The Runway Rundown: Max Mara, Prada And Emporio Armani Play With Time
Fashion is a cyclical business: trends come and go, and then come again, repeating and evolving over time, making the industry tick. It's a concept that, whether consciously or not, designers seem to have on their mind, with brands in Milan oscillating between past and present for next season.
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Max Mara opened day three of Milan Fashion Week with a collection inspired by Hypatia of Alexandria, a 4th-century mathematician and philosopher, much of whom’s work built on the theories of Pythagoras. In tribute, its British designer Ian Griffiths gave the collection a ‘trigonometrical twist’, doubling down on precision with a focus on square, narrow shoulders for tailored pieces.
The inspiration may have been drawn from antiquity, but the final product was pretty timeless: a contemporary wardrobe of ultra-luxe staples, if you will. Cotton poplin shirts, fine knit pullovers and sharp suiting were shown alongside soft, ribbed-knit dresses and the brand’s speciality: deliciously luxurious coats. Who knew maths could be so stylish.
Later in the day, Prada — one of fashion’s hottest brands right now, and one of the few names defying a broader slowdown of spending on luxury goods — offered a vision that was also inspired by numbers, referencing today's algorithm-driven era of information overload. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons chose to showcase a collection of contradictions, juxtaposing ideas of the calculated technological function with unpredictable human agency. 'There is a plurality of Prada, elements from different eras co-existing simultaneously to challenge any theory of chronology, creating impossible contradictions, points of difference,' the show notes read.
The result was a mish-mash of colours and textures that felt both futuristic and nostalgic, fusing '60s silhouettes and space age references with contemporary trends and designs that felt distinctly forward looking. Old favourites from the Prada archives reappeared on the catwalk too (remember those platform-meets-espadrille brogues from SS11, or the rubber-cap Mary Jane platforms from AW12?).
The day closed out with Emporio Armani, which saw Giorgio Armani drawing on his empire’s design legacy to create clothes for now. ‘His grasp on the spirit of the moment aligns seamlessly with his commitment to a style that remains coherent, changing so as not to change,’ the show notes read. 'It is the essence of what has gone before, but equally the announcement of what is to come.'
A push and pull between masculinity and femininity, the vast collection was wide ranging, serving up Annie Hall-esque suiting in neutral, light colour palettes alongside silk riding breeches in crimson pinks and indigo blues, and intricately beaded trousers belted over boyfriend shirts.
The Armani glamour extended beyond the catwalk that night, with an after party to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Emporio Armani flagship on Milan’s Via Manzoni, which first opened in 2000. Like his collection, the evening was celebrating the connections between past and present: 'My relationship with this city never stops evolving,' Mr Armani said. 'After all this time, I thought the moment had come to update the design, using new technology and opening the windows to emphasise the dialogue between inside and out.'
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