Milan Fashion Week is back in full swing for the fall ’22 season. While there are still a handful of digital events, most brands have moved back to in-person runway shows and presentations — a swift turn after a quieter Milan Men’s Fashion Week in January. Below, a look at everything you need to know about Milan Fashion Week’s fall ’22 women’s season, from buzzy runway moments, the best shoes at presentations around the city, and the top trends from showrooms, parties and more.
Casadei
The brand may have just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Blade collection, but that doesn’t mean Cesare Casadei is only thinking of one type of heel. The Casadei scion and designer presented an edited but comprehensive collection that spanned more than a few categories, from comfort to disco and everything in between. For the former, there were clogs, double-strap sandals and shearling-lined boots, done with a substantial lug sole and outfitted in hand woven, spun-wool uppers, filling a still-needed demand for elevated, at-home footwear.
On the other end, Casadei had plenty to offer, from updates to the Blade, delicate strappy crystal sandals inspired by tennis bracelets and a series of deep-neckline stiletto pumps in nude lipstick hues, to patent leather platforms with a definitive nod to both bondage and vintage nightclub culture. “They go back to a time when people enjoyed to go clubbing, to go dancing,” Casadei told FN. “The star of the show was a T-strap platform decorated entirely in crystals, from toe to ankle strap to the exaggerated curved sole.
Watch on FN
The in-between was represented by the Gogo, a Mary Jane style with a chunky rubber sole, inspired by the unisex shoes from Casadei’s own childhood. “They were ugly when I was young,” he recalled. “Every celebration, it was this shoe, always in blue, for every wedding, every ceremony. My mother said, ‘These are the shoes you need!’” The designer named them for the uniform-clad character Gogo Yugari from the film “Kill Bill.”
Furla
After debuting the Re-Candy — a recycled plastic re-issue of its popular Candy handbag — back in September, Furla is continuing its line of eco-friendly accessories with the launch of the Bloom bag. The see-now, buy-now capsule, which takes the shape of the brand’s boxy and compact 1927 style, is made entirely in Italy of a water-resistant paper (wood pulp from responsibly managed forests with a Forest Stewardship Council certification). It can also be broken down into a flat, pack-friendly shape and comes with the same recycled-PVC chain found on the Re-Candy. The Bloom capsule will also be joined by another eco-friendly launch to come in April and reiterates Furla’s eco-iniatives through its Furla Progretto Hub, a creativity and research space that allows for the development of new materials.
For fall ’22, meanwhile, Furla brought back archival prints in metallic flocking to create a series of shoulder bags. It has also expanded on a series of nylon puffer-style totes, charms and shoes, done in saturated pink, cobalt and emerald. The brand is also adding more footwear to their wholesale offering for the season.
Santoni
The women’s collection continues to heat up for the brand, especially with a new crop of pumps ready for anyone who is ready to get back into them. The brand added its own twist to the traditional shape with hardware accents on the toe done in the shape of its well-known monk strap panel. “It’s very iconic with the DNA of the brand, but at the same time (it’s) very feminine,” said CEO Giuseppe Santoni of the pump. There were other nods to the brand’s double buckle, especially on a series of strappy sandals that placed miniature buckles on strategically placed straps for a cutout effect.
The collection also featured seasonal staples such as combat boots, which were done in navy leather and outlined in a chunky orange sole, and burnished heeled loafers and mules, also done in the brand’s navy and orange palette. A series of satin pumps in both fuchsia and orange kept the collection decidedly more feminine.
Rodo
Sparkle and glitz is making its comeback for fall ‘22 and so is the 66-year-old Florence-based brand, whose archives are full of vintage evening shoes and bags that provided key inspiration for the collection. That includes fluted heels — some wrapped in embossed leather for day, others decorated with crystals for night — and a metal mesh and pearl embellished drawstring bag, a highlight of the category within the collection. Satin mules with Art Deco-inspired crystal toe accents and matching shoulder bags and clutches round out the high-powered evening lineup.
Elsewhere, the Sellier and Pescatora bags focus on minimalist curved lines, created in full matte and embossed leather styles using a mounted thermoforming technique.
During the pandemic, the brand has seen its U.S. presence expanded even further, and it intends to focus on the red-hot market for the rest of the year. “For Rodo, the U.S. has always been part of our DNA,” CEO Gianni Dori told FN during the brand’s Milan Fashion Week presentation. To keep up with the increasing demand, Dori has over the past few years hired more than 30 craftspeople between the ages of 18-35 to carry on the brand’s heritage techniques.
René Caovilla
For its spring ’22 collection, the Italian brand focused on what it does best — its top-selling, serpent-inspired Cleo heel. It took the bejeweled, snake-wrap shape to a new iteration with the Margot, a high-heeled sandal with curve detailing that wraps all the way around and down the heel. Along with a double toe strap, the heels are outfitted with the same delicate Swarovski crystal work as the Cleo, and a pair of white sandals finished with clear crystal work is certain to be a hit with the bridal set. Caovilla also expanded on the Cleo, offering it in a series of sleek matte, metallic and snake print nudes and neutrals.
Fratelli Rossetti
The brand’s fall ‘22 collection is full of intricate details, such as velvet tasseled loafers with detailed floral embroidery (a technique the brand is eager to show more of), stretch knit booties decorated with Fratelli’s perforated fleur toe and the expansion of the brand’s heavy lug sole, this time done in a soft square-toed loafer (also available in a men’s version). But the main attraction was a series of studded black leather boots, brogues and loafers. At first glance, the studs appear to be done in the typical tough metallic, but a closer look reveals they are made of tiny knots of leather done in a gunmetal metallic hue. The series included everything from the standard loafers and brogues to chunky soled combat boots, sleek pointed toe stretch ankle boots and a standout Western style.
Hogan
The brand’s “Future Stream” collection took a futuristic approach to the practical needs of fall and winter’s essential pieces: the coat, the boot and the sneaker. The coat came in a shiny puffer, done in silver and white but also in a standout emerald hue. The boots were a continuation of the haute hiker style that has reigned supreme throughout the past few seasons, done this time in a matte white. There was also a puffer boot done in the same metallic emerald color that gave a bit of futuristic sheen to the traditional cold weather style. Bags featured oversized studs, soft puffed leather details and the brand’s logo on a shoulder style. And of the sneaker, Hogan’s bread and butter, metallic uppers mingled with chunky white soles for a hybrid sneaker-hiker look.
Sergio Rossi
With the January announcement of Evangelie Smyrniotaki as the new artistic director, fall ‘22 is the first collection to include her take on the heritage footwear brand. The designer’s ideas came through a special capsule for the season, full of the revenge-dressing party shoes everyone has their eye on for next fall. With full access to Sergio Rossi’s vast archives (which were fully updated in 2020 after a year-long quest from CEO Riccardo Sciutto to complete them), the designer looked to past iterations, both for inspiration and actual creation. She chose sky-high platforms, which she finished in black and fuchsia satin, the former with a crystal toe knot detailing, plus a peep-toe wedge, also finished in black satin and grounded in a smoky plexiglas heel. The shoes are outright sexy and exaggerated, but above all, the designer said she looked to their wearability. “They’re party shoes but they have to be walkable,” said Smyrniotaki.
Outside of the capsule, latex, PVC and satin dominated a collection of high-impact fall heels and boots, done in black and fuchsia.
Geox
Eco initiatives were top of mind for the brand’s fall ‘22 collection, showing a willingness to experiment with new sustainable practices at a time when many brands are putting it aside. Upcycled materials of felt, nylon and rubber were part of a new iteration of the Spherica line, a technology the brand debuted last year, which combines a breathable outsole to its Zero Shock System. “The Spherica was a bestseller,” noted Geox founder Mario Moretti Polegato. “With this principle we created the same concept but with a different sole,” he added, referring to the recycled materials.
On the outerwear front, Geox is adding to its repertoire an eco-minded coat that combines two layers; the outer is made of a recycled wool that also incorporates sustainable bamboo fibers, while the inner layer is a recycled nylon material that provides a waterproof interior. The two layers are detachable, and intended to be separated as a means to split materials for recycling when the coat is eventually ready to be discarded after wear — much in the way one separates plastic from glass when recycling at home.
AGL
The brand has come a long way from its ballerina flat beginnings, and for fall ‘22 sisters Sara, Vera and Marianna Giusti continue to push the boundaries of contemporary footwear, suggesting that a little eccentricity — and a whole lot of platform — might just be what everyone wants to wear as they emerge from home. The collection included different levels of quirkiness in color, shape and detailing, from corset-laced outlines on black and cream loafers and ankle boots, to over-the-knee animal print boots with a curved neutral platform, all the way up to a series of black and dark green leather boots with gigantic platforms made of textured rubber in both natural and lavender (and filled with air to keep the weight down). Judging from the success of its chunky ridged platform boots for the current season, the Giusti sisters just might be onto something.
Philippe Model Paris
The brand is venturing into ready-to-wear, presenting a capsule collection for its spring ‘22 season that will be available in March. The nearly 100% cotton garments are intended to reflect the color palette, natural materials, design lines and gender neutrality of its sneaker collection, Relaxed trousers in cream and olive have deep pockets and a soft, draped look, while coordinating jackets are done in a denim trucker style with matte buttons and slightly angled chest pockets. Striped shirts give the collection a slight nautical touch and the collection is punctuated by the Etienne, a new trainer done completely in white with a lightweight sole and rubberized details.
