DUBAI: It may have been Milan Men’s Fashion Week, but women ruled the runways in Italy as the likes of Gigi and Bella Hadid, as well as Imaan Hammam, sashayed down the catwalk.
US-Palestinian model Gigi walked her first-ever Prada runway on Monday, following her sister’s appearance during Versace’s Fall 2019 Men’s show on Saturday.
Dutch-Moroccan-Egyptian model Imaan Hammam also walked the runway for Versace, wearing a hot pink top and cobalt blue pair of sporty shorts.
As for Prada, its looks were mostly done in black and navy, starting with elegant men’s suits first shown with the jacket casually opened, worn shirtless and having slightly cropped trousers that revealed bare ankles, the Associated Press reported.
But the collection had more than one mood, alternating between the disciplined feel of double-breasted jackets fastened closed with a triple belt and the rock-and-roll of bare chests adorned with chunky male necklaces under open jackets.
Ever playful, Prada softened the military looks with fuzzy, colorful patches on the shoulders, like epaulets, and tufts of colored fur accents peeking out of caps.
Prints on shirts included lightning bolts and beating hearts placed with anatomical correctness, Prada’s nod to cheesy horror movies.
The soundtrack included harder-rock versions of music from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Addams Family.”
The designer, Miuccia Prada, punctuated the show with looks for women, including tailored suits with external bustiers, cocktail dresses with elegant necklines and romantic full skirts with crystal accents. A cargo dress in fitted black was paired with a furry, red safari hat.
“Just when you think more dreams couldn’t come true… So honored to walk @PRADA FW ‘19 tonight,” Gigi posted on her Instagram after the show.
The celebrity model wore a sparling blue dress with a leather corset and her hair was styled in a shaggy, cropped pixie cut.
Her sister, Bella, walked the runway for Versace, in a startingly different sort of show, complete with neon colors, animal print and clashing prints and patterns galore.
Head designer Donatella Versace said in her notes that the image of masculinity has evolved since the 1990s “when there was a specific idea of a man.”
“What I wanted to show in this collection are the different faces of a man, who... has gained the courage that he didn’t have before. If I had to find a word that defines today’s men, it would be daring,” she said.
Underlining some of the feminine touches, Versace sent out women’s looks worn by top models Bella, Kaia Gerber, Vittoria Ceretti and Emily Ratajkowski.