The third leg of the Fashion Month marathon, Milan Fashion Week always delivers on Italian glamour. BAZAAR broke down the best of the best, selecting the top five looks from each major collection. Consider it your definitive guide to the runway. Plus, check out our complete Fall 2014 Fashion Week coverage.
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1
Giorgio Armani
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When he crafted Richard Gere's suits in American Gigolo, Giorgio Armani set the standard for men, and ultimately women. Testament to his tailoring prowess that nearly 35 years later, Gere still looks on point in that movie. And testament that 35 years later, Armani is still cutting terrific suits...and dressing nearly half of Hollywood.
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2
Giorgio Armani
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Fall was all about ladies in gray, and shades there of, injected with lime green. As usual, Armani always keeps things loose and easy—silhouettes that skim, don't cling—with gentle layers of the best Italian materials.
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3
Giorgio Armani
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His girls came out in their traditional pairs, some in muted leopard jackets, some in slate culottes and others in mohair coats. His furs came shaggy and over-sized or short and sporty.
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4
Giorgio Armani
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Sportiness was at play here, too, in the leather lace-up boots and even a contrasting stripe down the side of a pair of straight pants. But don't expect Armani to be literal. His clothes are for women who eschew anything that suggests trends.
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5
Giorgio Armani
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But what is on trend is the way women look like sultry, sophisticated women in his gowns. Pulling couture details from his atelier line, his evening wear—still a large part of his collection—emphasized long, fluid glamour.
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6
Stella Jean
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It's a nice thing to have Giorgio Armani's blessing and support. It's a big deal, actually. But Il Maestro was in fact Stella Jean's fairy godfather last season, offering the new Italian-Haitian designer not only his 550 seat Armani/Teatro for her show, but also the services of his communications team (one of the most efficient and powerful in the business, it also has the biggest contacts).
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7
Stella Jean
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The loveliness of Jean's vision is that she treats everything as an ethnic print, from African batiks to English checks to sporty American stripes. Her global viewpoint no doubt comes from having an Italian father, a Haitian mother and a former career as a model.
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8
Stella Jean
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These looks are not for the weak of spirit or personality. The prints are demonstrative, indeed. The fun is in how she pairs these over-the-top print clashes with modern or feminine silhouettes, like flared skirts, pussy bow blouses, men's-style shirts or pencil skirts.
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9
Stella Jean
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Jean loves an exaggerated silhouette—specifically skirts that flare to there—but she smartly tempered them, giving them a girlish appeal as opposed to a hoop skirt nostalgia. She layered in intarsia sweaters, chic coats (surprisingly tame until you caught a peek at the colorful linings) and mixes of wild prints done in lady-like dresses.
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10
Stella Jean
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The foreign press has embraced Jean in the last few months—in no short measure due to Mr. Armani, who continues to use his clout to help Milan's next generation of designers. But they have also picked up on her sense of fun and exuberance.
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11
MSGM
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Massimo Giorgetti loves the kaleidoscopic mix of colors and prints. And MSGM's fans do, too. They also appreciate that he takes high fashion ideas and filters them through a lower price point that still delivers quality.
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12
MSGM
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For fall, his metallic florals looked great grounded against a cool dark teal, allowing pink, purple and white to pop. His fur mittens were not a new idea, but are on trend at least weather-wise.
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13
MSGM
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Tailored jackets were over-sized and metallic, their matching pants straight and cropped. These were worn with fur mules or fur-strap stilettos. The mood here was glamour at ease—sweatshirts with floral lace patterns over straight sequined skirts, basic sweaters over others.
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14
MSGM
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The best look: A contrasting plaid suit and matching shirt worn with a pony coat. Chic. One of the best fur coats seen this season.
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15
MSGM
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There was a real push-pull between the shiny stuff and sturdier knits. Sometimes they were exclusively worn head-to-toe or mixed together. The most interesting moments was in the blending of those toe, like a pale pink shirt, gold lame pants and a terrific camel double-breasted coat anchored with sheared pink fur.
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16
Salvatore Ferragamo
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Massimiliano Giornetti is feeling easier with the language of Salvatore Ferragamo. Whereas in the past the new designer tried injecting an overt sexiness, it instead read as not Ferragamo. Which is not to say that "sex" and "Ferragamo" are mutually exclusive. They're not, as proven here. But at this heritage Italian brand, it's subtler, more luxurious and a little serious.
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17
Salvatore Ferragamo
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Giornetti favored the idea of tops versus skirts, a combo he exercised in chunky sweaters over pleated silk skirts, leather short-sleeved jackets over full skirts or slick mock-neck shirts that looked almost like armor over shimmering bottoms.
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18
Salvatore Ferragamo
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Funnel necks looked sleek and sophisticated here, seen best in a sleeveless coat that devolved from black into a muted animal, and worn by Joan Smalls. The subtle animal print was seen a handful of times in nipped waist dresses, body-skimming dresses and dramatic capes.
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19
Salvatore Ferragamo
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The capes looked especially good here, particularly when worn against black leather boots. It oozed Italian glamour.
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20
Salvatore Ferragamo
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One of the biggest trends of the season is turning out to be the mix of fur with other materials. At Ferragamo, it was played against feathers or nubby tweeds.
Nandini D'Souza Wolfe has been writing about fashion since she was a 22-year-old in wire-rim glasses, fleece vests and Doc Martens. Her look has evolved, but she still approaches the art, commerce and personalities of the fashion industry with the same excitement. She has been reviewing the runway collections for Bazaar since 2009, the same year she wrote Harper's Bazaar's book, 'Fabulous At Every Age', and helped launch its semi-annual Runway Report. Recently, Nandini edited Tory Burch's New York Times Bestselling book 'Tory Burch In Color' and served as the designer's Editorial Director. Prior to that, she was a senior editor at W Magazine and Women's Wear Daily. When not writing about fashion, she is usually playing tennis or Uno with her two children and husband.