Big eyewear, leather gloves, statement handbags: During Milan Fashion Week, it was often the case that for many people, an outfit was not complete until it was augmented with a visually bold or beautiful accessory — and that’s before shoes were accounted for.
A proclivity toward things that are lavish, loud and sexy is something Italians share with other fashionistas in Milan, a diverse group that in recent years has grown to include more Ukrainians and Russians. Their presence has brought new energy to the crowds outside Milan’s fashion shows, where there were less of the clashing prints that characterized seasons past and more monochrome outfits involving springy yellows and pinks as well as shades of burgundy.
On the runways, local designers embraced certain trends adopted by their counterparts in London and New York. Leather goods were plentiful, as was fringe, which swung from dresses, jackets and trousers. (Whether those swishy pieces will infiltrate people’s closets is an open question.) Another notable sight were the gloves on the hands of models in almost every show I attended. It seemed to be a subtle way of designers playing to the tastes of people following along from front row seats and from the streets.
