Cheeky Chic! The Most Inspired Looks from the Milan Runways

Milan was having quite a moment as Fashion Week came to a close in the Italian metropolis. Wildly imaginative looks dominated the runways in a slew of occasionally wacky, definitely fun, and absolutely inspired ensembles. 

DSquared2
Camo, fur, tribal embroidery, and printed arm stockings! If a military plane made an emergency landing in uncharted territory and the soldiers integrated with some far flung native tribe, perhaps this is what it would look like, according to the minds of Dean and Dan Caten. There’s always something cinematic about the Caten brothers’ runway shows and this mélange of ideas resulted in something worthy of the cameras. That oversized patchwork embroidered fur coat? Attention guaranteed.

Salvatore Ferragamo
Buttons, zippers, fabric with serrated edges—all the things found lying around a designer’s studio came exaggerated on Ferragamo’s runway. Big buttons held together ribbed sweaters, multi-colored skirts came with pointed-edged piping, and zippers ran up and down the length of dresses. Those any bustier than an A-cup might find those buttons in some very unforgiving places! Nevertheless, this colorful collection was a nice followup to Massimiliano Giornetti’s well-hued show last season.

MSGM
Polka dot puffers. (Polka dots came in every size, but they were the most fun when they came oversized.) Plus, puffer skirts? Genius. Massimo Giorgetti proves you can still make a statement and stay warm. We needed these at NYFW.

Missoni
Bellissima! Missoni took its DNA into overdrive this season wowing the crowd with chunky knits like floor trailing scarfs, oversized sweaters and cardigans and cozy caps. Playing up the brand’s heritage proved to be just the right direction. Sometimes looking back was, in fact, a good way to move forward.

Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were exploring their inner child this season, and fairy tales played a central role. The cocktail version of Cinderella’s famous blue dress was the second look, while her mice friends were stitched on the white shift dress that followed, toy soldiers marched down the runway, and Snow White’s apples were the print on a long dress with a golden Peter Pan collar. A coat came covered in Teddy Bears and a dress was covered in cats! Down the rabbit hole they went. With all the pressures of modern fashion design, perhaps they felt it was time to revisit a less stressful period of life.

Phillip Plein
Crystal encrusted onesies. Pourquoi pas? In case you were wondering about the inspiration, Plein sent it down the runway painted onto the back of a skateboard.

Marco di Vincenzo
Marco di Vincenzo is known for his textures and work with patterns, but this season he really let it rip in a technicolor feast of fabrics and eclectic styling. There was no holding back. Even the shoes and the stockings were wild.

Versace
Dontella added some sporty spice to her sexy fare this season. Sportier attire has been a huge trend this season, especially in New York, but Versace jazzed it up with powder blues, bubble gum pinks, and fierce prints.

Giorgio Armani
OK, so Mr. Armani isn’t exactly the king of kitsch, but even he pulled out some colorful moments. A fuzzy floral suit, velvet and tulle capes, a coat with pockets askew, a fringed pant suit, and a strapless skirt gown with a giant belt at the bodice all had quite a dramatic flare.