Of course one of the major headlines coming out of Milan this week was Gigi Hadid’s red-carpet attack. Hadid was accosted while leaving the Max Mara show on Thursday morning. Her reaction to being man-handled? Fight back. She fought off the aggressor, who was later identified as a known red-carpet crasher who has targeted celebrities like Jada Pinkett-Smith and Bradley Cooper. Later, Hadid took to Instagram to say, “I’m a HUMAN BEING and had EVERY RIGHT to defend myself. How dare that idiot think he has the right to man-handle a complete stranger.”
Hadid’s frightening encounter aside, Milan Fashion Week has boasted some of the most exciting shows of the year so far. The New York Times has said “There’s a balmy wind of minor rebellion sweeping along the catwalks of Milan, making unlikely allies of normally opposing aesthetics, and drawing a line in the sand. The insta-fashion that so defined the start of the season in New York (the way, arguably, insta-everything so defines modern life) is finding little purchase here.”
There are several reasons why Milan Fashion Week is an unmissable event on the fashion calendar, but two of the biggest reasons Miuccia Prada and Giorgio Armani. Armani’s breakthrough fashion moment came in 1980 whenRichard Gere wore the designer’s clothes in the film American Gigolo. Gere’s well-clad and handsome screen appearances “generated a lot of interest for the label and gained Armani popularity in America,” according to The Telegraph. “Soon after many celebrities were spotted wearing his designs on the red carpet. The Armani brand now includes Giorgio Armani Privé, Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, EA7, Armani Collezioni, Armani Jeans, Armani Junior and Armani Exchange.”
The rise of Miuccia Prada has been a bit more unconventional, much like Prada designs are. “She received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Milan , and began training to be a mime,” The New Yorker has said. “Prada doesn’t sew, embroider, sketch, etc. Instead, she surrounds herself with talented people who translate her themes, concepts, and taste into clothes. This unusual approach has made her one of the most influential designers in the world, and one of the most powerful women in Europe.”
As for Prada’s presentation this week in Milan, one critic said: “One woman who has cornered and pioneered the market of covetable bad taste is Miuccia Prada. Her show at the close of the day in Milan was a masterclass in being shown items that you never knew you’d lust over.”