Milan catwalks pay fitting tribute to David Bowie’s influence on fashion
Designers including Ennio Capasa and Peter Dundas salute the Starman’s influence on culture at Milan Fashion Week menswear shows
Designers in Milan paid tribute to music and fashion icon David Bowie as Milan Fashion Week menswear previews for next autumn and winter continued.
Costume National designer Ennio Capasa and Roberto Cavalli’s Peter Dundas both said that the musician had often been a font of inspiration, something apparent in their collections, which were previewing just a week after Bowie’s death.
Capasa named his Milan show after Bowie song “Under Pressure” for the state of the world amid repeated violent attacks and for the condition of a fashion industry being consumed by fast fashion.
The collection featured feminine touches for men that embodied early Bowie, from silken scarves tied loosely below the neck to concentric silver beading on jackets and deep scoop necklines on soft velour tops. Yet at the same time, Capasa underlined the converse, the adaptability of men’s fashion for women. A red, velvety three-piece suit was worn in turn by both a male, then a female, model. Booties finished all the looks.
Under pressure
Capasa said breaking gender barriers is an idea that drew him into fashion in the 1990s “and I think it is coming back”.
