Milan Fashion Week

Milan is an electric city. Fashion is not just an industry of this place, but an undercurrent that pulses like a heartbeat.

I see great style here daily: the children in outfits that resemble more of the elite of my country than the school children; the women in the latest trends and best shoes; men in impeccably tailored and well-fitting clothing and not a hair out of place on the grandmothers.

The apparel industry is a driving force of this town. I dare say there are more stores than coffee shops (another staple of Milan life). Joking when friends from home ask what I do for fun here, I tell them that shopping is my extra curricular. Living among all of these people who already take great pride in their appearance and staying with the trends, I wasn’t sure what to expect when fashion week rolled around.

I spent a lot of time people watching, trying to see if I could distinguish between the Milanese and the people who just flew to town. Here are some of the people I saw while watching after a show let out, walking towards a fairly popular metro stop.

I was given the amazing opportunity by my fashion marketing professor to go the see the Poustovit collection. This season’s collection is inspired by South African summers and Ukrainian winters. Their Fall/Winter 2017/2018 collection is stunning.

I was particularly enchanted with a pink jacket with pleated cut outs in the back, revealing a cerulean blue underneath.

Another favorite of mine was a three quarter sleeve black V-neck dress, with delicate whitish gray flowers covering it.

Following this, I was able to get into the Vivetta Fall/Winter 2017/2018 show. We were told that there might be some standing room available, and since we were already in the building a classmate and I decided to work our way in. Lots of standing time and very little breathing room later, we squeezed our way through. The curtains opened into a large, well lit room where the runway formed a square. There were pink accents everywhere and the upbeat, techno music added to the young and fresh feel of the show. This collection had a distinct ‘40s feel-and I was loving it. There were many geometric, abstract, and floral prints; as well as a lot of beautiful embroidery. Many models sported retro glasses and a common theme of pastel-neon lipstick.

Milan is an amazing city that pushes your creativity and inspires you to dress your best every day. I find myself developing my own unique style just by living in this city; constantly surrounded by the best inspiration a girl could ask for.

Written by: Richelle Holnick. Richelle has been with Style My Ride 2014, and is the current Social Media Coordinator. Richelle is currently studying abroad in Milan, Italy.