Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010

Growing up in a family of stylish Italian women, I learned early on the importance of fare la bella figura, or cutting a fine figure. The power of neutrals, the magic of good tailoring, appreciation for a fine leather bag — all are style secrets that make Italian women some of the best-dressed in the world. This week, the Italian obsession with fare la bella figura is on display during Milano Moda Donna, also known as Milan Fashion Week. Since my travels have taken me to Italy on a family visit, I couldn’t resist taking a peek.

Milano Moda celebrates the greats of Italian fashion, whose names require no introduction: Gucci, Armani, Fendi, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana … the list goes on. But the Camera Nazionale della Moda, the organization behind the event, also places great emphasis on showcasing the next generation of Italian designers. The week is filled with opportunities for new faces to showcase their work, including these:

Dolce & Gabbana show – Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010

• The Fashion Incubator Project, created with the aim of fostering the development of small independent fashion firms, held a special collective show on September 23. Now in its third edition, the show featured the designs of A-lab Milano, Cristiano Burani, Cristina Miraldi, Mauro Gasperi, and Paolo Errico.

• N-U-DE (New Upcoming Designers) offered select young designers the chance to present their collections on September 24. This year’s exhibition showcased the work of two designers, Chicca Lualdi (BeeQueen) and Gilda Giambra.

• N-U-DE is also global in scope, allowing established designers from developing countries to showcase their work on the international stage. Labels from Pakistan, Colombia, Russia, and India will show their stuff on September 30.

Milano Moda’s sponsors also got in on the action. At Milano Moda’s headquarters on Via Gattamelata, the Temporary Atelier by Lectra is showcasing a different Fashion Incubator brand each day; the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Club is hosting new collections from previous winners; and Canon held an exhibition of eyewear specially designed by six of the designers.

With so much new talent to discover, it’s shaping up to be quite a busy week. Luckily, I have the background to fare la bella figura and embrace it.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christophe Simon/AFP/Getty Images, Venturelli/WireImage