(by Elisa Cecchi) A 17th century map of love, shine, sheer and in-house signatures were key ingredients of the aesthetic anarchy reigning at the Gucci spring-summer 2016 show in Milan on Wednesday.
Even before the show started, Gucci's guests at the Scalo Farini former train station were buzzing about the invite, a hand-made star-studded pink envelope hinting at the clothes to come - Alessandro Michele's second women's wear collection since stepping in as creative director earlier this year.
The vision embraced by Michele was an aesthetic grand tour across inspirations encompassing 600 years.
From the Tudors to French philosopher Madeleine de Scudéry, who conceived a Carte de Tendre, a 1654 map depicting an imaginary land of love and tenderness, the 42-year-old designer moved on to flowers and the glitz of 1970s rock stars, with plenty of references to Gucci staples in the mix.
The different mood of quotations served to highlight the idea of a woman who dresses differently from everyone else - mixing innocence and mischievousness, 18th-century tapestries with Jamaican parrots to achieve her own brand of individuality.
Such anarchic elegance stems from ''the eccentric idea that everything goes'', Michele said.
In just two seasons, the designer has become the unofficial leader of gender-bending fashion with a sharp shift toward androgyny.
But in his spring-summer lineup, he used a mash-up of references to translate a tender vision of femininity into fashion jargon.
''Tenderness, a word not much in vogue, has never had the value it has today and it belongs to women'', he said.
And tenderness oozed from the transparency of tulle dresses and the ruffles flouncing on gowns or trouser hemlines.
Indeed the ruffles and pleats that played such a key part in the deliberately ambiguous outfits of his fall-winter collection remained key players, without the gender duality but no fewer intellectual innuendos.
There were repeated echoes of the house's signature aesthetic, including the show's first look - a green lace zip-front dress with Gucci's forest green and red trim at the waist.
Yet shine and sequins were also a major storyline on the catwalk, with some of the standout looks forging trompe l'oeil ruffles and sequined bows.
Mixing and matching different moods, Michele sent down the catwalk clashing prints including a snake at the back of a sheer black floor-length dress and a toucan flying from the back of another gown.
There were bon ton Gucci-branded scarf prints and sheer outfits with plenty of sexual innuendos - like transparent shirtdresses with satin collars.
And amid this intellectual ode to feminine eccentricity were the bestselling accessories that have become a must for fashion followers - the fur-lined loafers and double platform T-straps, as well as the classic Dionysus bag this season featuring rhinestone lips and lighting bolts.
And multiple quotations also reigned in Stella Jean's spring-summer collection as the designer who has turned multi-ethnicity into a hot fashion commodity used migration as inspiration.
The collection of the Italian-Haitian designer focused on Italy's history as a country of emigration towards the Americas and northern Europe over past centuries, along with the flight of Italian youth abroad in search of a better future.
And her trip down memory lane embraced the idea of travels - with plenty of bathing suits, notably 1950s-style bikinis - while playing along her signature aesthetic merging bold-colored exoticism with Italian craftsmanship, classic tailoring infused with ethnic vibes.
The 35-year-old designer, who made her Milan fashion show debut just two years ago with Giorgio Armani as a supporter, called upon Peruvian traditional costume, combining it with a cowboy theme.
She designed Peruvian-style striped jackets over layered skirts, jackets with an American West inspiration, cowboy shirts and dresses with hand-painted patterns from the Andes.
As always, the tribal accents were toned down by the refined tailoring, the fabrics came from Burkina Faso and Ethiopia and the craftsmanship was all-Italian - in an aesthetic as well as a cultural dialogue.
Jean played with colorful prints and tassels as well as accessories - earcuffs with frogs ready for a leap - charting Italian migrant identity with an exuberant and sunny spirit.
At Alberta Ferretti, travelling took another twist with a desert theme wafting through a folksy, feminine lineup.
Fashion's endearment for boho lace dresses resonated across Ferretti's collection, though it took a sporty note with explorer-style backpacks donned over a delicate lace dress with lace panels in burnt shades mixed with black and white.
Suede panels of patchwork were a recurring theme, along with shift tunics, shirt dresses and boho 1970s waistcoats.
Ferretti's iconic draped gowns - a fixture of Hollywood red carpets - were heavily embroidered with leaves and butterfly wings or featured torn chiffon for a more 'undone' take on Ferretti's romantic storyline.
And the utilitarian theme of accessories provided the element of surprise to this tale of romance in the desert dunes.
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