Runway Report: Milan Fashion Week Autumn 2022 Day 3 Recap

Milan Fashion Week returned on February 23rd. This season, we are seeing both heritage and young Italian brands embracing innovation and pushing their artistic geniuses to the new heights of excellence. 

Here are our picks for the most memorable shows from Milan Fashion Week day 3:

Versace

Once again, Versace brought sex back to Milan fashion week. Donatella Versace reinvented the suit, the corset and destroyed the canons of power dressing to allow the new style vocabulary to emerge from its ashes. The show saw a generous usage of corset boning – in dresses, bodysuits, vests and even crop tops; the neon-heavy colour palette migrated into the Autumn 2022 collection from previous seasons, alongside the evolved iterations of the new Versace monogram. PVC leggings returned to Versace’s runway as well, bleeding into heels or appearing under glossy puffers. 

Gucci

Seems like Gucci’s Alessandro Michele pulled a late Virgil Abloh not only in paying homage to his artistic choices but in referencing his own creative milestones. The collection’s message centred around mirrors – not literally – but in the ideology that mirrors represent. There were a plethora of men’s suits in a range of new silhouettes, all of which shared a bottom-heavy denominator. The show-stealers, though, were the items from the house’s collaboration with Adidas, including the white Victoriana nightgown dress, corset inserts beanies and, of course, ginormous tote bags. 

Etro

Is there even any space left in 2022 for the reinvention of prints? According to Veronica Etro, there is. The collection represented a curious mix of blown-up 60s references, true to the brand’s heritage, along with some relaxed early aughts tropes. The largely bohemian aesthetic feel of the collection entailed a pleasant mix of textures and warm colours, whether upon paisley-printed pants, long cardigans or fringe-adored shoulder bags. Velvet and brocade were genius additions that elevated the range’s tone from conventional hippieness to something that blended retrospection with anticipation for the future. 

Sportmax

In its Autumn 2022 collection, Sportmax twists, turns and eviscerates everything one might claim to know about sexiness. Only nominal inclusion of bodycon silhouettes allowed for Grazia Malagoli to play with bulky shapes and cutouts. Who knew that an enormous fur coat, thrown over a wool coat with a high-collared shirt underneath could look as sensual as a sleeveless PVC dress with a sharp neckline? Malagoli also played with shoulder pads, asymmetric sleeves and leather bustiers, delivering a powerful, provocative, yet always classy aesthetic message.