How was the second digital Milan Fashion Week There was little exuberance, but the virtual format is not responsible

Today ends the second digital edition of the Milan Fashion Week (which actually lasted only five days), passed in relative silence, with a partly empty calendar lacking of the striking names of Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Versace, Marni and Giorgio Armani; partly still defended by champions such as Prada, Fendi, Sunnei, Ermenegildo Zegna, Etro, MSGM and Tod's. Without audiences, without collateral events and without the army of influencers, editors, buyers and photographers that usually animates the week, this edition appeared under the weather. The fashion that has paraded on screens and digital catwalks has been a sign of the times: very practical and pragmatic but not dreamy. Even the best collections (and there have been, both by great brands and by the "minor" designers) have had few flicks – with the most successful outcome that was undoubtedly that of Ermenegildo Zegna, able to redefine the paradigms of classic elegance by proposing a quietly revolutionary vision thanks to a not indifferent dose of technicality, a quality that has instead been scarce in many other collections. 

The big players

Lacking in this fashion week in addition to the live audience were the technicality and drama, the ability to imagine a special item, to take over the fabrics and recombine them to create beautiful, unconventional and precious garments. The difficulty of creating a collection these days should always be emphasized, with all the obstacles that anti-contagion restrictions put before creatives. It is also true that the times do not leave too much room for golden dreams, but with English and French designers debuting on the scene very young and practically already complete in everything (three random names, Maximillian Davis, Harris Reed and Charles De Vilmorin) it is difficult to understand how the Milanese imagination does not know how to take off as it should.