MFW: The City of Fashion

Before I dive into talking about my looks, I just want to say that everyone else was impeccably dressed in Milan! Even on the subway I spotted a random Italian woman who was dressed phenomenally, who was probably just on her way to run errands or meet friends. Milano fashion culture largely contrasts how we treat every day fashion in America, and I love that I was able to witness that first hand. The people of Milan were huge inspirations in my looks throughout my trip, and definitely for the future as well. It was evident that street style is written in the city’s DNA.

Visiting Milan was an opportunity for me to play around and experiment with my looks because of the embracing nature of the city when it comes to diverse fashion statements. I kept most of my outfits pretty tailored with a suit combo and focused on one accent color for monochrome looks (eg. Deep red leather skirt and deep red hoodie or the blue dress paired with the blue trench). I will say, when I pulled the scarf and hat combo again in this city, I had many more street style photographers asking to take my picture than in NY. However, what pleasantly surprised me were all the warm smiles from women on the street who seemed so genuinely happy to see me, as well as many strangers near the Duomo shopping area just pulling out their phones/cameras to take photos of me.

Normally I would feel uncomfortable in situations like this, and I did (haha) – because it wasn’t like I was being approached by someone first (which I typically enjoy) – but rather I would just catch them taking photos. I continued to just remind myself that this was a side effect of inspiring others, and if they weren’t inspired by my look, then at the very least they can see a Muslim woman as someone who carries her identity through characteristics such as her fashion sense and doesn’t sacrifice modesty to achieve that. OKURRR.

Check out more backstage details here

I was able to attend quite a few shows during my short stay in Milan fashion week, one of my best highlights was going backstage at Moschino with Essie where I observed the nail trends, watched Kia Gerber get ready and see the final stitches being made to Gigi Hadid’s dress! All of the details about it can be found in this blog post.  and the city present a lot of upcoming 2018 Fall trends we all need to give a try including sharp shoulder pads. The synopsis is a breakdown of pulling back our 80’s silhouettes from our closets and embracing everything oversized and boxy. The following photos are from the attendance of Moschino, Furla, Alberto Zambelli, and Francesca Libertore.

There were several consistent trends and motifs I saw being used throughout the different shows by these different designers, among them being:

• Neck scarves and big blanket scarves
• Headwear: sharp hats and scarves
• Strong shoulder silhouettes
• Bold oversized suits
• Puffer jacket style purses
• Modest neckline and hem lines
• Waist belts
• Accent flashes of high vibrant colors mixed with muted earth tones