There have been lots of anniversaries in Milan this season. Trussardi turned 100. Gucci is celebrating its 90th. At 20, Piazza Sempione is still a baby by comparison, but it's a big enough deal for the company to want to do something special. That something special took the form of a capsule collection by Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, late of Gianfranco Ferré. It was announced at the presentation that they'll be staying on as the house's permanent designers.
What that means for the brand is a more streamlined, architectural kind of clothing. Aquilano and Rimondi aren't minimalists, per se: There was a head-to-toe scribbled floral print here, as well as iridescent paillettes embroidered on T-shirts and skirts. But their silhouettes for Spring do have the spare, almost squared-off lines made popular by Phoebe Philo at Celine—see the boxy leather tee worn with a pleated skirt. Crisp button-downs formed the basis of the collection, not just as shirts, but also as shirtdresses. Sometimes the shirttails extended below the hems of culottes. That last idea was too avant for Piazza Sempione, but some of the rest has the potential to click with women shopping for clean, well-tailored clothes.
