A-list designers know that fur coats are the most feminine and beautiful units of outer clothing and 2016 was for sure a year when designers and brands all over the world used fur in their runaways. Fur was the main attraction of fashion week during Autumn/Winter Ready to Wear shows in the 4 capitals of fashion.
From Fendi to Dennis Basso, from Milan’s fashion week to New York’s ”passerelle”, fur was the main attraction, for us and for all..
Valentino
Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli were seduced by dance this season, from the Russian Ballets to the New York City Ballet. They also cited dance films such as They Shoot Horses Don’t They? starring Jane Fonda. The unraveling of which made for a standout show that grew with unabashed romance with every exit.
I started with Valentino because my favorite fur masterpiece for this year was in this collection, a gentle pastel-colored fur jacket that gives you a taste of autumn romance.
Gucci
At the fashion show, there were lots of different colors. First, there was a sugary pink fox fur coat, and then an emerald green sequinned mandarin collar blouse. The show then switched to clothing that was all colors together, like a red mink fur coat styled over a red tuxedo suit and a librarian-chic combination of a tweed jacket and wool check pants styled with a paisley print pussy-bow blouse.
Also, there was a lot that was cleaner and less layered than the spring collection, and it worked, bringing out the beauty – and wearability – of some of these pieces. A white double-breasted coat looked like an appealing option, and so was an uncomplicated ivory smoking suit. But crucially, Michele’s hallmarks were still there: the straight silk dresses with 7/8 sleeves cuffed in mink, coiled serpent embroideries, double-breasted brocade coats, knitted ruffled red capes, and baseball jackets with the house webbing all atop precariously high wedges or zebra striped platforms with hairy ‘tails’.
A classy catwalk, full of mink details.. An ode to Real Fur..
Fendi
Those Fendi bag charms have become a bit of a thing; the fuzzy characters in saccharine colors with slanted monster eyes and sometimes Mohicans swing from bags all over the place, from London to Milan to wherever. A few days prior to the show, a press release announced two special ‘celebrity’ guests flying all the way over from Japan, no less, to attend this morning’s show – the FENDIRUMI, Piro-chan, and Bug-Kun, two-meter tall furry bag charms. They’re here in Milan to celebrate the biggest Fendi Ginza pop-up store in Tokyo, which opened last November. But no one really cares about that, they just want their picture to be taken next to one to post on all social media channels: #Fendirumi. Clever Fendi. Should your heart desire you can buy your own fluffy bag charm-sized version from today on Fendi.com and Fendi boutiques, available in a limited edition run of 80. “They perfectly embody the Fendi fun spirit,” said Silvia Venturini Fendi.
The fun continued on the runway with turquoise thigh-high boots, a navy coat with a fur collar featuring intarsia monster eyes, teddy bear shearlings, and stripy-tailed fur stoles and fur coats.
Versace
DONATELLA VERSACE was celebrating the return of the supermodel. Her roll call of girls was a stellar gang comprising of Gigi Hadid who had flown in specially to open the show, swiftly followed by Karlie Kloss, Adriana Lima, Kendall Jenner, and Irina Shayk. It was a celebration of girls with personality, as far from identikit as possible. The fact that Cate Blanchett looked so ravishing in a custom-made Atelier Versace black sequinned gown at the 18th Costume Designers Guild Awards last week is proof that Versace can work for all women.
No fur coats for Versace, I will showcase ONLY the fox fur tail in several colors, for the simple reason that I loved it!!
Dennis Basso
Basso went a little deeper into the fantasy he created for Pre-Fall 2016, when he imagined women dressed to the nines dining in a forest under a moonlit sky. Here, the dream was a little more sultry and sexy: Basso’s women came out in silky, chantilly lace–trimmed slips and jumpsuits with his signature furs draped over their shoulders — almost as if they’d sleepwalked into a glamorous soiree.
There were also plenty of gowns, fur coats, cocktail dresses, and evening tops — structured bodices with exaggerated waists —in velvet, brocade, feathers, and beading. “Those materials might have been at one time for an older woman, but this is really for a young girl. She’s hot, sexy,” said Basso. That was absolutely true for a stunning crushed velvet gold slinky gown but maybe less so for an embroidered sequin strapless dress with fur trim. Other highlights included the groovy hand-embroidered coats with fur collars, which Basso’s younger clientele will gladly throw on with jeans.
