THE COLLECTIONS SPRING/SUMMER 2020

GUCCI

This season, Alessandro Michele had sex on his mind. In comparison to his usual everything-but-the-kitchen-sink aesthetic, spring/summer 2020 was considerably stripped back. In fact, the wispy lingerie slips and diaphanous chiffon dresses, skintight knits with plunging necklines and slashed leather skirts had a whiff of Tom Ford’s Gucci about them. If those weren’t sufficiently sexed-up, he even sent some models out with BDSM whips and bags that proclaimed “Gucci Orgamisque”. Building on the past couple of seasons, tailoring remained a strong suit; this season’s bore an alluring ’70s flavour—shrunken on top and kick-flared below. Michele also scaled back on print to focus on colour, often used in off-kilter but delicious pairings.

BOTTEGA VENETA

For his sophomore outing, Daniel Lee doubled down on the building blocks he laid in his debut season. The message was artful minimalism filtered through a ’90s-tinged lens, resulting in a sensuous, stripped-back sensuality that came through the strongest in pieces such as the little black dresses that clung to the body, and the sliced and twisted ribbed knits. Lee employed a lighter hand with the House’s bread-and-butter leathers, cutting them paper-thin for knee-length shorts and sporty anoraks. While last season yielded the sold-out Pouch and Padded Cassette bags, this season, fans will be falling for the supersized intrecciato hobos.

MIU MIU

After Prada’s polished simplicity, Miuccia Prada had something more lo-fi in mind for Miu Miu. The collection had a homespun DIY quality in its raw, humble textures, which brought to mind the feeling of household textiles transformed into clothes. Canvas, muslin and linen were Mrs Prada’s preferred medium, but the message—the clothes themselves—exuded a certain kind of glamour specific to the post-World War II era. There were tailored skirtsuits that evoked the ’40s, and the flared skirts and sweaters of the ’50s. Those sweaters were shrugged off the shoulders for a screen-siren sex appeal—a vibe intensified by the bouffant updos. Prints had a naivete and optimism about them; flowers big and small were done in a hand-drawn effect, accentuated with spots and splatters.

PRADA

After last season’s floral-and-Frankenstein-strewn show, Miuccia Prada decided that her major concept for this season would be