Dolls Eye View: Milan Fall 2020 Trends

In addition to this being a trend report, it is also a small tribute to Italian style. As of this writing, there have have 135,586 cases of the Covid19 Virus including 17,127 deaths. Their economy has come to a standstill with not only stores shuttered but also all manufacturing and production halted. Milan Fashion week was stopped in its tracts before the end of its run. Giorgio Armani presented his collection to an empty room! That was enormous because those 20-30 minute catwalk shows cost upwards of a million dollars. Armani has since converted his high fashion ateliers into workrooms now producing hospital gowns.

Some of you are wondering what the future of fashion might resemble or even if we will continue to see fashion weeks. At this point, it is anyone's guess. What we all think is that fashion, like most other industries, will reemerge in some form, but most likely not as the industry existed in pre-Coronovirus days.  After perusing a number of professional revues on this subject, this is what I can tell you. Already the next menswear and haute couture shows in Italy and France have been cancelled. Experts are thinking there probably won't be any more shows for the rest of the year. The shows I am reporting on for the Fall/Winter 2020 season, have not been put into production. Nothing has been sold and even existing orders of goods have been cancelled. The big labels will most likely survive this economic tsunami, but the future is less rosy for young talent who have been devastated by what is now being viewed as a worldwide recession. Moreover, this industry has most certainly lost much of its workforce... from world renowned shoe designer, Sergio Rossi to many of the workers involved in getting garments from the designer sketchbook to hangers in the stores. And let's also not forget those underpaid workers in third world countries who produce the notions, the textiles and other necessities for the market. Most lost their jobs and have no social, health or job protections.

I love Italian fashion. For decades it was known for its timeless style. The past few years have not been so terrific. But this season, it was as though the Italians had returned to their classic roots. Many of the shows this season actually looked like they were designed for cold weather. I still wish there had been more exploration with season appropriate color, but in terms of the fashion itself..... me and the girls were very pleased with what we saw. As a result, I took extra time to produce the clothes for this report especially since they may be the last fashion we see from Italy in awhile. If just for a few moments, let me and my girls transport you back to an earlier time....a time when our cities bustled. A time high fashion was still so very relevant.

Coat Closet

There's nothing particularly spectacular about this lineup of classic coats. However, with silhouettes this simple.you can dress up any of these coats up to suit your dolly's glamorous needs. What drew my eye to this selection were the coats with matching boots as well as all of the furry touches.

Veronique chose this very elegant coat. She liked the leather belt that pulled the silhouette into the body and the faux fur trim at the hem. This being a winter coat, I felt it could use an extra helping of fur. So instead of making a coat with a traditional notched collar, we stuck with a simple V-neck and added a fur collar to help keep Veronique warm.

This coat/dress ensemble was a staple in the wardrobes of chic ladies in the early 1960's. For Natalie I made her outfit out of a grey herringbone fabric. While I liked the idea of matching boots, we both decided it would be way too much of the same pattern. For Natalie's footwear, I used  "birdseye" patterned wool to create the boots which have a leather toe.

Daily Beast

Baby, it's cold outside! A sheepskin coat with a matching dress, a "monkey" fur chubby jacket atop the briefest shorts... what a way to dress up when the temps go artic!

For Christie, we made a leather shift dress to match her sheepskin coat as opposed cutting it from the same material. Sheepskin is too thick for the doll unless you shave away the fleece. And if you are going to do that, you may as well use a leather or faux leather in the same tone. As far as the original dress/coat ensemble....I can tell you, a sheepskin dress is VERY warm.... so warm, you probably don't need the coat.

A modern twist to a late 1970's trend.... Roshumba wears a 1/6 version of a chubby jacket--a shaggy (faux) monkey fur, waist length jacket worn over lace trimmed shorts and tights.

Green Apples

While the look is classic, the real news here is the color...apple green! This color looks especially striking when used in contrast to black, navy or dark tones.

Grey Scale

Yes grey is a bland color. But when the skies are grey it is a color that subtly fits seamlessly in with the season. Monochromatic grey provides the designer the opportunity to work on shape, silhouette, but most of all....texture!

I like very much the idea of layering grey. But for Radiah's outfit, I wanted decided to use more than two fabrics. I chose a nubby tweed for the jacket worn over a sweater of a lighter tone knit which, in turn, is layered over a mohair skirt. For her shirred boots, I chose a gun metal metallic stretch fabric. At first everything looks pretty much the same. But upon close inspection, each layer has its own unique tone and texture, all working in sync.

Knit Wits

As usual, and in the true spirit of a country known for its jersey knits.....we love Missoni. Any of these dresses could be easily made with just the right pattern of socks! P.S. We love the unexpected mixtures of muted colors and grey. 

Suits Me

The 80s are back complete with swollen shoulders! It's the return of "Dresss for Success" jackets worn with leather belts to draw them close to the body and swing skirts to render them current. Again, the color palette remains in the neutral.

I made a few changes here to Iman's version. For me, the jackets in this series look a bit dated, a bit old. When teamed up with silk fringe skirts, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me, aesthetically speaking. For Iman, I used a chunky tweed but used a standing collar treatment that looked more interesting. I made a matching skirt but replaced the silk fringe, with fringe made from chain which looks more modern!

Snow Angels

White, bright and just right for day or night. These snowy white ensembles provide the touch of glamour to brighten up winter days. We particularly like the coat with the lush faux fur trim a la 1930s! All tones of white work here including a mix of whites as seen in the Sportmax outfit featured here.. Beige, brown or better yet, butterscotch makes for a great accent color for boots and accessories.

Clearly, I took liberties for Sybille's version. (In a bygone era, this outfit was called a "walking suit." It was made for strolling outside on a blustery day, but not for wearing indoors.) While I love the original version as is, the 1/6 scale version was well....a tad bit boring. So, I cut the same A-line silhouette for the top (using a fleece fabric) and then added a big, fluffy boa accented with a sparkly "diamond" brooch! And, I gave her a shag fur purse.

Midnight Snowflakes

This is a charcoal grey/black theme adorned with patterns or cut-outs resembling snowflakes. With the right knit, you can create a simple yet stunning cape or a sweater to be worn with leather pants or skirt. The girls loved the fur trimmed coat with cut out decals just above the hem. (I wanted to make this but did not have the time.)

And since I couldn't make the coat, we settled on this leather dress. Here, Margot struts her stuff in a (faux) leather slip dress. I used lace decals for the bodice and attached it to a high waist A-line skirt. While the original dress has embroidered placed motifs over the skirt, I stitched on lace appliques instead. After stitching around the outer perimeter of each motif, I cut away the fabric underneath so that tiny flashes of "flesh" show through.

Pretty Lady

Ruffles and frills galore! Here is one place where we spotted a big burst of vibrant color. It does look more suited for spring than autumn, but the whole idea is one that is sassy, flirty and very girly.

Luxe Warriors

This theme is one of the body wrapped in rich, lusciousness. The outfits are all based on pants and within this group there is a lot of velvet. What is interesting here is velvet mixed with sweater knits and, of course, a velvet coat knee deep in fur.

Lynn fell in love with this Giorgio Armani pantsuit. The pants and jacket are both cut from velvet.  The jacket has an embroidered trim topping a deep (faux) fur hem.

Dolly Antoinette (Let Them Eat Cake)

Oh, and what would Milan Fashion Week be without a healthy dose of humor, particularly when it's the antics signed by Moschino. The models did a cake walk down Moschino's catwalk with Marie Antoinette inspired mini dresses and pantsuits and even swimwear.decorated with aristocrat designs lifted from the French high court!

By now you know how I love a challenge. And challenge it was with Giselle's mini version. I began the dress in the same way I made some of my Easter hats. I started with a "bustle."  Using a bowl, I created a tissue paper form then draped strips of fabric over to create my pattern. Afterwards, I made a white cotton skirt to cover it before cutting the definitive dress out of my waffled white satin fabric. Of course, each layer of fabric reacted differently than I expected and they didn't line up as anticipated. So I eventually got rid of the "bustle"(which I used it for the denim version below)  but created a flat circular form to hold up the inner top of the skirt. I tacked on the gold embroidered applique (just in case I decide to remove it later). It was a lot of fun and I'm pretty happy with the results.

But then I wondered what could a dress like this resemble using more "ordinary fabrics. So for Akure, I made a similar dress, an "urban" version of the high court, if you may. This time cut from light blue denim and sleeves trimmed in white lace to match her bustle.

Come back to dream with us some more as we indulge in one more fashion week. We'll show you what the girls saw and fell in love with in Paris.......just before it closed down!

We love all of you. Stay safe. Stay virus free!

April and the Girls

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