The 5 best Easter Eggs seen on the catwalk in recent years

Beyond the appearances of luxury and the construction of clothes, fashion is a system of constructing meanings. These meanings can change depending on the designer, but more importantly, within a collection, a designer can insert hidden details, surprises, and references that are only noticed by taking a second and deeper look. Today, the fashion world is perhaps less subtle than in the 90s - nevertheless, we thought we'd collect the best Easter Eggs seen in the fashion shows of the last five years to show how often, behind a simple dress or accessory, they can hide unthinkable inspirations and references.

1 – I jeans illusionistici di Bottega Veneta

The first Easter Egg is also the most recent. At the opening of Bottega Veneta's FW22 show, the one that marked the debut of Matthieu Blazy's creative direction, an unusual look appeared, which included a tank top and a pair of jeans. It's clearly unusual to open one's tenure with such a look - and in fact, the look wasn't simple: both pieces (jeans buttons included) were made of nubuck, cleverly crafted to resemble ribbed cotton and denim, respectively. The idea was to put into practice in the most direct way possible the "quiet power" of the brand, as defined by Matthieu Blazy, and thus demonstrate that with the right technique even a humble tank top and a pair of jeans can become a luxury item.

2 – The reference to Vogue behind the set of Miu Miu 

Miu Miu's microtop and microskirt set seen during the brand's SS22 show in Paris last fall is perhaps the look of the year and has enjoyed worldwide acclaim. And although legends already exist about Miuccia personally cutting skirts and sweaters backstage, the real hidden gem behind the look is the reference to a famous Vogue Italia editorial shot in 2010 by Steven Meisel and styled by Karl Templer called Shrink to Fit starring Amber Valletta, Lara Stone, Abbey Lee Kershaw and Freja Beha Erichsen. In this editorial, models wore cropped and raw-hem versions of formal dresses - an editorial that talked about the micro-skirt trend typical of those years that Miuccia Prada and Lotta Volkova turned into a rebel uniform for Miu Miu's show, also mentioning the famous raw hems that appeared during Prada's SS15 show.

3 – The aesthetics of Gio Ponti according to Dolce & Gabbana 

For their SS21 collection, presented through the phygital format in the summer of pandemic, Dolce & Gabbana looked, rather than to their Sicily, to the coast of Sorrento and one of its architectural gems: Gio Ponti's Hotel Parco dei Principi. Built in 1962 by Gio Ponti from a pre-existing 18th century structure, the hotel is one of the symbols of Sorrento but also a symbol of the Mediterranean lifestyle that attracted the jet-set of the time to the Amalfi Coast. For the collection, the two designers transformed the ceramic decorative motifs that dominate the hotel's interior into graphics that were then applied to silk sarongs, patchwork jeans and shirts.

4 – The Titanic necklace in SS20 collection by Vetements

Vetements' SS20 collection was perhaps one of the high points of Demna Gvasalia's career. Held inside the Champ-Elysèes McDonald's, with show notes printed on napkins and an overabundance and remixing of symbolic logos of capitalist culture such as those of PlayStation, Heineken or Internet Explorer, the show was a concentration of references and quotes. Among the tiger-shaped plush bags, the flip-flop models, the fake police badges, a beautiful detail arrived in the look 49, in the form of a blue heart-shaped necklace that was a perfect replica of the Heart of the Ocean, the precious necklace at the center of the plot of Titanic from which, by the way, the jewel took its name: in the sites where it is still on sale its name is in fact Titanic Necklace. The reference seems to be rather to a pop moment that saw the protagonist Celine Dion during the Oscars in 1998, in which the jewel of the film was worn on the red carpet by the singer and again, always by her, in 2010.

5 – iPhone cables are hair ties for Balenciaga

Also to Demna belongs the last mention of this list. Balenciaga's FW20 show was definitely something substantial: the catwalk was flooded, apocalyptic footage of storm clouds and hurricanes was projected on the roof, music blasted from the sound system. And that's why some people missed a strange detail that, from the frontal photos of the looks, wasn't even noticeable: the models' hair was held together by an elastic band that was shaped like an iPhone charger. Demna's allusions to Apple didn't stop with this collection but continued with Balenciaga's latest FW22, whose invitations were used iPhones and in which the Apple logo appeared (faked) on some of the looks.