A Different Partywear Guide From Spring 2024 Presentations in Milan
MILAN — Instagram brands may have trained the eye to expect sequins, feathers and crystals galore for partywear, but indie presentations here displayed fresh ways to tackle good-time dressing.
Whether one’s headed for a Great Gatsby-esque extravaganza, planning to dance the night away under a starry sky on a Mediterranean island or looking to bring the fun at home, Milan’s spring 2024 collections proved there’s a feel-good outfit to match every personality.
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Here, WWD rounds up 10 of them.
The Cool Islander: Des Phemmes
Des Phemmes’ Salvo Rizza spent his summer in Stromboli and his imagination was caught by the tourists was on the island for his spring collection.
His charming lineup was a redux of his signature embellished-heavy attire, with more skin on show, as a seaside destination as an inspiration requires, and lingerie-inspired pieces.
The latter included crystal- and sequin-embellished bras paired with sheer pencil skirts, also covered in dazzling floral decoration, specifically hibiscuses, Stromboli’s signature bloom. They were occasionally worn with men’s cotton boxers with logoed waistbands, some covered in lace layers. See-through slipdresses were layered over tie-dye pajama pants, while not-so-basic T-shirts were paired with crystal-dotted sarongs.
The Androgynous Charmer: Blazé Milano
Can’t live without a blazer jacket? Neither can the Blazé girls.
Corrada Rodriguez d’Acri, Delfina Pinardi and Maria Sole Torlonia focused on this single item when they launched the label in 2013 and are not showing signs of stopping, even as the company keeps growing.
Best known for well-cut blazer jackets defined by the signature half-moon shaped Smiley pockets, over the last decade the brand has expanded to encompass different product categories such as knitwear and denim; added made-to-order and bridal lines, and tiptoed into accessories tie-ups, all the while gaining popularity among international style icons and “It” girls.
To mark its 10th anniversary, the founders injected a celebratory mood in the spring 2024 lineup, which was aptly presented in a historic liquors and spirits shop in Milan. “It’s all about a spirited Blazé,” said Rodriguez d’Acri, showing how staple designs were revisited with all over sequined embellishments or sparkling sets made of bra and pencil skirt peaked under the signature jackets. But there’s no need for loudness when a perfectly cut garment can do all the talking: see the three-piece suit in liquid satin for best reference. A Martini makes a perfect accessory.
The Life and Soul of The Party: Nervi
High-end, glamorous evening attire rich in sequins, marabou feathers and crystal embellishments: the Nervi woman surely doesn’t go unnoticed.
Roman founder Valentina Nervi — who cut her teeth designing beachwear, underwear and eveningwear collections for labels like Ermanno Scervino, Roberto Cavalli and Redemption before going solo and introducing her own line in 2019 — dedicated her latest effort to her “inspiration” — her grandmother.
The ode to the familiar muse was translated into a maximalist spring 2024 range, including draped gowns; sequined frocks with asymmetric flared hems; minidresses with feathered trimmings and a terrific strapless white dress richly embroidered with crystals and golden chains. Nervi introduced eye-catching separates to mix with basics to bring a touch of party to every hour.
Nervi splits her time as designer with DJ sets at night, an activity that inevitably informs her approach to fashion, too. For one, all clothes come with a QR on the label directing shoppers to playlists she curates for different moments — so she has both dress codes and tunes covered.
The Quieter Diva: Taller Marmo
Riccardo Audisio and Yago Goicoechea at Taller Marmo were thinking of a Mediterranean island when they went to create the spring collection, and easy yet dressed-up leisurely days by the beach. The sequined gossamer dresses, chiffon trousers, ostrich plumes and silk fringe were perfectly in sync with the designers’ flair for glitz.
They paid homage to Pierre Cardin with asymmetric egg-shaped caftans in silk satin and sculptural cutouts, and carefully added unexpected details, geometric fastenings or metal buckles, to this harmonious collection.
The Sleek Mermaid: Alessandro Vigilante
Alessandro Vigilante has carved his fashion proposition in sensual dressing since season one, working on the tropes of ladylike femininity and adding skin-baring cutouts, lingerie-inspired pieces, unexpected fabrics such as latex and, for spring, offbeat color combinations, inspired by Joan Miró’s “Blue I, II, III” triptych.
In his daring yet polished collection, mauve and fiery red were juxtaposed on a draped leotard wrapped on the body, while red and light blue appeared on a see-through skin-tight catsuit and a tank dress with a big cutout on the torso, revealing a leotard underneath.
Although they were not spring’s main characters, Vigilante’s signature latex pieces popped here and there, for example, in an alluring pistachio green strapless number that was worn over a rib-knit tank top. Slipdresses in red satin were tied to nude underpinnings while cropped tops were cut so high that satin underwear peeked out, paired with tonal low-rise pants with revealing cutouts on the inner thigh.
The Crafty Jetsetter: Lisa Von Tang
Lisa Von Tang returned to Milan for the second time with her namesake collection, having recently linked with Antonioli Group, which serves as a mentor and incubator for the brand. Here she unveiled IRL her spring collection, shot as a digital fashion show on some breathtaking cliff on the island of Formentera, Spain, in sync with her partly Chinese background with a global upbringing and a jetsetter lifestyle.
Although she grounded her collection in resort-nodding garb that could easily work in the daytime, think open-weave knit dresses, oversize linen and hemp pajama sets and robe coats, she worked some crafty eveningwear numbers, befitting an after-dusk summer party on the beach. Textiles were all sourced in Italy, except for cupro and silk.
Qipao-inspired dresses, with the signature stand-up collar, evolved into backless, wide-leg jumpsuits in washed ivory silk, while chiffon gowns had a drapey, diaphanous feel. Equally beach-party ready were the mixed media kimono-inspired numbers featuring crocheted inserts and edged in fringes.
The Arty Spirit: Gianluca Capannolo
The designer worked pots of eye-popping color, including bright emerald, fuschia and tangerine, into a collection inspired by the geometric works of painters such as Mark Rothko and Lucio Fontana. Among the highlights this season were a coppery Mikado coat and a strapless emerald swing dress that faintly resembled a Christmas tree, but without the trimmings.
Other more languid dresses had scalloped hems — a bright blue one was a standout. He adorned other brightly colored dresses and circular bags with leftover strips of fabric using tapestry techniques, looping the fabric by hand to create a chunky fringe. These were certainly attention-getters, and not for wallflowers of Milan.
The Comfort Seeker: Cavia
Martina Boero’s knitwear Cavia brand continued to play by the sustainable and flamboyant rulebook that charmed buyers since she introduced the label as a personal project in 2020. Colorful knits with a crafty quality were worked into flamboyant outfits, from the high-waisted ‘50s briefs paired with a patchwork eyelet blouse to the daisy-shaped halterneck top worn with a cargo skirt and platform slides.
In keeping with her knack for upcycling, she introduced a new concept sourcing pastel-toned vintage printed towels in the south of France and combining several of them for off-kilter cargo pants, camp collared shirts and crop tops.
The Blooming Creature: Marina Rinaldi by Mary Katrantzou
For her second and final season working with Marina Rinaldi, designer Mary Katrantzou worked flower patterns into her statement zigzag knit and striped dresses. A colorful bouquet bloomed at the front of a black-and-white striped dress with a bold ribbon pattern, while the surface of a caftan exploded with a thick rainbow stripe and clusters of daffodils and hydrangeas. Other dresses, minus the flowers, were just as dramatic, vibrating with wave patterns in raspberry and pink.
The Spiritual Soul: Lara Chamandi
A more spiritual approach informs Lara Chamandi’s namesake brand, established in 2020. The Lebanese designer wanted to launch a luxury fashion brand rooted in a conscious ethos, one that not only took into account humans’ respect and relationship with nature, but also the connection with their inner self.
In her journey to express this message of self care through clothes, she found an ally in the moon, which has always played a big role in her life and now is informing the feminine energy and seductive vibe the designer imbues into her collections. The clothes play with transparencies, cutouts, asymmetries and silhouettes wrapping around the body without constraining it, as well as include talismans punctuating designs here and there.
For spring 2024, Chamandi conjured “The Red Moon” collection crafted from silk and evoking 1920s-inspired silhouettes via slipdresses with lingerie details and liquid frocks; featuring flares and pleated construction nodding to the movement of flames; printed with motifs recalling the lunar phases and rendered in a palette of red to yellow shades to recall the element of fire.
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