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In Milan, Filippo Grazioli and Rhuigi Villaseñor bring their touch to the Missoni and Bally runways
A bunch of young designers are giving new life to Milan Fashion Week. In particular, five new creative directors that have just been appointed to iconic houses. From Salvatore Ferragamo to Etro and Benetton, several great debuts were feverishly awaited on the catwalks this weekend. Missoni and Bally included. Filippo Grazioli brought a touch of freshness to the former, while Rhuigi Villaseñor projected the latter into the future with a sophisticated, sexy spirit.
Grazioli is giving Missoni a facelift. The stylist quietly joined the house last year after 18 years in Paris with Martin Margiela, Hermès and Givenchy. For his first show, the designer favored a soft approach, taking up the label's codes while evolving them with delicacy. The show was held in the luminous hall of Bocconi University on a mirrored catwalk, which reflected graceful silhouettes. The outcome was a very summery and colorful collection.
The show opened with a great classic of the house; a series of black and white outfits, using Missoni's emblematic technique of flamed knitwear. The dresses and knitwear ensembles follow ed one another in a mix and match of stripes and zebra stripes. The stripes collided to create abstract graphic paintings. The famous zigzag patterns of the Italian label were also revisited in maxi sizes or in a kaleidoscopic explosion.
A way for the designer to lay the foundations, like a blank canvas on which he gradually introduced cyan, magenta and yellow, the three shades chosen for each new look in turn. The cardigan or the knitted bodysuit matched with their skirt-coat, the tight dress with geometric patterns, the draped version or the one dripping down to the feet, slit on the side. Filippo Grazioli also played with transparency and shine with impalpable knit dresses that look like a second skin.
An urban and industrial atmosphere at Bally
For his first Bally show, Villaseñor opted for a darker, urban and industrial setting with rusty sheet metal walls and street lamps with a foggy light. On Saturday, he unveiled the new image of the venerable Swiss shoe house, which had not shown for 21 years.
The Filipino-born Californian designer founded the high-end streetwear brand Rhude in 2015 and this is the first time he has fully tried his hand at women's ready-to-wear. The result is a sophisticated and sexy woman, who likes to be noticed in her ultra-tight dresses with slits on all sides, worn if possible with rhinestone fishnet stockings, her very classy silk pyjama sets, her equestrian outfits with python boots or in slightly more daring outfits such as this four-pocket metallic gold jacket worn with a simple pair of matching boots or this sinuous black evening gown that opens up like a porthole on the buttocks just protected by a tanga.
The collection highlights leather pieces, from tops and pant sets to suede shirt dresses and leather lace maxi coats. The young designer introduces beachwear for the first time at Bally with very low-cut one-piece swimsuits, worn with jewelry, such as golden bracelets worn in lots of three for a flashy touch.
Villaseñor brings a good dose of Californian glamor and coolness to the heritage house. A good reflection of the designer himself, who can easily go from a double-breasted blazer suit to jeans and a reptile skin jacket, as long as he is wearing his very chic slippers with an elegant Bally coat.
The only downside were the sandals with vertiginous and unstable heels forcing the models to walk strangely and which look painful to wear. It's a bit confusing for a house that has 171 years of know-how in the shoe and luxury world.
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