By Marie-Louise Gumuchian
MILAN (Reuters) - Portuguese designer Alexandra Moura closed Milan Fashion Week on Monday with a tribute to her country's cod fishermen, presenting a spring collection for women and men inspired by the sea.
With the sound of seagulls as a backdrop, Moura unveiled designs that reflected the fishermen's work and lifestyle in the line called "Gadidae", the name given to the family of codfish.
Square (NYSE:SQ) jackets were matched to cargo shorts or cropped wide-leg trousers and, like dark-coloured dresses and skirts in the Spring/Summer 2020 collection, were adorned in pockets and zips giving a practical feel to the clothes.
Some dresses had small detachable pouches on them.
There were also anoraks in block colours and two-tone denim jacket and short combinations, and the odd gingham print.
Dresses came in floral tapestry-like prints, reminiscent of the carpets hanging outside fishermen's homes, show notes read, where the codfish, a Portuguese culinary speciality, usually dry out in the sun.
Other dresses were white and in lighter cotton and linen, with unfinished hems, or black and see-through. One see-through evening coat appeared as a lighter version of a nautical jacket.
"This collection is driven by the contrast between different fishing techniques and its people throughout the 20th century," the show notes read.
"Influences of working clothes' utilitarian details and the fishermen's everyday clothes counteract today's oversized fitting and sportswear clothes."
Moura used a colour palette of mainly cobalt and dark blue, black, orange, red and dark earthy tones. Footwear consisted of trainers that were given a worn feel, and one bag came fish-shaped.
Milan Fashion Week was the third leg of the month-long Spring/Summer 2020 womenswear catwalk calendar that began in New York and also includes London and Paris.
The six-day event, where the likes of Italian fashion power houses Prada, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Versace presented their latest designs on the runway, also included the Green Carpet Fashion Awards on Sunday night.
The awards are aimed at promoting environmental sustainability in the fashion industry, where an increasing number of brands are seeking to improve their green credentials amid more ecologically aware consumers.
Winners included veteran Italian designer Valentino Garavani, 87, who was given the Legacy Award while British designer Stella McCartney, who is known for her animal-friendly fashion ethics, received the Groundbreaker Award.
Fashionistas now head to Paris, the last stop for this season.