Why designers are soft launching looks at Venice Film Festival

There’s nothing fashion crowds love more than a little tease. A drawn out runway rollout, an ongoing rumour mill about which designer is set to helm the next house – something that will fuel the fashion news cycle and have us all frothing at the mouth. This month, Venice Film Festival satiated us in that regard, as the red carpet became a place for creative directors to soft launch collections and give us a glimpse of what we’ll see at Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks.

Ambassadors and rumoured new muses were out in full force. First up, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher glided down the red carpet in a Dior haute couture dress – the first couture look from Anderson since his Dior appointment in June – before the premiere of Jay Kelly. Sweeping, with hip pads jutting from the side and outwards, the navy gown – apparently, the product of 126 hours’ work – was a small taste of Anderson’s current thinking and vision for couture.

However, it was Past Lives star Greta Lee’s green organza mini bubble dress, coupled with a bow (there was also a bow affixed to the custom dress Anderson made for Mia Goth) that really shook things up. The bow and cummerbund-esque hemline felt fresh; the billowy silhouette and use of masculine tailoring another reminder of Anderson’s affinity for subversive, playful craftsmanship. For fashion commentator and stylist Kim Russell, thrusting debut looks into the limelight at a film festival as popular as Venice allows for whimsy away from the runway. ​“It’s a fun way to dabble in pop culture and the film space.”

Since Donatella Versace relinquished her Chief Officer position at Versace in March, we’ve seen little of what successor Dario Vitale has in store for the legacy house – until Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried decided to share wardrobes last week. Julia’s After The Hunt Venice premiere ensemble was Dario’s first womenswear look. It was a far cry from Donatella’s final runway offering and simply consisted of a pair of jeans, a striped shirt, blazer and woven leather heels. But a simple IG comment changed everything: ​“Please let me wear the same outfit” wrote Amanda on Elisabeth Stewart’s page (she styles both women). 48 hours later, Amanda’s wish was granted, and she thanked Julia for her ​“generosity” and ​“sustainability”. Whether an impulse stunt based around wardrobe envy or a genius marketing strategy, it was a ​“rare moment to see celebs be normal people and exist as friends,” adds Kim.

According to editor Jeanie Annan-Lewin, Venice being the global stage for creative director debuts is very simple fashion maths: ​“It’s about getting there first,” she says. ​“There’s going to be so much noise ahead of September shows. It’s a worldwide runway without the noise – you can control the narrative. There’s selective people there and you’re seeing specific products.” Jeanie agrees that Versace’s twinning moment ​“taps into exclusivity while fueling conversation”. Sure, the films are one thing, but using spectacle to create instant fashion currency is priceless.

Ayo Edebiri wore custom Chanel (rumoured to be a prelude to Matthieu Blazy’s tenure at the house) which paid homage to its archive, while Bottega Veneta announced Vicky Krieps as its latest ambassador ahead of Louise Trotter’s debut show later this month. And, of course, Frankenstein star and Bottega ambassador Jacob Elordi was clad in Trotter-era garments comprising sharp tailoring and diaphanous silhouettes.

Is all this soft launching a good or bad thing? The Washington Post​’s fashion critic Rachel Seville Tashjian Wise, a self-professed lover of all things ​“tease-worthy”, isn’t floored by all the debuts. ​“I like the idea of a cinematic buildup to a debut show. I like when designers utilise the confluence of celebrity and outrageous or beautiful design,” she says. ​“But I wish what we were seeing was a bit more exciting.”

With what is essentially fashion’s Super Bowl kicking off in a few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how these early glimpses of fashion’s next chapter translate across the runways. Watch this space…