Best moment #2: The Marni fall/winter 2020 runway show took place in a warehouse, which was transformed into an escapist’s dream.

Best moment #3: Creative Director Francesco Risso of Marni took his applause in part bunny costume, because this collection is inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Best moment #1: The situation was far from ideal. The cameraman at Etro hindered our view throughout the show, but we chuckled whenever he got into our shot of the runway. It’s fashion week — sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

Best moment #2: The Marni fall/winter 2020 runway show took place in a warehouse, which was transformed into an escapist’s dream.

Best moment #3: Creative Director Francesco Risso of Marni took his applause in part bunny costume, because this collection is inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Best moment #4: Yoyo Cao and Evangeline Smyrniotaki had their own ‘The Shining’ moment, wearing matching Versace looks. Street style photographers lapped it up.

Best moment #5: The fact that the Versace show invite was a mirror didn’t make an impact. That the backdrop of the show was a live feed of the guests, that got everyone talking. Especially when our reflection became more distorted before the show.

Fashion | Collections

Milan Fashion Week fall/winter 2020: Our first impressions, and the best moments of the Etro, Marni, Versace runways

#MFW

Text: Jolene Khor

ETRO: NOMAD IS AN ISLAND

First impression: When we were able to look beyond the cameraman whose nether regions were unfortunately constantly on our eye level (heh), Etro's nomadic South American influences were visibly persistent. Cowboy hats topped many a look, as did ikat, fringes, bandanas, and paisley embroidery —they found home on bohemian tops, countryside dresses, ponchos, and riding pants.

MFW: First Impression sketches

Favourite looks: Another show, another Canadian tuxedo to make it to our best looks round-up. Etro's was heavily decorated: fringe, intricate needlework, stonewash... it got the whole shebang. Surprisingly wearable. The aboriginal print-on-print ensemble gets our vote, too — it was layering done right, a typical fall trend, and applicable to Singapore weather. Let's not forget the masterfully styled all-black get-up in look 39 either. A turtleneck with a mini vest and slinky velvet skirt sounds like a disaster on paper, but the elements came together nicely in practice. Veronica Etro, if you're reading, give your stylist a raise.

Favourite accessory: Toss us a wide-brimmed hat, a couple of the belts with supersized buckles, and the silk scarves worn as bandanas, please. Issa vibe.

MARNI: WONDERLAND NO MORE

First impression: What does Alice, yes that Alice, wear if she never left Wonderland? If that sounds to you like a possible plot to a dystopian fantasy film in the near future, then you've probably found yourself in the same headspace as Francesco Risso. In fall/winter 2020, Alice grows up. She loses the innocence she carried when she fell into the hole, but gains consciousness about the environmental damages fashion causes that are killing both worlds. As a result, she puts together clothes with fabric scraps, whatever she can get her hands on — from aged leather and shiny patent skins, to discoloured velvet and mismatched knits — and clumsily sews them together.

MFW: First Impression sketches

Favourite looks: This was as coherent a collection as any Marni collection, which is to say Risso didn't hop very far from his original intarsia dreams, yet he managed to find distinction in looks 5 and 29 when he demonstrated relative restraint; in contrast, in looks 22, 37, and 45, when he let the fantasy take over reality. It is when he settled for a cosy spot between the duality, in looks 33, 39, 43, and 48 that we found patchworks of genius.

Favourite accessories: Alice's... we mean, Marni's shoes were, too, repurposed from leftover materials from the collection. Circular fashion for the win.

VERSACE: HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU

First impression: Voyeurism is not a new concept. It's been around since man thought up sex clubs or, heck, even the news, but we are a generation that has oversaturated its power. We can't stop talking about ourselves, about others. And we certainly won't stop taking pictures of everything and everyone, of which our subject is most frequently the self. So if you're Donatella Versace and you've just outdone yourself by having Jennifer Lopez walk at your previous show (spring/summer 2020), how do you manifest another moment poised to break the internet? You turn the cameras, quite literally, on the subject people love most, even more than celebrities and royals — themselves.

MFW: First Impression sketches

Favourite looks: For impactful selfies, you need to reign in flashy clothes and flash some skin. Luckily for Versace, this is a playground it's more than familiar with; it has been eating glint for breakfast since the Gianni days. Hence, out came wild print clashes (think '80s florals with dizzying zebra stripes); slinky frocks seemingly slashed with a sharp knife (held together with rings, as opposed to the iconic safety pin); and itsy-bitsy lampshade silhouettes (in black and in chainmail, of course), for the women. The men were similarly swathed in contrasts, where plaid meets baroque, and a particularly OTT sportswear look was accessorised with a slouchy karakul and gold pin where a nondescript beanie would typically be.

Favourite accessories: The rubber boots, because in all the showiness, mortals have to descend eventually to the ground. Ideally in practical footwear. Let's be real, this is 2020 after all. We've got places to be.