What Friday lacked in colour, Saturday definitely made up for – on days two and three of Milan fashion week. Versus and Gianfranco Ferré offered up a monochrome palette, the former across a collection that was almost entirely made up of black, corset boned and sheer midriff dresses. Highlights came in the glittery, triangular motifs that adorned entire shifts and toe straps of models’ stack-heeled sandals – a fun twist that marked Christopher Kane’s fourth influential women's collaboration with Donatella Versace. Ferré’s A/W11 collection was the Yang to Versus’s Yin, mainly made up of shades of white and nude in a streamlined, body con silhouette.
In complete contrast on Saturday, Jil Sander’s graphic collection pushed proportions to the extreme creating cocoon shaped dresses and coats dispersed with the body consciousness of downhill racers, after being influenced by Louise Dahl-Wolfe’s mid-century images of couture photographed in ski resorts. Looks came in vibrant hues often juxtaposed against black, continuing on from last season’s palette of neon-brights. Where outfits came entirely black, vivid hints of colour were visible in models’ tangerine red lipstick and cyan eye shadow. Bottega Veneta’s colour appeared like candy, just like his collection: sweet and pretty but with a hint of naughtiness. Models opened the show in cute, powdery-coloured garments made out of pilly wool and densely woven yarns and then closed the show in revealing lace and billowing satin ball skirts.
Text by Lucia Davies
