Milan Women’s Fashion Week F/W 2019

Part 2: Roberto Cavalli

Roberto Cavalli F/W 2019

Getting it right isn’t easy for heritage brands whose owners are still very much alive. It took Jil Sander many seasons to become a directional brand again. While the real Jil Sander is doing museum retrospectives, Lucie and Luke Meier have found their own way now to make the house relevant again. Same case for Roberto Cavalli. While one of Roberto’s sons has his own collection Triple RRR, Cavalli the man is still very much around in the public eye as is his former wife Eva. So to find independence and momentum for the brand is not an easy task for current designer Paul Surridge. Yesterday, he achieved a long sought after moment of independence with his new tailoring focused and colorful collection.

What worked best?

Surridge is more a minimal man. He downplays the house’s archives to make them fit his design universe of tailoring. So his rigorous filter on the Cavalli animal prints looked fresh. They look abstracted, not in your face, which makes them relevant for now. Case in point his opening look double-breasted coat in dialed down pastel animal pattern worn with pants.

Printed coats, dresses and pants with abstract animal patterns

The sex factor?

Surridge is about cut.  So when Bella Hadid came out in a sexy bustier knit, which was slit at the bottom of the bosom accentuating the shape, it made for good frills. Worn with an across body bag fastened around the waist and not the chest, it was one of the best looks representing the new design ethos at Cavalli.

Subtle, strong and sexy: Bella Hadid wearing an all black Cavalli look

The Cavalli’s knee-high leather boots

The knee-high boots?

We have seen plenty of them by now, in New York, London and now Milan. But Cavalli’s slightly sturdy over the knee boot kicked up every look a notch.

Skins and black leather?

The crocodile skin looks as in high-waisted pants and tight tank top in off turquoise were strong. Also, Surridge is part of the black leather designers and his double-breasted coat on Karmen Pedaru with black pants and boots as well as all the black leather pants on men showed off his cutting skills and made for subversive sex.

Showing off his tailoring skills Surridge presented plenty of strong leather looks.