As a city I hold near and dear to my heart, Milan proved why they are indeed the city of fashion this past week at the Milan Fashion Week for fall 2020. Whether it was the laid-back London streetwalker vibe of Christian Dior or the chic coats of Lanvin, Milan Fashion Week made me so excited for this fall’s fashion. A few trends in particular stuck out to me, including all types of coats, PVC and understatedly basic color schemes. 

Fall Coats

A chilly season staple, coats are one of the best parts of fall — behind apples and cider donuts, of course. Tailored from long to short, coats of all different styles, colors, textures and patterns all graced the runway across different designers at MFW. My favorite executor of this fall essential is Lanvin. The colors used by Lanvin designer Bruno Sialelli are absolutely magnificent, with deep navy blue, dark aqua and seafoam green. Sialelli did a great job of keeping the collection very diverse overall, as there are more casual pieces followed by outfits containing more of a button-up structure, but all of these pieces maintain the same element of timelessness, wearability and class.

PVC Latex

A trend that has gone back and forth in the industry, PVC latex is making a splash on Saint Laurent’s runway for MFW. Featured in mainly black, PVC can be found on the YSL runway in the form of boots, leggings and turtlenecks. Despite starting their runway with looks predominantly featuring black, Saint Laurent also showcased some fun, featuring hues of purple, red and blue. When dealing with a trend that can be perceived as cheap-looking, as latex can be, it is important to incorporate other pieces into the outfit that tie the look together. Saint Laurent did a fabulous job of balancing this gaudy texture out with clean-cut, rich pieces, making the overall ensemble work cohesively. 

Surprisingly Understated

Two designer brands that usually are the posterchild for excessively lavish designs, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana, kept their colors quite simple this runway season. D&G showcased designs exclusively in the colors black, white, grey, camel and hues of cream. A few pops of red made an appearance as well, but other than that, D&G let their comfy chic and tailored costume pieces speak for themselves.

Versace had themselves an Atomic Blonde moment on their runway, commencing their show with head to toe black ensembles radiating luxury off of the sheer blonde hair of their models. The runway show progressively became more colorful as Versace brought in shades of bordeaux, blue and white, and eventually escalated into vibrant patterns and electric ensembles. Overall, compared to the usual overabundant looks these fashion houses produce, this was a mild season for them both. A good omen for a more lowkey, stress-free fall? I sure hope so. 

This story was written by Mary Hanna. She can be reached at [email protected]