Piazza Sempione staged its Spring presentation in one of the lavishly stuccoed historic palazzos Milan seems to have an endless supply of. In one if its sumptuous salons, an exhibit paid homage to the location from which the label took its name, the actual Piazza Sempione, a vast square in the city overlooked by the Arco della Pace, a monumental arch completed in 1838. Four young, talented Italian female photographers (Rosi Di Stefano, Claudia Pasanisi, Stefania Paparelli, and Valentina Sommariva) were entrusted to give their interpretations of the Spring collection in a series of pictures staged in the piazza, which were displayed not on the salon’s damask-wallpapered walls but in a flat, concentric, piazza-like formation on its floor.
The collection was true to Piazza Sempione’s style of easy, breezy pieces for the everyday, which could be the unfussy, practical foundation of even the trendiest woman’s wardrobe, designed as they are with clean, modern, timeless lines. As unobtrusive as they could seem at first glance, they actually revealed subtle, smart details that gave every item—a tailored linen peacoat, a perfectly cut masculine striped shirt in the crispest poplin, a sleek shirtdress printed in a floral abstract pattern—a discreet individuality.
Piazza Sempione’s style is quintessentially Milanese in its restraint, yet the collection was devoid of any severity and actually had a fresh, relaxed vibe. A long skirt in printed cotton with black-and-white floral motifs paired with a matching ruffled shirt could be picture-perfect for a weekend spent in Portofino, the go-to destination of chic Milanese families, as could a pair of well-cut capri pants in deep-dyed cotton in shades of pale yellow and ivory, worn with a matching boxy shirt. They could look good on a young girl-about-town having aperitivo in the famous Piazzetta with her posse of well-heeled friends, but also on her mother, relaxing after a day spent at sea, sailing on the family’s boat. Piazza Sempione’s collection had an inclusive, effortless flair; we can predict that it’ll fly off the shelves with equal effortlessness.
