Into the history of Fashion
Introduction
Milan has for years now been recognized as one of the fashion centers of the modern world: sharing the catwalk with Paris and New York. Although fashion is observable in the very essence of people, who reflect the pride and weight of its reputation in their style; it is not immediate to know the areas that most reflect this reputation.
Since When
The debut year of the Milanese value in the fashion world is dated to 1958 when the first fashion show took place in the fairgrounds on Via Gattamelata.
In this nowadays increasingly industrialized area, the first fashion show run by Giovanni Battista Giorgini, who was already known for the visibility he gave to Italian fashion with the first fashion week in Florence in the early 1950s, was held in the late 1950s.
The big change in Milan fashion week, however, was given in the late 1960s when in 1967 "prêt-à-porter" was established as the style of the great Milanese fashion houses, which would change forever the way fashion was made, seen, conceived and worn.
Who
Following a chronological order I will present the great designers who dressed Milan with its name, offering a guide to their first boutiques, ateliers and maisons.
From the 1970s through the 1980s, the emerging designers who revolutionized the fashion world with their style were Le Tre G "The Three G's": Giorgio Armani in his atelier at 11 Via Borgonuovo in the Brera area, who nowadays instead counts with the headquarters at 9 Via Sant'Andrea; Gianfranco Ferré, who although nowadays no longer has his own headquarters among the city streets, one can still find the historic ones from when he began; and finally Giovanni Versace with the initial headquarters in Via della Spiga and then expanded to the point of building an entire block of just his garments in Piazza Luigi Einaudi 4.
GIORGIO ARMANI
GIANFRANCO FERRÉ
Aware of the fact that nowadays there is no longer an artistic house of Gianfranco Ferré, although the sale and tradition of his style and designs continue.
GIOVANNI VERSACE
With the dawn of the 1990s comes the creative collaboration between Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, and the establishment of the Moschino House in the Milan of 1994.
All these artists and designers shaped Milan's fashion, contributing to its fame, prestige and history.
Where
Having seen the characters and history of Milan Fashion from its origins, I now propose to return to the modern day. Where does fashion week take place? Where is Milanese luxury concentrated? Where are the icons of Italian fashion to be found?
Indeed, in Milan there is a specified zone dedicated to the fashion season with the concentration of the city's luxury for the rest of the year. This area counts with the four most expensive streets in the city that upon meeting each other, form a square space; hence the name of the area: "Quadrilatero della Moda." The beauty of the history of these streets is that along with their name they have defined and enhanced that of the city, so let's have a look!
Aside from these iconic streets of luxury, there are other adjacent ones that are extremely busy during fashion week precisely because they take care of hosting fashion shows and events. They find themselves filled not only with models and celebrities, but more importantly with the great enthusiasts who travel from all over the world to steal a glance at the exclusivity of certain outfits and styles of those who so eagerly await the event and long to be a part of it.
CURIOSITY
For those who remember Gigi Hadid's assault at the end of the 2016 Max Mara show, where she defended herself so bravely and promptly, it was right inside the Fashion Quadrilateral... I will let you recognize which one among the four streets, through your attentive gaze, upon visiting them!
Some of the streets, beyond those we presented, that represent the city, especially for the traffic of people who visit them for prestige, elegance and beauty, during the period of fashion week, are various. Most of these streets are precisely the cross streets of those that delimit the fashion quadrilateral shown earlier. These beautiful streets are:
and the world-famous St. Andrew's street we observed earlier hosting Moschino's provocative shop-debut.
from an ARTISTIC point of view
In case you are also a lover of motionless art and that would become extremely difficult to wear...; there are wonderful museums and palaces that are part of the luxury of the Quadrilateral, which during the fashion week, can be the temporary home of the big celebrities invited or starring, or be the stage.
Why
To the question of "why exactly Milan became the city of fashion" there are various reasons that can be offered, according to what we have seen. Milan, together with Paris have rewritten and redesigned fashion as it was conceived until the 1960s. The big reason, in fact, to which the city owes its notoriety I do not see it as a single one, but as a whole that have allowed Milan today to be recognized as the city with the highest concentration of luxury in the country, and one of the top three internationally.
The first reason is undoubtedly the invention of prêt-à-porter, which was the city's own during the expansion of Italian influence in the field of fashion.
Another reason is surely the concentration of great designers who used Milan as a launching pad for their art and made the city's style one of the most recognizable and elegant.
Last reason for my analysis is definitely the influence of a breathtaking city that beautifully frames the works of art it is given to present. Thanks to marketing, advertising and clearly history, part of its fame is recognized as one of the most important venues for the fashion week event; with weeks dedicated to fashion houses and runways, models and designers, who united all under one roof offer art to wear.
THE END
In the next guide we will offer you some of the best sites to go shopping, from the most luxury to the cheapest, not discounting on quality! 😉
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