Notes on a Newsy Milan Fashion Week

0:00Getting the girls trip out of the group chat just feels right. The Fort Myers area delivers the memories, bonding, and let's-do-this-every-year energy. Start planning at visitfortmyers.com.

0:17This is The Run-Through. I'm Nicole Phelps. Today, I'm joined by my colleague Francesca Ragazzi, head of editorial content at Vogue Italia. Ciao, Francesca. Ciao, Nicole. Happy to be back on the show. I'm very happy to be with you. Before we get into Milan Fashion Week coverage, an important announcement for our run-through listeners. This week, we are giving you a front-row seat at Paris Fashion Week. We have four back-to-back episodes, and we'll be sharing in real time our thoughts on designer debuts, behind-the-scene interviews with front-row stars, and editor reactions to some of our favorite collections, all straight from Paris.

0:57Tune in October 2nd through the 6th for your exclusive look into Paris Fashion Week. You won't want to miss it. Okay, here we go. We're going to talk about Milan. It is the last day. It's been a long week. We've made it through New York and London, and now we're in the Italian fashion capital. There was a lot of news this season. There were four debuts here in Milan, which is a record, I'm sure. A special guest sighting, a very special guest sighting at Dolce & Gabbana. And of course, tonight is the 50th anniversary celebration of the late Giorgio Armani's business. And you, Francesca, had something else on top of all that.

1:37We will get to Vogue Italia's Cinemota Club, but first the headlines. What was the biggest story of the week for you? I have to say I find the whole season very cinematic, like in Milan, because, I mean, it started in a very inspiring way with the movie presented by Demna at Gucci. And I thought it was very great to see his creativity and vision behind it. The fact that the lookbook was released the day before and they were all stereotype of Italian culture and these same people were attending the premiere the day after. and I thought that was very smart to see the clothes right on people wearing it in a believable context and the movie itself was such a hit.

2:31Yeah I was really impressed with the way they completely changed the stock exchange right that's the stock exchange where we were they turned it into a beautiful theater with sort of like art nouveau detailing on on the ceilings and it was So starry, as you say, in addition to some of the stars, there was Gwyneth Paltrow, right? And Serena Williams. And even then, I don't know if you remember, he seemed to have really much fun. He was there enjoying the premiere, saying that. Yes, I think he knew that he was making a really big impression. And I would say that all of the debuts this week made a really big impression.

3:13trend wise is there anything that you noticed or you really liked i loved in general the colors palette of of everybody and i think especially the debut really brought us closer to to the details and to the looks i have to say i absolutely loved what dario did at versace Me too. I thought the whole experience was phenomenal, transforming the Pinnacote Campos Diana, the museum, into a house. It felt lived in. It felt a woman that you want to be right away with all the details, even some wrong details. And the reference of Versace from the 80s, but in a very modern way, I think he did a very sophisticated job.

4:07Yes. And how incredible. I myself have been coming to Milan for 20 years, I swear, and I had never even heard of this museum. And it's such a special place. So I thank Dario for introducing me to it, first of all. And next season, I want to come a day early so I can just spend some time exploring it. I agree. I think I like that our generations, because this is what I try to do also with Cinema Moda Club is bringing people to hidden gems like movie theaters that are a bit not mainstream. I think what we are trying to show is really the hidden gems of the city and that has a cultural value as well.

4:47Like I like that right after the show, I invited everyone to pack to have dinner and it's such an iconic place for Milan where the food is presented and it's very excellent for the Milanese lifestyle culture is very real to Milan soul. So I think there is a willingness to push for what feels authentic and what people really want to do, you know, go to the theater and then have a dinner, a pack, and go to the museum in these looks that feels for street as well, not only for red carpet. So I really think that's the main trend. And also Simone Bellotti did the same. I think he did a very respectful debut to what Jill Sander always stood for.

5:37And I thought it was a nice gesture to go back to the headquarters to present there. Yes, we went there for so many years, right? All through Raf Simons' tenure at Jill Sander. And then I guess it was around 2017, basta, we stopped going. and it was nice to go back. And sometimes maybe you need to go away for a while and then go back, but it feels coherent. And I think they both, for example, Simone and Dario, they both show confidence on what they are doing. They feel in control of their narrative, which is so important. Whatever people like it or not, you need to love it. So I think you could respond well to the consumer.

6:23Yeah, I think we often talk about like generational shifts in fashion, but I really do think that this is a moment of generational change in Milan. You had Dario, you know, really thinking about Versace for a new generation. and, you know, people who knew Johnny personally saw a lot of Johnny in it. And that I think could go both ways. You know, some people probably resisted it who remember it from the first time, but then, you know, others didn't. But then you had a whole, I mean, every young person that I talked to after the show was mad for it. Totally, totally crazy. I'm among them. And I mean, generational shifts are hard.

7:05You know, there needs to be difficult. There is no shift with, you know, difficulties. So I really hope the designer will keep going. Yes, no shift without friction.

7:21Okay, we're going to take a quick break.

7:33Hi, I'm Rebecca Ford, senior awards correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Little Gold Men. Oscar season is upon us. Little Gold Men takes you behind the scenes of the race for the biggest prize in Hollywood. There's a hundred wrestlers in the room, but only one can be Oscar nominated. Whether you're a movie lover or an industry buff, Little Gold Men from Vanity Fair has everything you need to know about this year's Oscar race. Follow and listen to Little Gold Men wherever you get your podcasts.

8:09We're going to jump in right now. Let's scroll back to Tuesday. And the first project, the first show we saw, it wasn't actually a show, actually. We saw the presentation part of it. But tell us what Glenn Martins was up to at Diesel. Glenn is phenomenal. Honestly, he really, again, he gave a clear vision to Diesel. This is democratic. This is fun. is for the people. I want to include the city and doing an urban egg hunt in the middle of fashion week, involving the audience, having fun, creating a context. I mean, honestly, this is what Diesel has to be. And again, he always come up with these ideas in such a genuine way.

8:54I really thought that was a great success. And sometimes we don't need another show, but we need a new way to approach things and you always deliver. So the afternoon we were in this sort of warehouse space and all of the models were in their little plastic eggs and there's a hole in the back where they can emerge and get out of quite easily and breathe. Thanks. Yeah, it was all safe. And then after we came and went, they shipped the eggs all around the city and the kids and grownups too, right, were chasing them around and there was a reward for the person who found all the eggs, right? Yeah, a piece of the collection as well, denim, like diesel clothes.

9:36Yes, and I just think that is so clever. I think we should know who was the winner. We should interview the winner. We should profile them. That's a great idea. I'm going to get on that right after this. Let's also talk a little bit more about Jill Sander. Simone Bellotti came from Bali, which, you know, a Swiss brand mostly known for accessories. It really didn't have much of a fashion profile. But very quickly at Bali, he caught people's attention. And he didn't last there long, four seasons, because Renzo Rosso, who runs Only the Brave, snapped him up for Jill Sander. and I liked the way that he brought some of that real world attitude to that he had at Bali right when he would do the jeans with a little peplum jacket and the deck shoes and there was a touch of that that he brought to Jill in addition to the 90s style minimal tailoring that you could see also his taste also I think he's such a great designer in accessories and like the the shoes were very great again because remember at Bali he really did a shoe that became a hit so I think he has that very very clear and I think it was a great balance it was a very honest show with a great balance, very loyal to his aesthetic I liked also the front row because he has a great community of friends artists and creators I mean I really like his community him.

11:14And again, the color palette, you know, it was, I, for some reason that stayed to me, the grays, all the grays, there were many shades of grays combined with the electric color, the blues, the orange. So I think, I mean, and we love him. So. Yes. So color was a big story at Fendi too, which was the afternoon following the Jill Sander debut. What did you think of Fendi? Well, the first thing that stayed to me from Fendi is actually the Palazzo they opened in Monte Napoleone. I don't know if you've been. It's incredible. And I love the idea that they didn't use an archistar, but their internal architecture team.

11:59and they are collaborating with these artists that did an amazing work on the ceilings. So really, I really believe in the return of physical retail and the retail being the manifesto of the brand. So for me, the big hit of Fendi was Palazzo Fendi in Monte Napoleone. And other than this, I mean, I love the collection. I love the casting. it feels very very fendi very very coherent to to silvia and an italian one thing yeah one thing you couldn't really pick up uh on the runway necessarily so i was very glad to see people's pictures are those peekaboo bags that are actually embroidered really elaborately on the inside which was it's so extravagant and kind of decadent but also fabulous and i mean that's really what Fendi is good at right exactly next level intricate details embroideries uh embellishments and for the woman or man who who wants to you know sort of like a texture and emotional tactile experience and you're right I missed it too completely that's why I'm maybe I'm so excited about the store because this is where I could see the bags with the details.

13:25They also brought back this iconic bag, pasta, the piece of pasta. I mean, it's so fun. So let's move on to Prada. Prada is always one of the biggest shows of Milan. And this was an interesting one because typically the Fondazione Prada is really sort of lavishly or interestingly decorated with a set. And I have to say that having gone there for years and years, I never knew there were all these windows because it's always made up as this really big concept set. And it was nice to see the sunlight pouring through and on that bright orange floor. And again, there was a lot of color, but less so than color, they were really thinking about sort of unlikely shapes, right?

14:16Like really pushing at the definition of like what normal clothes are. You had these bras that were not bras, these skirts that were sort of didn't touch the body. They hung off the body via suspenders. What did you think about it? And what do you think people, obviously, there's so many Prada fans in fashion. What do you see them pulling out of it to wear? I think to me that was such a wearable way of looking at Prada. So again, I think it's always what people retain from Prada is the message. So we really see Miss Prada and Raf Simons going for what is the real people want to wear today and what is real clothes today.

15:06So I think this is the exercise they push all the industry to do. I personally didn't, like, remember one look that stood with me, but it's more the message of wearable clothes. And then after the Prada show, people rushed off to Emporio Armani. And obviously, it was only a few weeks ago that Mr. Armani died at age 91. And he had been really looking forward to this celebration. And in fact, there was an exhibition that opened earlier in the week at the Pinacoteca Brera, I think, right? That was actually the first thing I did when I got to Milan. And I have to say, I was really moved by it. The clothes are arranged throughout this museum.

16:01And according to his public relations representative and according to the curator, he really didn't want to have the clothes interacting with the paintings and the statuary. He felt like that was too pretentious. Like fashion is one thing, you know, important art is another thing. And instead, the idea was to match the clothes to sort of the colors of the room. I just remember one look that Juliette Binoche wore to the Cannes Film Festival, and it was navy and it was in this teal room all by itself, you know, teal painted walls. And I guess the reason I was moved is because there were pieces from throughout his career with a real focus on the early 90s, I thought.

16:43And the early 90s pieces looked so good. There was this gray, charcoal gray suit with, you know, the soft tailoring that Armani was famous for. And it looked like if I could have worn that, you know, out of the museum to the shows for the rest of the week, I would have been the happiest girl. And I love that when fashion, it's like over 30 years old, but it has such a resonance, you know? Yeah, I agree. And I love the fact that everything that we are seeing these days, from the exhibition to the Emporio Armani to the celebration show we are seeing tonight for the 50th anniversary, everything has been orchestrated in every detail by Mr.

17:26Armani himself. So I think he really tried to put together all his archival pieces within the city of Milan that for him was always part of his conversation within the future. So I think tonight we are ready for a big emotion with the people from his staff, his employees, but also the Hollywood and Italian cinema and the institution will be there. I think many, I expect many, many people wearing Armani, but not just borrowed Armani for the night, really having their own Armani pieces or the piece from your mom, like wearing them with pride, with really national pride. Yes, I admit to looking for vintage Armani on the real real and found a beautiful bearded cardigan jacket.

18:24And it was a bargain. And I just waited a fraction of a second too long. You know, I went back probably a couple hours later and someone had bought it. So bad on me. I should have gotten it. I also admit I asked to borrow a dress because it's so beautiful and embroidered that I cannot afford it myself. But I want to celebrate this moment in a very, very elegant. Tell me, Francesca, as an Italian, what Giorgio Armani means and meant to Italian fashion, but also to Italy more broadly. To me, he's a gentleman, has always been so kind and so close to his work. And he was always very, very rigorous.

19:15He was always working, never let a detail away and always expressing his own DNA, kept his company, putting always the people at the center. They're thinking about the people who were buying it. So I think he's really someone who did it in a very coherent way from day one to the very end that he was so meticulously organizing. Yes, it's going to be a beautiful evening, I'm sure. Did you make it to J.J. Martin's Le Double J presentation? I'm not sorry, J.J. I love you so much. which is always so fun. We love having JJ and such a strong American woman in Milan. I knew JJ, as many of us did, when she was still a journalist.

20:11And now she's a fashion entrepreneur with this fabulous headquarters in the, is it the Navigli? Is that how you say it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. With the beautiful, what does she call it? the galactic deck up on top where, you know, they perform healing rituals and meditation practices. Yeah, we have to organize a session with the Vogue team, JJ. We said that. Yes, yes. And, you know, talk about good energy. Her clothes are, you know, always full of print and color. And I wear them. I mean, just they are amazing. Yes, and clearly so do a lot of women because she has 100 employees, she told me. So good on her.

20:55I'm glad I made it to a few younger designers. Yes, who else did you see this week that you liked? I saw Marco Rambaldi. I did see Institution by Galib Gasnov, not at the show, but I saw the collection. I made it to Sunay, which was also an interesting experience. I was a first-timer at Ghalib's show, and I was impressed by the level of artisanship that he was, I think, using artisans from his native Georgia. Yeah, Georgia and New York's Pakistan. Quite strong, strong shapes. And then the Sunay show was very interesting. It was staged as an auction, right? And I believe they have left the Sune brand that they started 10 years ago.

21:48And so they auctioned off the brand IP and themselves. And there was no runway show at all. There was these two sales. And we walked out 10 minutes later. And it made a very strong statement about the difficulties of being an independent designer in a fashion world run by huge behemoths. Yeah, exactly. among the big, big brands seeing so much creativity coming from this duo based in Milan that they opened a radio, they did a magazine. They always did very conceptual shows. They're very design minded. And, you know, instead of doing another chapter of creativity, they are just stepping out of their own brand creativity.

22:34So I look forward to see what's next because I'm sure they're cooking something. Yes, they will definitely reappear in some other guys sometime soon.

22:56You come to the New Yorker Radio Hour for conversations that go deeper with people you really want to hear from, whether it's Bruce Springsteen or Questlove or Olivia Rodrigo, Liz Cheney, or the godfather of artificial intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton, or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues at The New Yorker. So join us every week on The New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.

23:25Another show that I thought was sort of better than it has to be is Todd's by Matteo Tamburini. I think that what he's doing with leather there, it's, you know, really believable, very chic. And I think he's a really talented designer. He is. And I can see the Italian style in his pieces. And I love the casting. And I think he's starting to really have fun and taking confidence with the brand that always take a few seasons. And I think he's getting there. And great shoes, I thought. Yes, the shoes are naturally, of course, because it's Todd's. But, you know, going back to what we were saying about Simone Belotti at Bali, if you have a hit shoe, you can really make a mark in fashion.

24:17And so to focus on that is a smart thing to do, I think. Yeah. And you want people to focus on a clear, even simple message, like what you are best at. And then people stay with you with that element, like a shoe, for example, and then they follow you the season after to see what you are up for. Well, speaking of shoes, we should talk about Maximilian Davis's Ferragamo show. I was just thinking about that because he's also so elegant. I thought the show, like, you want to wear every single piece. I love that he brought back this classic elegance in the mans with the ties and the tailored pieces were very soft, but sophisticated.

25:02And the silk, the chiffon, it always feels very, very chic. It's interesting watching him, right? Because he was plucked by Ferragamo as a very, very young designer, had not really even had that many fashion shows. And so we've really watched him grow up, I think, at Ferragamo and, as you say, find his confidence and find a design language, you know? I mean, I think you could argue that he really, he had, you know, sort of barely just defined his own design language. And then he's tasked with taking on this, you know, quite a legendary brand. And I think sometimes we don't sort of give designers credit for how challenging that can be.

25:46Especially when you come from another culture and from another country, it's very, you have to be in a domestic ecosystem for a long time before understanding what it is really being an Italian brand with such an heritage, with such an ecosystem. You need to study a lot, and that requires time. You know, it's a difficult task because this brand already come with such an intensity and history, and everyone has an opinion about. Well, talking about an iconic Italian brand, we have to move on to Dolce & Gabbana. Yes, I was waiting for this moment, Nicole. That Saturday was something. That Saturday was something.

26:30So I guess the audience started figuring out that something special was going to happen when there were two empty seats next to Naomi Campbell, right? Exactly. And the lights dimmed. And who walks in? Meryl Streep. In her Miranda Priestly outfit. Oh, yeah. Not Meryl. Miranda arrived. It's very different. Not Meryl. Yeah. And Stanley Tucci as Nigel. Exactly. And the new assistant. We think Simone Ashley is the new assistant, although the movie producers will not clarify what exactly her role is. So I guess there's a high potential that some of that footage that was captured at the Dolce & Gabbana show will be in The Devil Wears Prado when it comes out in 2026.

27:20We will not know until the movie, but it looked really like a set for that scene to be taken. And how fascinating to be witnessing a real movie moment. Yes. And I loved, I mean, we were right across the runway, strategically placed, of course, because Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly character is based on Anna Wintour, our longtime editor. And it was fun to watch Meryl really doing the Miranda, you know, sort of. Attitude. Miranda attitude. Yes. And what did you think of the Dolce & Gabbana collection? I didn't know if I should do my job and really look at the clothes and take videos and start thinking about the trend that could come out of this collection, or if I should enjoy the movie scene since I was also sitting next to Anna.

28:15So I was sort of, I don't know if I did well either or, but that was my question. What should I do? Like, but no, in the end, I decided to focus to my job. And so I looked at the collection and clearly now we know that for next summer, we all need one of these pajamas. They were very, very, very cool. There was one message, very clear, a pajama embroidered light. And I sort of missed from the show that twist that we have seen at Dolce recently, for example, when they and last time they had the models finishing the show outside in the street. I think Tefane and Domenico are now so connected with the new generation that we sort of missed that moment.

29:06Yeah, I think the security was heightened. But probably now that we are talking about it, that was like the moment was the movie. But I missed it as a watcher there. Oh, it's true what you say about the new generation. I mean, these are designers who have been in the business for decades and decades, but they really try to, you know, key into and pay attention to how young people are dressing now. And I did a preview with them and Domenico Dolce said that, you know, the the way the young people are dressing now, you know, it's not, you know, it's not sort of precious and perfect. There's a real sort of casualness.

29:48And he made the point, which I respect and like quite a bit. You know, it's time to end the reign of exercise clothes on the streets. I don't know what it's like in Milan, but in New York, it is like a plague of yoga clothes. Every girl, you know, out on the street is wearing her leggings and her exercise top. And it's really got to stop. So maybe pajamas are the solution. I think he's totally right. And it's fascinating. I think they really look at the Instagrams of this generation and what they do and try to express with their clothes. I love how they always watch. Okay, one last debut I want to dig into a little bit more, which is Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta.