Across New York, London, Milan and Paris, designers — most of whom have recently presented well-received Fall/Winter 2023 collections — are still coming down from the bi-annual whirlwind that is Fashion Month, this time, one that largely embraced a new minimalist and statement-chic aesthetic. However, like all fashion months, just as there were sartorial hits, there were the season’s fair share of misses as well, sparking, healthy debates across fashion aficionados. As collections from Paris Fashion Week are still being digested, debates around what design and presentation tricks read as gimmicks versus which didn’t (an ongoing “discourse” largely initiated by Rachel Tashjian’s Harper’s Bazaar review of Coperni’s spray-on dress during the Spring 2023 season) continues, and as we explore how fashion may develop alongside the competition of technological advancements and artificial intelligent design, this season’s revival of true investment pieces was refreshing in comparison.
Courreges engaged with similar ideas this season, illustrating the vanity-driven void behind our daily performances often both aided in and masked by our addiction to technology. The show’s opening look featured a model scrolling on her phone, face lit by its LED screen, which was heightened by the set’s (initially) darkened atmosphere. She is us, tethered to the item that she uses to light her way through the void. More models paraded the runway emerging from fog with large, circular mirrored jewelry that resembled the hide and seek we play with our reflection when we inhabit our clothing.
On the other hand, this season brought back a once lost attitude of the “ladies who lunch,” and successfully reimagined the boundaries of the often discussed inconspicuous consumption across diverse identities. In Milan, Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta was among the strongest examples of this (the collection allows the designer’s blank slate of potential consumers to engage with his fashions and, if they choose to do so, subsequently aspire to the dream — and pieces — he sells), but in Paris, Anthony Vacarello’s was impressive as well. The head of Saint Laurent appeared to have taken a step back from a sequined aesthetic reminiscent of Celine, and provided instead, a collection overflowing with dramatic statement outerwear and Roald Dahl-esque angular expression. The success in this collection lies in the fact that the idea of this woman already exists from days gone by — Her software is merely being rebooted and updated to translate these ideas into our modern time
Then, it’d be remiss to forgo acknowledging the success of Miu Miu’s intellectual expression this season. Miuccia Prada is no stranger to operating on both sides of the feminine identity, and toes the line ingeniously. In contrast to the viral, barely-there mini skirts born from the brand’s Spring 2022 collection, its latest offering is one of simplistic, and aesthetically sustainable elements — inspiration we can find within the clothing we already own. It was not a design-driven collection, though it appropriately referenced plenty of Miu Miu’s successful house codes. Rather, it was simply a fresh reimagination of styling wardrobe staples (granted, bedazzled briefs in green, pink and champagne hues were widely talked about points of the collection online, too).
The overall sentiment this season felt emotionally motivated in a way that is distinctly different from the repetitive archive regurgitation of the past few years. As we return to the momentarily paused idea of simple glamor and reduced, but aspirational consumption, designers allowed us a moment of reflection to rediscover design concepts so familiar to us once before.
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