Milan Fashion Week! 2013 Fall Trends To Steal For This Spring?

Milan Fashion Week has officially begun yesterday and let me just say OMG! I know, what a cliche or better yet how predictable of me to love all the shows and collections (those of you who have read FashionTag & know me, know I absolutely adore Milan FW and why to this day it remains my fave of them all). Celebrating the woman (with all that she stands for and infinitely represents), Italian designers have always had a soft spot for the glam & opulence, and though some might say they can get repetitive with their fashions, I say to hell with it. There’s not a woman on this planet who does not want to ooze femininity, hotness, class and strength. And the Italians sartorialists know it. Following NYC’s footsteps in regards to the trends of next fall, Milan screams the same S&M meets feminine luxurious/grunge styles: fur, leather, gloves, white, black & dark shades. And you know what? Upon viewing all these shows I wonder, could we not steal all these trends starting with say… next month? Would you do next fall’s trends this spring? For practice if not for other reasons :)  Yesterday debuted with one of my favorite shows so far – Gucci! A brand that never lets me down and never ceases to surprise and please me. With Gucci it’s all about being sexy, strong, beautiful, confident and polished. Simple fitted cuts, knee-length dresses and black or burgundy leather everywhere: head to toe, or just on accessories (boots, gloves & belts). Message quite clear: do leather dolls! Knee-length pencil skirts & dresses in python & snake leather textures, long sleeves, nipped waists, high boots, gloves and sunglasses with the occasional coat thrown over and the posh bag – Gucci girl is one hot confident woman. When leather took a step backwards, full but fluid textures in violet or brown took over with some of those slim, long sleeve, knee-length dresses I can already see invading the streets/offices/parties this spring. Timeless elegance and class, from cut to color to design. And the same thing if you ask me goes for leather. You can never go wrong with a leather pencil skirt or why not (as Gucci suggests) leather turtle necks. I mean really, why wait till next fall?  At it’s exact opposite stands Alberta Ferretti who could not make up her mind, so she delivered a dual collection, which was both dark & romantic, madame & jeunne fille in it. With pieces that bared some discrete embellishments,  fine cuts, strong lines – her models strutted the runway in innocent whites from head to toe (yep, definitely a spring try) or dark seductive blacks. Flirty pleated over the knee skirts and dresses with nipped at the waist jackets gave strength to a very romantic and feminine look. Solid colors made their way on the runway starting with the second half of the show and presented the same conservative strong look on one hand, and a very girly one, on the other. Loved the sort of understated opulence, romantic decadence and a tiny hint of baroque style the clothes seemed to have. Simplicity with a twist.  Francesco Scognamiglio‘s collection was simple, beautiful and definitely do-able this spring! The first all-white look with a wide-leg high waisted trouser and a silk white top with ruffles was a base for the whole collection (again black and white, and a dip into the animal kingdom as well). The animal/leopard prints in grey broke a bit the repetitiveness of the whole collection, which though simple, it was otherwise quite pleasant to look at in a sea of leathers, furs, prints and solids. Those fluid, silky, soft wide legged trousers and romantic ruffled tops will be a huge hit. Loved the cropped tops, the long sleeve dresses, the transparent belts and black leather pencil skirt as well. Oversize, layers, browns and softness took over the runway at Max Mara. Never have I imagined I would actually love to see and wear for that matter a fur top (boxy top mind you) with an oversized coat over, and drape myself in brown. Hmm. Though I am not the biggest fan of an all-oversized outfit and all-brown,  the perfect soft lines and textures won me over. And the yellow shades were a great breath of fresh air (sort of bee-style with the stripes as well). And the black... well, it’s always a blessing and a must have and do! The English have met the Italians with No.21. Or so it’s been said about the collection. A huge mix of plaids, tweeds, sequins, crystals, knits, mohairs, you name it. Eclectic does not begin to describe this actually soft collection, in delicate tones. Evening tops, sequined blouses paired with day-to-day bottoms, plaid skirts, thick fabrics. I loved it. I mean the streets are already doing this mismatched trend for a while now: evening pieces paired with boring daywear or sports with classic, or girly with androgynous  Yep… mix it up ladies because it looks great, effortless and cool.   So recap now: black, white, leather, flirty dresses, pencil skirts, long sleeve fitted knee-length dresses, solid colors, animal prints, leather, mixed fabrics and styles… Should we wait till 2013 fall or start practicing right away?