“It has nothing to do with sexuality,” Gabbana
said. “It is almost a euphemism; it’s about
pleasing themselves.”
Giorgio Armani staged separate digital men’s
and women’s collections in his own theater both
around a replica of a gorilla statue dubbed Uri
that has been part of his personal home decor
for decades. This green version of Uri evoked the
designer’s support of wildlife preservation, but
also echoed the collections’ ties to the natural
world. Prints and designs that can be interpreted
as leaves, or water lilies, or simple sea creatures,
provided the motif for elegantly relaxed looks.
The fashion world also paid tribute to creative
colleagues in the theater, which have been mostly
empty in Italy since the start of the pandemic.
Pierpaolo Piccioli staged the Valentino Fall/
Winter 2020/21 collection live to empty seats in
Milan’s Piccolo Theater, while the singer Cosima
hauntingly intoned Sinead O’Conner’s lyrics: “It’s
been so lonely without you here.”
The Valentino collection was a somber affair,
fitting the moment. It featured tailored jackets
that have been reconstructed into capes, layered
with pointy-collared white shirts, skin-fitting
tops with seemingly hand-cut holes. For women,
there was a movement in flouncy miniskirts
peeking out of jacket hems, while feminine
flourishes like ruffles on shirts were employed
with discipline. Accessories featured studded
bags and boots.
Milan designer Francesca Liberatore had
planned an extravagant show in a Milan theater
with holographic effects, but decided against
it in solidarity with theater creatives who can’t
occupy that space.