Paris vs Milan
Men's Fashion Week in Two Cities: Similar Yet Different
If, by some strange coincidence, we came across a textbook on the history of fashion and decided to open it, and maybe even read it, we would discover what is meant by Fashion Week. A term that has always been synonymous with frenzy, elitism, and over-the-top glitz. It was not always like this.
Paris Fashion Week AW22 street style /Photography Yu Fujiwara
The first real Fashion Week took place in New York, but in Europe, we had to wait until the mid-1970s. In Paris, the initiator was Paul Poiret - considered the first fashion designer of modern times. Wikipedia says of him, "His contributions to 20th-century fashion have been compared to Picasso's contributions to the art world" - who threw many masquerade parties at his huge Paris villa, where models and dancers wore the creations he had designed for the occasion. More than sixty years have passed since 1973, when the "Battle of Versailles" inaugurated the first real fashion week in Paris, a sartorial challenge between French and American designers. The two factions vied for the title of best designer, and the Americans managed to win, thanks also to the presence of Liza Minelli. From then on, fashion shows became increasingly daring. In Italy, the story is not so romantic. In fact, if we want to be precise, the first fashion shows were concentrated in Rome and then in Florence. But then, common sense kicked in, and the insiders of the time concluded that these places were not the ideal theater for such an event and opted for Milan, a city that was starting to become more and more relevant. Back to the present, however, Milan and Paris Fashion Week have recently ended and even today, although they take place in two diametrically opposed European metropolises, they have points that clearly differentiate them and others that make them similar.
Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com
In France, we find a spectacular Fashion Week, which always tries to surprise and deeply affect those who watch the fashion show in the hall or from home. One example is certainly the Louis Vuitton collection, designed by Pharrell Williams, who staged a real trip to the Far West, riding the cowboy boot trend that has been all the rage for a few years now. A fashion show that was born to generate a lot of discussion, with some calling it a turning point and others a point of no return. Pharrell has succeeded in what he set out to do, which was to entertain the public by offering them a show with attention to the smallest detail. In Italy, on the other hand, we find something different. We find a city that tries to chase and catch up with the other fashion capitals but does not succeed; it always remains a step behind. Sabato de Sarno, for Gucci, creates a composed collection, austere, serious, without frills, but also without messages, because these clothes tell us nothing. At Prada, Raf Simons is trying to eradicate the sublime and veiled superiority from the brand; he does everything without feeling, cold and distant. There is a desperate need to show reality, but without dwelling on its negative aspects, such as pain or uncertainty about the future. Paris, which is certainly more spectacular and theatrical, does not really make an impact, and all the collections of the various brands did not bring anything new but only things that have already been seen, which no longer arouse any emotion in the spectator. Even if the first reactions, as in the case of Louis Vuitton, were astonishment, they soon faded and were replaced by question marks.
Photography Estrop via Getty Images
Milan, for its part, makes everything flat and apathetic. There is a definite need for change because fashion cannot just be a mass entertainment phenomenon, with exorbitant prices accessible to the few. Today, there are fewer and fewer creative people, and those who try to create something alternative are ignored because they do not follow the trends that are so popular and short-lived. The solution is offered by the new faces, one of which is Luca Magliano, guest designer at Pitti Uomo 2024. Magliano makes a critique of everything that is mainstream and classist, a kind of resistance that gives us emotions. Other recently born brands are trying to assert their own point of view, more fluid, lighter, without any gender distinction. Is this perhaps the direction that fashion should take? A different path that changes an old, ancient language and transforms it into something contemporary that can shake off this torpor.
