Versace and Fendi unveil stunning collections at Milan Fashion Week

The fashion world descended onto the city of Milan last week for a number of blockbuster shows. While we’ve already seen incredible shows from London and Florence this year, Milan is when things really start to heat up. This year was no different and it was Fendi and Versace who stole many of the headlines.

Donatella Versace returned to menswear with a fun and inventive collection, full of colour and verve, shown in the courtyard of the fashion house’s central Milan headquarters. Mirrored pillars swirled to life, casting images of classical statuary.

Versace is reaching out to the next generation, reinventing the brand’s iconic Medusa in animated versions that seem to come to life as repeating patterns on silks. In tune with the younger generation’s concern with the planet, Versace substituted exotic skins with python prints featuring neon accents, appearing as trenches or trousers, grounded by oversized pinstriped accent pieces. 

The show also featured many of the models carrying various homely objects including stunning golden vases as well as coffee cups and saucers.

Silvia Venturini Fendi created earthy, grounded looks for a planet-conscious generation in shades that ranged from earthy watercolours to muted browns, merging into a new motif created from images of swirling weather patterns of planet Earth.

The collection carried some nostalgia for more innocent times, from fraying hems on jeans to soft seams on denim bags. Bucket hats are cut out for a visor feel, while knit cloches sport brims. Chunky rubber shoes were emblazoned with the inverted double-F logo.

For an easy day look, denim trousers were worn with knitwear in matching tones, accompanied by faded denim Fendi bags with a long, fringe crossbody strap. For the beach, there were short shorts in linen with soft zipped jackets. On the more dressy end, there were Bermuda’s shorts in cream paired with a camel jacket and ochre zipper back, with the cutout bucket hat.