Know Your Trends: Patchwork, Fringe And Princesses At MFW

With New York and London down, and only Paris to go, Fashion Month is nearing its end. But that doesn’t mean things have gotten boring. In Milan, brands gave us a major preview of the ‘fits we’ll be seeing this fall, and the answer is: a lot of fringe, boho patchwork, elegant pink nudes, lots of faux fur, bold(ish) hair accessories and our favourite new style: baby doll meets Victorian queen meets Dracula (remember Rodarte?). It’s great, and we’re calling it Princessxcore. I mean, if A$AP Rocky can do it…

As usual, we’ve already frothed over our dream looks, but on account of being productive, we’ve gone ahead and shared the collections from Milan that are currently circulating our fall moodboards. You’re welcome.

When Gucci started dropping hints about their FW20 collection with mysterious porcelain dolls, carousels and clowns, we anticipated a mix of babydoll dresses, lace and Victorian ruffles… basically a ’90s-era Courtney Love meets Little Women. And we. were. right. Michele gave us lots of pretty this season, taking traditionally “girly” pieces and subverting them through the Gucci lens: a lacy babydoll made out of shiny leather, a ruffled gown topped with a harness, Victorian blouses with torn up jeans, and a whole lot of Peter Pan collars. Towards the end of the collection, things got a little boho, as well: earthier tones, headscarves and dresses over jeans. And as the first show of the week, it was kind of like a preview of all of the Milan designer’s fall trends in one collection: Victorian looks, boho vibes, pretty pinks, faux fur and beautiful, flowy gowns paired with the Goth eyeliner of our dreams.

We repeat: is it fall yet?

Prada gave us all the feels this season. Usually, we’re pretty averse to fringe, but when Prada does it, it’s just perfect. Long, elegant and paired with tweed suits, knit vests and sheer sporty dresses, all the faux-rocker dudes wearing vintage suede-fringed duds take note: this is how you do it. Also, more headgear! SS19 saw the brand giving us oversize headbands fit for an Upper East Side Queen; this season, they gave us headbands and barrettes that looked more like tiaras… for the more subtle princess.

For a brand that’s spent the last few seasons giving us logos, logos and more logos, Fendi FW20 was much more subtle. Elegant and mostly monochrome, the brand gave us sophisticated glamour in the form of black lace, faux fur, structured coats and the nude blush colour of our wildest fantasies. Oh, and more barrettes! Looks like hair accessories aren’t going anywhere.

Ah, Moschino. What’s Milan Fashion Week without an over-the-top collection from Jeremy Scott? This season, the designer went full Marie Antoinette-meets-Barbie. It was French Revolution rococo chic with pastels (from hair to toe), ruffles and luxe velvets. The thing about Moschino is that it’s sometimes hard to imagine someone actually wearing these looks down the street, but honestly, the hoodie version of a Marie Antoinette-gown is the staple piece in my fall wardrobe I didn’t know I needed.

This collection felt very out of the box for Marni. It was all patchwork everything: fabrics, colours and lengths, with the brand mixing suede, leather, knits and baroque curtains (is that a texture?) into perfect boho minis, elegant long trenches and simple dresses that felt somehow minimal? But also super exciting? One of our favourite collections this season by far. Currently starting a GoFundMe to purchase all of it.

Versace does sexy probably better than anyone else, even when they don’t do it as obviously. Of course, this season had it’s fair share of mini dresses and sultry slips, but the brand also gave us oversize suits, Rugby sweaters and a whole lot of patchwork. Like Marni, the brand mixed leather and suede in a few key pieces, but they also took the trend to denim. It felt ’70s at some points, ’80s at others, with a few essential ’90s Versace moments; and still, totally modern. Plus, more faux fur… and some epic diamantes.

Our other favourite collection this season was Bottega Veneta. The brand gave us fringe, but in a totally different way than Prada. It was neon, and knit, and sexy. There was also a bohemian flair with some nudes, and browns, and shearling. And though we have seen neon greens and pinks for the last couple of seasons, Bottega did it best. Go ahead and quote me.