Scoops from the Milan Shows
As celebrity fans become more and more de rigeur, Italian designers are catering to the likes of Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue. Beyoncé, in particular, seemed to be making the rounds among Italian footwear designers during the Milan collections, picking out styles for her new album cover and tour. At Casadei, she chose a multicolored Swarovski ankle-strap sandal from the Atelier Collection, which designer Cesare Casadei said referenced 1980s opulence. He stressed that made-in-Italy craftsmanship is especially evident in the style, as it takes one person several days to mount and sew the 800 large Swarovski Elements crystals onto the straps. At Giuseppe Zanotti, Beyoncé was also one of the first to see the new handbag collection, which includes a structured envelope clutch called the Brighton that will be exclusive to the designer’s boutiques, among them the new Beverly Hills, Calif., location bowing in November to cater to his growing celebrity clientele. Beyoncé’s choice was the mosaic mirrored Brighton, along with several styles from the spring footwear collection, which Zanotti described as “much lighter with fewer platforms, and more about allure than over-the-top sexiness.”
