The fashion world is currently in the midst of something of a showdown. Literally. This is the biggest scandal to hit Fashion Land since Carine Roitfeld’s derriere nearly hit the floor when a front row bench collapsed in Paris.
Last week the Italian Chamber of Fashion announced plans for Milan Fashion Weekto completely overlap the scheduled dates for the London Spring/Summer 2013 shows next September. The Camera Nazionale della Moda (Italy’s fashion body) claim the old catwalk schedule does not allow Italian designers enough time to get clothes into production for delivery to stores. However by extending the Milan dates to swallow up London and one day of New York, the Italian body “contravene the fashion week dates agreement of September 2008" according to the British Fashion Council.
Understandably, this move by the Italians has ruffled a few feathers, and we don’t mean the ones on Anna Dello Russo’s latest head piece. Head of New York’s CDFA Diane von Furstenburg has expressed her disapproval, stating that New York will not start its shows earlier. Similarly, British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman said "It is unacceptable for any of the four fashion cities to make date changes without collaborating fully with all the other territories.” The official line came from heavyweight contenders The British Fashion Council, who stated that they were greatly disappointed that the Italian body “will continue to break the dates agreement,” and while “no one would agree that this is in anyway an ideal situation but we continue to receive incredible support from…international media and retailers to retain the existing agreement.” In short, if it ain’t broke...
You’d think that these statements would make Milan rethink their stance – the fashion industry is extremely symbiotic and this decision upsets the balance of an otherwise straightforward Fashion Month schedule. From the outset, their decision is either self-important or foolish; does Milan think that their shows are so important that all other fashion cities will be abandoned? Milan is known for its traditional, glamorous aesthetic rather than groundbreaking innovation. For that, editors turn to London Fashion Week, which reigns supreme with the most interesting, creative shows of them all – just see Meadham Kirchoff, Christopher Kane and Topshop Unique, for evidence. We can only guess that this move by the Italian body is an attempt to stir up controversy (and coverage) for the shows in Milan, which are otherwise *gasp* not that exciting...
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