Daily Front Row

2012 February 22

Milan Fall 2012: Gucci, No. 21, Alberta Ferretti

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Gucci Fall 2012
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(MILAN) Gucci
Adieu, flapper-happy frocks and bugle-beaded frippery of Spring 2012: Frida Giannini's sophisticated vampiress took a stroll through the forest for Gucci's latest hits. A darkly romantic wash of velvet (whether off-the-shoulder and bell-sleeved deep evergreen, or sliced to the waist and mottled with foxy burnout animal print), and excellent capes replete with crisp folds at the bottom and high collars up top. Giannini made a persuasive case for velvet suits that were decidedly not Stevie Nicks-esque, with loose, drop-crotched britches and shawl collar detailing in monochromes of the same vampy palette. Feathers got dressed up and darkened down in slick sheets of noir and deep green plumage, while florals surfaced in the most saturated, moody shades on long pleated skirts and pantsuits, creating a sexy garden of sorts. Florence Welch may want the entire collection, and that's a good thing for the Gucci machine as far as we're concerned! 

No. 21
Camping for the Queen Mum? Not likely! But, according to Alessandro Dell'Acqua, an occasional posh weekend jaunt in the countryside is de rigueur for Her Royal Highness. The dress code: outdoorsy boucle tweeds gussied up in boxy jackets, princess coats, relaxed trousers and Dell'Acqua's seasonal pencil skirts in cranberry, olive and charcoal. A black organza apron layered over an olive tweed mini played into the designer's penchant for quietly sultry combos. Ditto for the nude organza knee-length skirt beneath a shrunken two-tone sweater in taupe and petal pink. Slinky lingerie references, a Dell'Acqua signature, were revealed in a sheer button-up and a bejeweled plunging frock paired with pale come-hither bralettes--all to the sounds of Pat Benatar’s “Love is a Battlefield."

Alberta Ferretti
Alberta Ferretti's girls slinked down the runway to the whimsical soundtrack of Breakfast at Tiffany's, outfitted head-to-toe in strong, monochrom power pairings and a handful of sixties-ish references befitting the Hepburn classic. Here, form-fitting sheaths came black, lacy, and to the knee or sliced and diced with chiffon while psychedelic furs in electric blue or purple added a touch of color to the mostly somber palette. An underscore of masculine edge threaded the dress-heavy collection together, courtesy of a mannish pinstripe overcoat and a bevy of blazers with pronounced shoulders. Overall, Ferretti's darker side has a bright future on the retail floor.