Now to the main event…

On the face of it, Paris is the center of the fashion industry. But if you want to know what’s really happening to fashion right now, you have to go to Milan, where the drama is playing out in real time—from the crisis on the manufacturing floor amid a government crackdown on working conditions all the way to the runway. The week began with Demna’s debut at Gucci, and ended with a starry tribute to Giorgio Armani. In between were highs and lows, including the scandal of Brunello Cucinelli’s alleged operations in Russia. In the background, of course, were perennial ruminations over the industry’s macroeconomic headwinds and the seeming impotency of any person or brand or group to combat them. Over dinners, at parties, on the sidelines of shows, the conversation was the same: What used to work doesn’t anymore, and what used to be okay isn’t.

I was bracing for Versace to be weak. After all, the company had previously confirmed that Dario Vitale, the new designer, would be making his debut with an “intimate presentation” format instead of a runway show. Vitale, who most recently worked at Miu Miu, spent more than 20 years at the Prada Group—indeed, I’ve heard people refer to him as a “third son” of Miuccia Prada. (Not sure how accurate that is, but there’s no denying they were close.) Meanwhile, Versace, currently owned by Capri, is in the process of being acquired by the Prada Group, with the deal likely to close by mid-October. The assumption was that there was an inclination on both sides not to do anything extravagant since everything was going to change in a month anyway. It all felt very precarious.

Photos: Courtesy of Versace

In the end, Vitale did a real show in the oldest museum in Milan, in a series of tiny rooms, which were decorated with scenes from real life—including a bed made up with his very own sheets. As the models whipped around corners, I was startled by what I saw: an homage to the Gianni Versace of the 1980s, styled to the nines by the young talent Spencer Singer. (He typically dresses pop stars, not fashion models.) I was prepared to hate it, but instead I fell hard. It was so fresh, the fashion word du jour. I loved the teal capri pants; the purple soft-shoulder blazer; the woven leather pumps with gathered fabric sticking out from the top; the striped, multicolored jeans; the chain wallet. Even the awkward crotch on the pants. (Sort of.)

I was reminded of Alessandro Michele’s polarizing debut at Gucci, which ruffled feathers for looking too much like a set of clothes pulled from a fancy-dress trunk. Vitale, on the other hand, created a film set with 1980s Milan as the backdrop. Love it or hate it, Versace is multidimensional once again.

In a lengthy interview with reporters after the show, Vitale described his process in depth. I asked who picked the songs, and he responded that he did: “Every. Single. One.” I had a feeling. Everything about Vitale’s first go was studied and deliberate. I felt a pang of nostalgia when I heard “Everything She Wants” by Wham!, “Little Red Corvette” by Prince, and “Here Comes the Rain Again” by Eurythmics. Vitale claims he’s not a nostalgic person, himself—sure, neither am I—but there’s something about all these kids born in the early 1980s coming up and leading houses that’s making me want to listen to Sheila E. on repeat.

In some ways, Vitale’s first Versace collection was less conversant with his alma mater, Miu Miu, and more in sync with Michael Rider’s first Celine collection, which reminded me of Willi Smith’s New York. They’re channeling the look of their childhoods, and many of our childhoods. The question, of course, is whether Versace has the capability to sell this. Like many Italian companies, Versace has an excellent factory network, but it’s unclear whether they’ll be able to feed the current organization into the Prada machine fast enough to get the product to look right.

In this case, I would be less concerned about alienating the current customer—there are ways to get around that—and more about satisfying the potential customer. It’s all quite complex and personal. Donatella Versace, the former designer and global brand ambassador, didn’t show up on Friday night or post about the show on social media, despite being known to admire the work of Vitale. (Miuccia Prada wasn’t there, either.) Here’s hoping whatever is happening behind the scenes gets sorted, because they have a hit on their hands.

The Versace show was a reminder that sportswear is really, truly taking over the world. And there’s no designer more aware of what’s happening in the “real world” than Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, who expressed a desire backstage to show the “freedom of dress.” (No one dresses better than those two, by the way: Miuccia in an old Prada dress and orange beaded bandana; Raf in a crewneck sweater and office-park trousers.)

Photos: Courtesy of Prada

Simons noted that the world is so “hardcore” these days, and yet there’s still so much beauty. It seemed they were trying to capture the play between the utilitarian and superfluous, the barn jacket worn with the opera gloves being the most obvious example. (The stylists loved to see it, and so did I. Also, damn, the colors. Nobody does it better.) I almost couldn’t believe they had the nerve to put that family crest on the pique polos; it could read so bougie, but they’re willing to make us uncomfortable. There was also a subtle nod to that tension on top of a vintage-style heel, the throat of which was elasticized like a pair of cheap slip-ons from the five and dime. There’s a fine line between pleasure and torture, and they walk it time and again.

The Prada Group remains on the up, and it seems that Kering is being viewed as a medium-term investment once again, thanks to Demna’s “I got this” attitude—he delivered the goods, after all—and Louise Trotter’s respectable first showing at Bottega Veneta on Saturday night. Trotter is a real grown-up. She’s been running houses forever—Joseph, Lacoste, and most recently Carven—and knows what she likes and who she is as a designer. But she’s never been in the big leagues, a.k.a. LVMH or Kering, and so her world has suddenly broken open. I asked her how it felt to design her first collection for Bottega Veneta, with access to more resources than she’s ever had before. “I’m in the candy box,” she said. “It’s been the most wonderful experience for me… the willingness to always say, Let’s try, let’s try, let’s try.”

Photos: Courtesy of Bottega Veneta

Her collection was grounded in tailoring—even the dresses sat on a canvas—and true to her personal aesthetic: oversize suiting, everything low to the ground. While Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta was a pure fantasy—it lifted you up—Trotter brought it back down to earth. (Although it wasn’t entirely without play; folks swooned over the spiky skirts worn with spongy sweatshirts.) Trotter is not a directional designer. But what’s nice about that for Kering is that the customer overlap between Blazy’s idea and Trotter’s is likely quite high—ambassador Julianne Moore, who sat in the front row with her husband, convincingly wears both. I’d say Trotter’s challenge is that she has not been pushed technically before, and so many of the fabrics read as heavy. But this was a solid start, one that should help keep the momentum going at Bottega.

I didn’t stay in Milan for the Armani finale, an ode to both Milan and Pantelleria, one of Giorgio’s favorite islands. (It looked spectacular. Richard Gere was there!) But I was able to make the Emporio Armani show on Thursday, where the runway simply stood empty for a moment—a fitting tribute to the late designer. The show, as always, was gorgeous, if indistinguishable from any others. Consistency was the genius, and albatross, of Armani.

Before his death, Armani saw the writing on the wall for independent Italian fashion brands, which is ostensibly why he arranged for his business to be sold. A lot of what this week came back to for me was infrastructure. There is so much of it in Italy, but is it the right kind? Ferragamo can make a great pair of shoes, but can they support the efforts of Maximilian Davis, who designs elegant clothes for adults? (Consider the monocolor trench coats with printed silk paneling on the back.) At Moschino, I see another situation where there’s no there there for Adrian Appiolaza. Is he a good designer? Probably. But is there a lack of support around him to be able to do something meaningful? (Founder Franco Moschino’s whole interrogation of the fashion industry needs to be entirely turned on its head.) Many of these storied houses remained in stasis as the world moved on, and Armani understood that.

I can’t get enough of Rent the Runway founder Jenn Hyman’s TikTok posts. We’ve entered a new era of executive branding. I hope to have Jenn on Fashion People to discuss. [Jenn on the Caastle scandal and weaponizing incompetency]

I once sat next to Zadie Smith at a dinner and was so nervous that I didn’t once ask her, What are you working on? If I ever get another chance, I’ll tell her how much I liked this essay about writing essays. [The New Yorker]

The excerpt from Marisa Meltzer’s new biography of Jane Birkin. [The Cut]

Unfortunately there is no sneaker that looks good anymore, as Becky Malinsky explains. I agree with Becky that the answer is a Western boot and a dance shoe in the summer. (Yes, I’m the friend Becky mentions who wore a pair of sneakers to a fashion show this past run in New York and lived to regret it.) [5 Things You Should Buy]

Laura Reilly’s absolutely brilliant Magasin brand ranking is back. Love that a belt brand outshined some of our favorites. [Part 1 and Part 2]

So smart to have Derek Blasberg profile the legendary Verde Visconti, who reveres her boss as much as the rest of us. “When she comes into a room, everybody goes bonkers. It’s incredible.” [W Mag]

Until tomorrow,
Lauren

P.S.: We use affiliate links because we are a business. We may make a couple bucks off them.

Need help? Review our FAQ page or contact us for assistance. For brand partnerships, email ads@puck.news.

You received this email because you signed up to receive emails from Puck, or as part of your Puck account associated with {{customer.email}}. To stop receiving this newsletter and/or manage all your email preferences, click here.

Puck is published by Heat Media LLC. 107 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10006