hems curling, their peplums buckling, in an attempt to convey the message that “we’re living in distorted times”. That being said, the rest of the collection radically changed direction halfway through and was clearly influenced by … punk rock! Models sported immense mohawk hairpieces and rhinestone-encrusted leather jackets, fishnet stockings and puffer coat skirts. Purple, the colour of royalty and luxe, featured in many ensembles. A disjointed collection one may say, but it certainly made up for it in fun factor!

Watch Moschino’s show here:

https://milanofashionweek.cameramoda.it/it/brand/11484

A shape reminiscent of Dali’s melting clock. At Moschino

Curling hems. At Moschino

Glam rock with a hint of the Eastern influences. At Moschino

Rock chic glamour. At Moschino

Rock chic verging on punk. At Moschino

Biker chic complete with dramatic purple puff skirt. At Moschino

Drama and theatrics complete with mohawk hair. At Moschino

Punk princess. At Moschino

Glam rock bride! At Moschino

ROBERTO CAVALLI

Roberto Cavalli did for Autumn Winter what Cavalli does best: the master of uber sexy, super glamorous, ridiculously exotic Italian fashion created yet another collection that makes one want to exit the slow lane and become a player in life’s racy Autobahn, where the bold and the beautiful relax, play and bronze their gorgeous limbs and midriffs in the Mediterranean sun. While wearing Cavalli of course.

We saw the brand’s signature animal prints (and often a realistic digital image of the entire animal) on ensembles, mixed with leather, shaggy fur and sexy lace. There was plenty patchwork, seventies-inspired pieces and even the general colour scheme of browns was reminiscent of the seventies. Oversized turquoise jewels and silver studs provided a focal point on dresses, pulling together the barely-there tops and bottoms. There were denim pieces – a tried-and-tested Cavalli recipe – of intricate patchwork and rips so fine one could easily confuse them with fur … Catsuits, flair trousers, fishtail dresses and embellished leather jackets completed a collection that couldn’t have been more Cavalli, even if they tried. But in the current fashion mood of downplaying excess, creative designer Puglisi defended his creations by saying, “it’s just a bunch of separates.” Yeah, right.

https://milanofashionweek.cameramoda.it/it/brand/11498

Three pieces held together with a turquoise brooch. At Roberto Cavalli

Animal prints and shaggy fur in this bodysuit. At Roberto Cavalli

Sexy lace and shaggy flairs. At Roberto Cavalli

Zebra stripes in this oversized jacket and leggings two-piece. At Roberto Cavalli

Seventies-inspired leather patschwork. At Roberto Cavalli

A dramatic stripy ensemble with draped shawl. At Roberto Cavalli

Denim patchwork. At Roberto Cavalli

A fishtail dress. At Roberto Cavalli

Contrast and drama in this floor-sweeping coat and macro mini dress. At Roberto Cavalli

Pink leopard! At Roberto Cavalli

ETRO

This brand’s signature boho, seventies look morphed into a bouquet of beautiful floral and paisley dresses – semi-transparent, frilled, tiered and billowing – for Autumn Winter 2023. The brand has always had a love-affair with tactile and unusual textiles from the four corners of the planet, and this collection celebrated the notion of being in a fabulous frock and just nonchalantly throwing a colourful blanket over your shoulders, as if in one’s own home, just keeping cosy.

The tiered dresses have a comfortable easiness about them, non-revealing and modest, the blankets are contrasting and vibrant – brightly striped, tartan and plaid. A blue piped prairie dress looked particularly modest and unassuming – and absolutely lovely. The transparent black tulle evening dresses most certainly required a little more guts to wear … but hey ho, one can always add a blanket!

Frilly paisley chiffon tiers. At Etro

A modest but very striking prairie dress. At Etro

A plaid blanket over this tiered dress. At Etro

Fiesta! At Etro

Blanket chic. At Etro

Transparent tulle in this sexy dress. At Etro

Victorian theatrics for AW 2023. At Etro

VIVIERS

This is where Rococo fashion meets artisanal African tribal craft and design … in truth, this is a collection fit for an African queen with a penchant for exceptional bling.

A Johannesburg brand swooped into Milan to deliver some quintessentially African magic, with pieces that are as tactile, textured and eclectic as they’re full of astounding detail: vintage-looking brocades and merino wool knits rub shoulders with modern digital prints and lace in a collection of floor-sweeping dresses, coats, trousers and sweaters, many finished off with hand-stitching. The twenties-style cloaks in brocade, lace and satin give this collection a luxe, decadent and modern retro feel. (Viviers use mostly ‘dead stock’ fabrics to remain as sustainable as possible.)

The artisanal jewellery – bold, confident and custom-designed – is an intrinsic part of the charm of this maverick heirloom collection. In line with the general mood of fashion this season, all these wonderous heads-in-the-clouds creations are endearingly anchored in a pair of sturdy, simple leather sandals.