What were the 5 most appreciated and 5 most criticised fashion shows of Milan Fashion Week 2024?
Milan Fashion Week 2024 came to an end on the morning of Monday 26 February, but which shows were the most appreciated and which were the most criticised by the public?
Milan Fashion Week 2024: the 5 most appreciated fashion shows
This year, Milan hosted 59 fashion shows, four virtual and 55 physical, held from 20 to 26 February 2024. But among these, which fashion shows were the most appreciated by the public of fans and insiders, especially according to comments on social media?
1. Ferragamo
Ferragamo’s show seems to have been one of the most popular with the public, if not the most liked ever.
Maximilian Davis decided to present a collection on the catwalk of Milan Fashion Week 2024 that evoked the brand’s history while infusing it with a fresh vitality, in a perfect combination of rigour and surrealism. The colour palette used was a rather desaturated one, with an abundance of shades of olive green, brown and burgundy, broken up at the end by the introduction of canary yellow, reminiscent of the creative director’s Caribbean origins.
The reference to the 1920s is quite strong, as we find the perfect mix between feminine emancipation, with transparencies, feathers and sequins, and more structured overcoats, combined with very opaque stockings, embracing the aesthetics of a decidedly more masculine way of dressing. This concept combines perfectly with the uniforms of the period and the utilitarian clothing of the fishermen, including the tall boots and shiny leather jackets.
In addition, we can say that the most popular dress of the first Milan Fashion Week 2024/2025 was also part of Ferragamo’s autumn/winter collection: it is a long-sleeved minidress made of 950 laminated leather sequins applied by hand in 19 hours, which create a scaled effect. The reflective, iridescent colour and texture remind us of the magic of mermaids and their marvellous tails, mixed with the dark veil of the enchanting danger of these beings, conveyed by the dark, fatal red of the dress.
2. Bottega Veneta
The second most popular fashion show during Milan Fashion Week 2024 seems to have been that of Bottega Veneta, a brand directed by Matthieu Blazy.
The fashion show was held in a peculiar location, that of an arid desert with burnt and extremely warm colours, accompanied by the presence of glass cacti, scattered as if they were crystallised flowers growing even in a seemingly sterile and lifeless land. The one represented by Blazy is a non-place, outside our everyday reality, seen somewhat as through the screen that mediates us every day.
The show gives us the impression of floating sculptures on the catwalk, thanks to the inclusion of fringes and elegant silhouettes with soft geometries. In the collection we find the predominance of leather, a central material for the fashion house, but also a large presence of wool garments and classic suits.
In addition, the limited-edition guest chairs, from Cassina’s LC14 cases, were a tribute to the famous architect Le Corbusier, who designed them.
3. Prada
Prada’s autumn/winter 2024/2025 show was one of the most talked about, loved by most, but also rather criticised. The collection proposed the elaboration of a rather complex and articulated, as well as very profound thought, which not everyone was able to grasp fully.
In fact, Miuccia Prada decided to lean on the influence of history to conceive the garments, proposing designs embellished with bows, ruffles and flounces, symbols of the rejection of adulthood, as well as clichés of femininity.
This theme is also echoed in the back of most of the looks, left unfinished. In fact, the linings on the back are visible, often in pastel colours, more playful and in contrast with the more neutral colours of the outfits, echoing the vibe of professionalism conveyed by the men’s collection, presented in January during Milan Fashion Week 2024 Menswear in the same set.
The references to history are therefore many, starting with the references to the style of the 1940s, which we find in the uniforms, as well as in the silk lingerie-style items, while the bows pick up on a trend from the 1960s. Furthermore, the leather bomber jackets tell the story of the beginning of the maison’s history, bearing the year of its foundation, 1913, a period when Prada was focused on leather goods.
Also celebrating the heritage is the use of nylon, a fabric distributed since 1935 and mainly used for military purposes, in the creation of uniforms and instruments, including ropes and parachutes.
In addition, the garments in the collection are specifically reminiscent of the clothes worn by the actors in Zone of Interest, an award-winning film that tells the story of a family leading a peaceful life, in contrast to the horror and brutality of the adjacent Auschwitz. In short, to fully understand the collection proposed by Prada during Milan Fashion Week 2024, it is necessary to dissect the different elements of the storytelling, avoiding stopping at appearances and superficial judgements, as the main objective is to convey a profound social as well as political message.
4. Jil sander
Another highly appreciated fashion show was the one proposed by the German brand Jil Sander, founded by the designer of the same name, known for its minimalist style.
In this case, the collection saw a riot of colours, arranged ‘in blocks’, combined with sharp tailored cuts and rather loose, yet structured silhouettes. We also note the presence of quilted outerwear, along with the proposal of rounded toe shoes and distinctive ‘wig’ shaped clutches.
In short, Jil Sander’s proposals were the embodiment of a new kind of minimalism that plays with colour and shape while remaining extremely elegant and sophisticated.
5. Gucci
Sabato De Sarno’s second much-awaited womenswear collection for Gucci during Milan Fashion Week 2024 seems to have garnered very mixed opinions, as had already been the case for the designer’s debut fashion week in September.
With this collection, the creative director proposed a series of shades of black, lime green, midnight blue, grey and variations of red, with the exception of lace and lingerie details, transparent degradé sequins and crystal fringes, where colour always remains the protagonist.
Milan Fashion Week 2024: the 5 most criticised fashion shows
1. Avavav
Avavav’s fashion show was undoubtedly the most criticised of Milan Fashion Week 2024, not so much for the looks presented, but more for the organisation of the show: the designer’s aim was to simulate the violence of online haters and cyberbullying, but what made viewers discuss the most was the way in which the message was chosen to be conveyed.
In addition to projecting hate-filled comments on the sides of the entrance door, the audience threw cans and crumpled newspaper pages at the models for the entire duration of the short show, obstructing the catwalk space and hitting them directly, sometimes even on the face.
In conclusion, although the message was very important, there were countless people who found the gesture extremely degrading and intrusive towards the models, as well as considering it a mere stunt to draw attention to oneself and to further launch one’s brand.
2. Blumarine
Blumarine’s autumn/winter 2024/2025 collection at Milan Fashion Week 2024 was fiercely criticised. It was aimed at proposing a return to the world of childhood, with the proposal of flowers also in a 3D version of chiffon and lace, as well as other feminine details such as flounces, ruffles and bows. The colour palette was mainly soft, with a preference for pastel colours such as powder pink and light yellow, but there was no lack of abundant animal prints.
In short, the aim of Walter Chiapponi’s debut was to express freedom and emotions through dressing, also thanks to a fairytale-like and imaginative atmosphere.
But criticism was not long in coming: many expressed their disappointment, pointing out that the new creative director was unable to fully embrace the brand’s identity, as well as failing to fully develop it. The result was judged as messy, messy, without a wide choice of original proposals. But as it is only Chiapponi’s debut, it is too early to draw hasty conclusions; we will just have to wait and see what he will propose for the next collections.
3. Versace
Also much discussed was the Versace fashion show, criticised for having a punk feel that set aside the sophistication that has characterised the maison’s more recent proposals.
On the catwalk of Milan Fashion Week 2024, excessive lengths were experimented with, as in blazer dresses studded with sequins and extra-long coats. A long skirt with a slit and a micro dinner jacket come together to create a look that appears to be cut in half, exemplifying how deconstruction can make the formal world resolutely sensual.
“This collection has a rebellious character and a kind heart. The woman portrayed is a good girl, albeit with a wild spirit. She is formal, but sexy,” explains Donatella Versace. “The man is her soulmate, a shy genius. They break rules to create new ones. The clothes take the codes of contemporary tailoring and twist them with cuts, draping and ornamentation. The collection focuses on pure lines, innovative fabrics and a rational indomitability. This is us. This is Versace!”.
In short, it certainly wasn’t the worst, but a large section of the public made their displeasure felt about it.
4. Moschino
Moschino saw the debut of its new creative director during Milan Fashion Week 2024, Adrian Appiolaza, who almost totally revisited the brand’s aesthetic, although there was no lack of that touch of irony and vitality that has always signed the maison’s creations.
The special features of the collection were certainly the playful details, such as the trompe l’oeil ones, including the baguette-shaped pochette or the rosette-shaped one, inspired by a look created in 1984 by Franco Moschino, in which the ingredients were contained in an Esselunga bag. We also find a shirt with printed braces, along with fun tricolour details or headgear in the shape of paper boats.
Returning were some of the brand’s already characteristic symbols, such as polka dots and large question marks, together with prints reminiscent of newspaper sheets, those reminiscent of blue skies covered in white clouds and smiles.
Despite the numerous criticisms, which mainly focus on simplicity and “already seen” proposals, it should be taken into consideration that Appiolaza only had a little over a month to create the entire collection, which is why the designer explained how this should be considered a “zero collection”, rather than his actual debut at the maison.
In short, we just have to wait for the proposal of the subsequent collections to draw more confident conclusions in this regard.
5. Dolce&Gabbana
It is surprising to find one of the fashion giants among the most criticised, but there was quite a lot of criticism levelled at Dolce&Gabbana for the collection proposed during Milan Fashion Week 2024. The brand was criticised for the “already seen” proposals, as well as the extreme abundance of lingerie details, which according to some made it almost a “lingerie show”.
In fact, there were numerous proposals in which lingerie details and sensual transparencies, enriched by lace embroidery, took centre stage. Another central theme was the dinner jacket, whose fundamental role was also emphasised by the song Murphy’s Law, played in the background during the fashion show.
Conclusion: these are the 5 most appreciated fashion shows and the 5 most criticised by the public during Milan Fashion Week 2024.
We would like to remind you that you can buy your copy of the “Enciclopedia della moda” online and in bookshops at selected Libraccio outlets. The physical encyclopaedia is in Italian but you can find the english version online.
Read more:
Milan Fashion Week 2024 comes to an end: A summary of the most important events
Max Mara shows at Milan Fashion Week 2024: activists protest against fur
New York Fashion Week 2024: Highlights
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