Designers Express Outrage During Milan Fashion Week

Trouble has been brewing at Milan’s 2008 Autumn/Winter Collection Fashion Week.

Milan Fashion Week has been branded a “circus without sense” by Dolce & Gabbana amid fears that it rapidly falling behind Paris and London as a vital destination on the haute couture circuit.

Long delays, chaotic organisation and unseemly catfights led to this year’s edition of Italy’s most prestigious fashion showcase, which finishes today, being roundly attacked.

Due to fears that important fashion editors would leave Milan before the end of Fashion Week, an exorbitant number of shows were crammed into the first few days of the fashion event. In all, there were 103 catwalk shows — supposed to run over the course of a week plus some — featuring 95 different designers and labels.

Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue, said she had requested Armani, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana to shift their shows so that she could return to America before Paris Fashion Week begins next Tuesday. As a result, a logjam of catwalk shows at the beginning of the week caused havoc.

The resulting scheduling created near-chaos and a very awkward calendar of events and shows. Furthermore, the rescheduling request evoked criticism from designers such as Dolce & Gabbana, claiming that the presige of Milan Fashion Week was being put into jeopardy and that the event may be “neglected in [the] future.”

Giorgio Armani vocalized his concerns, claiming that Wintour’s request showed her preference for French (and American) designers to the detriment of Italian talent.

Source: Daily Telegraph

Confusion at Versace Men’s Show in Milan

Here’s the latest from PageSix:

January 15, 2008 — DON’T expect to see the Versace men’s collection in Bergdorf Goodman this year. On Saturday night, Tommy Fazio, the men’s fashion director for the luxury store, showed up to the Versace men’s show in Milan and took his usual front-row seat, and all was well until the late arrival of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. According to our insider, the standing-room-only event was pushed even later when Beyoncé’s hulking bodyguard didn’t have a seat. Our shocked spy said, “A minion, who obviously had no idea who Tommy was, told him to get up so the guard could sit down.” Fazio wasn’t pleased and said, “Fine - I don’t stand at shows, so please escort me to the door.” Afterward, Fazio canceled his post-show appointment with the fashion house. Onlookers were shocked, but Beyoncé was blissfully unaware as she went from the show to the GQ party that followed, where she sat in a corner with Jay-Z and “read the magazine before leaving after 15 minutes.” A rep for Versace said, “Obviously there was some confusion with the show, but it had nothing to do with Beyoncé or her bodyguard. It happens occasionally at shows.”

Calling for a Healthier Body Image in the Fashion Industry

There’s been much talk in the news lately about concerns over models being severely underweight and the measures being taken to create a healthier image for the fashion industry. In September, the organizers of Madrid’s Fashion Week instituted a ban on models with a BMI of less than 18. Now Italy has followed suit, banning models under the age of 16 and calling for a more “full-bodied” presence on the runways and catwalks.

Without meaning to beat an already dead horse, these initiatives are definitely a positive sign of a new awareness on the part of the fashion industry. Seeing as Milan is the fashion capital of the world, the message calling for a more positive and healthier image of models and the fashion industry in general will hopefully set the gears going. In other words, such a stance being taken by Milan could affect fashion industry centers such as Paris and New York.

People like Vogue editor Anna Wintour (amazingly) and Diane von Furstenberg are taking a stance on the issue and calling for industry leaders to engage in dialogue to reshape the image presented by underweight models. It’s important that those in the fashion industry recognize the impact and influence that fashion has on body image, especially for women and girls.

I only hope that all of this brings about positive change and will eventually lead to the day when models actually resemble you and me, thereby helping to shed the negative influence leading people to think they are overweight when they are actually healthy and have a natural body shape.

Milan Fashion Week S/S 2007 Moda Uomo Schedule

Sunday 25/6-2006

10:00 JIL SANDER VIA VENTURA, 15
11:00 MISSONI VIA SOLFERINO, 9
12:00 COSTUME NATIONAL HOMME VIA TORTONA, 58
13:00 DOLCE & GABBANA VIALE PIAVE, 24
14:00 ROCCO BAROCCO VIA TURATI, 34
15:00 VIVIENNE WESTWOOD SEDE DA COMUNICARE
16:00 BURBERRY PRORSUM CORSOVENEZIA, 16
17:00 OZWALD BOATENG SEDE DA COMUNICARE
18:00 GIANNI VERSACE PIAZZA AFFARI, 6
19:00 GIANNI VERSACE PIAZZA AFFARI, 6
21:00 GAS VIA VALTELLINA, 21

Monday 26/6-2006

09:30 BOTTEGA VENETA VIALE PICENO, 15/17
10:30 ANTONIO MARRAS VIALE ALEMAGNA, 6
11:30 FRANKIE MORELLO VIA PALERMO, 10
12:30 GIANFRANCO FERRÉ VIA PONTACCIO, 21
13:30 CARLO PIGNATELLI OUTSIDE SEDE DA COMUNICARE
14:30 EMPORIO ARMANI VIA BERGOGNONE, 59
15:30 NEIL BARRETT VIA TORTONA, 27
16:30 BYBLOS SEDE DA COMUNICARE
17:30 PRADA VIA FOGAZZARO, 36
18:30 J.LINDEBERG SEDE DA COMUNICARE
19:30 ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SEDE DA COMUNICARE

Tuesday 27/6-2006

09:30 DSQUARED2 SEDE DA COMUNICARE
10:30 GAETANO NAVARRA SEDE DA COMUNICARE
11:30 DIRK BIKKEMBERGS SEDE DA COMUNICARE
12:30 ALESSANDRO DELL’ACQUA SEDE DA COMUNICARE
13:30 BIAGIOTTI VIA RIVOLI, 6
14:30 JOHN RICHMOND GIARDINI DI PORTA VENEZIA - INGR. VIA PALESTRO
15:30 JASPER CONRAN VIALE ALEMAGNA, 6
16:30 DAKS P.ZA DELLA REPUBBLICA, 17
17:30 GUCCI PIAZZA OBERDAN, 2/B
18:30 MIHARAYASUHIRO VIA TURATI, 34
19:30 GAZZARRINI P.ZA DELLA REPUBBLICA, 17

Wednesday 28/6-2006

09:30 MENICHETTI SEDE DA COMUNICARE
10:30 ICEBERG VIA PALERMO, 10
11:30 TRUSSARDI PIAZZA SCALA, 5
12:30 VALENTINO VIA TURATI, 34
13:30 D&G VIALE PIAVE, 24
14:30 CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION VIALE UMBRIA, 37
15:30 MOSCHINO VIA BEZZECCA, 5
16:30 FENDI VIA SCIESA, 3
17:30 GIULIANO FUJIWARA VIA ANTONIO DOSSI, 7
18:30 LES HOMMES VIA TORTONA, 27

Thursday 29/6-2006

09:30 ENRICO COVERI SEDE DA COMUNICARE
10:30 MIU MIU SEDE DA COMUNICARE
11:30 ETRO SEDE DA COMUNICARE
12:30 ETRO VIA TORTONA, 27
13:30 M+F GIRBAUD VIA TORTONA, 27
14:30 MIU MIU SEDE DA COMUNICARE

Information via: cameramoda.it.

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