From Gucci to Versace: the third day of Milan Fashion Week was dedicated to the shows of the 90s

It’s official: the ’90s are having a major moment at Milan Fashion Week for the spring/summer 2024 season. On Wednesday at the Fendi show, Kim Jones cited the brand’s spring/summer 1999 collection designed by Karl Lagerfeld, and on Thursday at the Tom Ford show, Peter Hawkings took example from the Gucci spring/summer 1996 collection designed by Tom Ford. And on Friday, the dive into the archive continued as Donatella Versace took her late brother Gianni Versace’s fall-winter 1995 collection as a starting point for thinking about what defines modern femininity. References to ’90s style and pop culture were everywhere on the runways, from Tod’s and Lorenzo Serafini’s Philosophy to Sabato De Sarno’s hotly anticipated debut at Gucci.

First row:

Serious question: are there any movie stars who… note in Milan this week? Julia Roberts, Jessica Chastain, Ryan Gosling, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Jodie Comer, Jodie Turner-Smith, Gabrielle Union and Juno Temple all showed up to support De Sarno’s debut.

Friday also happened to be Friends and Family Day at MFW. There were so many cute couples at Gucci FROW: Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny, Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson (who produced the soundtrack), Julia Garner and Mark Foster, Halle Bailey and DDG. Chiara Ferragni and Fedez even brought Ferragni’s two sisters and mom to the show.

But by far our favorite Gucci FROW couple photo was Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and his wife Simone Caggia with their photogenic rescue pup Miranda (after Priestley). Later that day, Miranda also joined Versace, where she sat comfortably on a bench while waiting for the show to begin. She now has her own Getty Images tag, “Miranda the Dog,” and has quickly become friends with her seatmate Pilaf, a Chihuahua owned by Demi Moore.

Note: Prior to his appointment at Gucci, De Sarno spent 14 years on the Valentino design team, most recently as fashion director. So how nice was it to see his former boss – and now imaginary rival – supporting him? Piccioli also attended FROW in Versace, this time joined by Fendi artistic director Kim Jones. More of this energy, please.

Casting:

Nobody makes star models like Versace. Kendall Jenner opened the SS24 show, Claudia Schiffer closed, and between them we spotted Gigi Hadid, Iris Lowe, Liu Wen and Precious Lee.

Natalia Bryant, daughter of late basketball star Kobe Bryant and philanthropist Vanessa Bryant, made her runway debut. The 20-year-old was taking a break from classes (she’s studying film at the University of Southern California) and her mom was there to cheer her up.

Serendipity:

Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini’s deconstructed and lightweight tailoring in lightweight fabrics such as wool voile and cotton-linen blends was inspired by Sharon Stone’s wardrobe in the 1992 cult classic. The basic Instinct. Stone herself, by the way, two hours ago was sitting in the front row of Todd in a leather jumpsuit in the style of Catherine Tramell.

Last bow:

Walter Chiapponi took his final bow at Tod’s, showcasing one of his strongest collections in his four years as creative director of the Italian heritage label. For many Milanese designers this season, the point of contact was the minimalism of the 90s. He added softness to the traditional elements of a men’s tailoring wardrobe by cutting suits from very light, loose fabrics and adding generous pleats to the trousers.

Debut:

When Julia Roberts showed off her million-dollar smile in a tailored Bermuda short suit at De Sarno’s Gucci debut, you’d think it was borrowed from the wardrobe of another defining ’90s film: Pretty Woman (1990). There was plenty more from that decade on the runway, including several Tom Ford looks for Gucci—leggy silhouettes, figure-hugging camisoles, silky shirts unbuttoned to the navel, for example—but it was all refracted through the savvy mid-century lens that’s found today. . De Sarno appears to be a master of mix-ups: he can take the ’90s double thread of minimalist tailoring and overt sex appeal, add a new Rosso Ancora crimson color and some crystals inspired by the embellished clutches of the ’50s. – and the result is something that is fully felt in the moment.