Are you seeing double? Twinning outfits not a fashion faux pas in Milan


By AGENCY

Japanese musicians Aya and Ami, known collectively as Amiaya, took it to the next level as only twins can with matching outfits. Photo: AFP

There were more than 50 runway presentations on the women's Autumn/Winter 2024 calendar at Milan Fashion Week. From Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana to Gucci and Versace, these shows drew guests from all over the world but many of them ended up looking near identical.

At Fendi, two guests from Dubai stood toe-to-toe chatting and wearing the exact same animal print lace-up boots.

Meanwhile, the colour-block print shirt adorned with the Fendi logo that 29-year-old Fatma Husam sported was the one chosen by multiple other women.

Did that bother her?

"It's completely normal," Husam said. "Because after all, how many clothes do these brands make anyway?"

Her friend, Deema Alasadi, 35, agreed.

"At a party I would be a bit busted, but at a fashion week it's totally normal."

Read more: Milan Fashion Week set to fire up runways despite cautious outlook for luxury

Japanese musicians Aya and Ami, known collectively as Amiaya, took it to the next level as only twins can with matching cherry red bob hairstyles and identical high black Fendi boots with gold heels.

At Roberto Cavalli, a blonde woman in a long flowy gown printed with lemons from designer Fausto Puglisi's 2024 Resort collection smiled coyly for the cameras.

Nearby, another guest pouted and posed in a bodysuit sewn of cheetah fabric – a mainstay of the brand – that left little to the imagination.

But those not the only lemons and animal prints in the room.

'Herd instinct'

Luxury brands personally dress the A-list celebrities who attend their fashion shows in up-to-the-minute looks – such as the all-black-clad Uma Thurman and Sharon Stone at Tom Ford – making sure not to duplicate looks in the front rows.

But influencers – who are sometimes sent the most coveted "it" items by the labels – and other guests are left to rummage through their own closets, making duplications from past seasons inevitable.

But the devil is in the details, said Husam at the Fendi show.

"Everyone may be wearing the same pieces, but styling them differently," she said.

Copycat looks are most obvious when it comes to brands with in-your-face logos, such as Gucci and Versace, but harder to detect with those taking a subtler approach, such as Prada and Armani.

Read more: London Fashion Week runways celebrate multiculturalism and urban life

It is common among fashion editors who attend shows, said Godfrey Deeny, global editor-in-chief of FashionNetwork.com.

"If you're an editor you're always looking for the new, but you also have a herd instinct that you want everyone to know you know what the new thing is," he said.

"So you collectively all wear the same clothes."

Many in the industry take comfort, he said, in knowing that "when you go, you'll all be wearing the same absurd sneaker".

Of course when it comes to the brand's employees, security guards and ushers at fashion shows, it is standard to wear the same thing: black. – AFP

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In Style

Michelle Yeoh and stars of 'Wicked' bring fashion A-game to film's premieres
Resourceful fashion designers are turning old car parts into new products
Elegant gowns with a focus on romance seen at New York Bridal Fashion Week
How T-shirts, caps and sneakers are part of Elon Musk and Donald Trump's empire
A look at how Vatican thriller film 'Conclave' is also about clothes
'She designs with simplicity': The woman who dressed Grace Kelly, Judy Garland
Fashion designer Aaron Levine dressed America, now he wants to dress you
Want a look where you can totally go wild? Check out the Harajuku style
Style Watch: Malaysian artiste Claudia Tan just wants to have fun with fashion
Flashy clothes, baggy jeans, chunky shoes: Fashion is enamoured with the Y2K era

Others Also Read