I find it incredibly inspiring that one city can harvest so much creativity. When I arrived in Milan this season I was so excited to be on the ground for my second Milan Fashion Week… Bellissimo! Milan is a city that evolves before you, not obviously beautiful from the onset, but forever unfolding hidden layers of unexpected beauty, the more that you get to know her, the more you come to love.
It’s the attention to detail that the Italian’s are so good at, from the elegantly decorated spires of the Duomo di Milano to the intricately laced pastries of Pasticceria Marchesi, and the hand-stitched meticulously detailed embroidery of a Fendi Haute Couture gown. There is an element of distinct thoughtfulness in every element of design.. and for this reason (and perhaps the aforementioned pastries) I love to travel to this magical City.
And so within the blink of an eye, I was back in the Italiano big smoke, with a schedule as long as your Bottega biker boots, and enough suitcases to call this City home, until Spring Summer 2020! Straight into the sartorial scramble of appointments and shows, showroom visits + espresso (of course!), evening meetings polished off with gateaux if you’re catching the drift then you’ll know .. that there’s a lot of to-and-fros, and this is all without even taking into consideration a quick unpack, shower and go…
Yet in the midst of all the madness, I’m pleasantly transported to a place of comfort and calm, in my trusty wheels for the week… the Maserati Quattroporte. The buttery soft leather seats are like my Ferragamo coat, the delicate stitching not dissimilar to a Valentino gown, and the cool and classic lines are like my Saint Laurent suit, it’s no wonder that our schedule was so busy … the perfect excuse to make the most of all this Maserati has to offer, after all, travelling in style is the best way to design your time.
As the week drew to a close, someone asked me about my favourite design moments were from the week, a tough question to answer when walking through the worlds fashion capital during the most important sartorial date on the calendar. As we chatted through our collection and show highlights from the week that was, I spotted my very sleek ride drive around the corner and offered her a lift to her next destination, her face said it all and she was already in the indoor before she answered. While it might be hard to settle on a singular favourite design moment from MFW 2020, I can confidently answer that my favourite Italian design will always come in the Maserati variety.