Style director Adrian Clark and stylist Barnaby Ash talk us through the final day of Milan Fashion Week.
The last day of Milan kicked off with one of Dsquared2’s most potent shows to date. The collection was themed around a trip to Europe and was split into four sections, the first being Scandinavian fishermen, which featured oversized outerwear, slim fit trousers and hiking boots. The revolving set then turned into a Greek beach setting, channelling the island of Mykonos, allowing designers Dean and Dan to indulge in the camper side of their tastes through the medium of short, pop-colour swim shorts, sandals and towelling. Greece was swiftly followed by Italy, which demonstrated the opposite end of the Dsquared2 spectrum with an armada of beautiful tailoring splashed with the occasional pop of colour, blended with denim shirting and printed silk scarves to a desirable and chic effect. Finally, the fashion journey arrived in London, channelling a bit of Sid Vicious and brandishing a colour palette of almost purely red, black and white, featuring skinny tailoring, biker jackets and studded pieces.
Giorgio Armani’s collection was a return to what the iconic brand does best. He used lightweight fabrics across deconstructed tailoring and geometric printed knitwear and trousers on a mainly monochrome palette.
Tom Ford doesn’t seem to be capable of a bad move and has never created a collection that didn’t play to his strengths, he simply evolves what he does and slips in new elements. This season saw him take a more relaxed approach to evening, pairing evening jackets with flat front tailored trousers and espadrilles. For this collection he also created a cotton cashmere jogging suit, hardly intended for a day at the gym but a desirable piece for those who can attain it. The finishing touch was his first ever all-black suit, something he’s never done in his collection before.
Shockwaves Style Director, Michael Douglas explains how you can achieve this look from the DSquared2 Spring Summer 2012 show:
This look is reminiscent of the early 1990s MADchester scene, when bands like the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses (known as “Baggy Bands”) would wear this style. Start with a simple short back and sides, ideally clippered to create a wedge effect between the long hair on top and short hair around the back and sides. Once the hair cut is in place, it’s really easy to style; apply a small amount of Shockwaves Lightweight Styling Gel (RRP £2.99 for 150ml) to damp hair and blow dry all the hair forward and slightly off to one side (no brush needed). Finish with some Shockwaves Shine & Anti-Frizz Serum (RRP £2.99 for 75ml) for high gloss. This hair style should not be stiff, it should move!
