MFW
Dara Reviews Tod’s “Fierce and Clean” SS23 Collection
For Tod’s SS23 “ITALIAN FLAIR” collection, creative director Walter Chiapponi found inspiration in the brand’s local heritage. Iconic and essential pieces from the house—leather goods, moccasins, and structured jackets—were reimagined in python, nude, and powder pink. Some of the subdued looks were paired with accessories in contrasting pops of yellow, red, and purple (hello bubble ballerina flat!). Post show, we caught up with our fashion director Dara to talk about her favorite looks from the collection, and what it feels like to see Carla Bruni and Naomi Campbell slay the runway for the first time.
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DARA: Hey girl.
ERNESTO MACIAS: Hello.
DARA: Oh my god.
MACIAS: This is Ernesto from Interview, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. I’m very excited to talk to you today.
DARA: Hi Ernesto from Interview. I’m just a regular Tim Blanks reviewer of shows, you know, a Cathy Horyn of sorts, if you will.
MACIAS: Okay, so where are you?
DARA: I am in my hotel room. I’m taking a much-needed break from the madness and the mayhem of Milan.
MACIAS: How would you describe your Milan Fashion Week schedule up to now?
DARA: Nonstop. Exhausting. Fierce.
MACIAS: What’s in your system?
DARA: A banana, an apple, and phlegm. I’m giving you realness Ernesto.
MACIAS: Yes, you’re giving me the third fashion week of the season exhaustion and that’s what it is.
DARA: Period.
MACIAS: What show were you at just now?
DARA: I was at Tod’s SS23. It was giving airport hangar on the outskirts of the city, I don’t know where we were.
MACIAS: Can you describe the environment of the show?
DARA: Well, there were sculptures, it was like an installation by the artist Anselm Kiefer. The artist and photographer Shikeith told me that. It was giving Leaning Tower of Pisa dystopian structure situation. Orange circular lights were weaving through the space. It was pretty fabulous. I immediately went backstage to bother all of the models.
MACIAS: How would you describe the collection overall?
DARA: Looking at it now, the collection was clean, sophisticated, and easy.
MACIAS: Who opened and closed the show?
DARA: Oh bitch. Carla Bruni opened and Naomi Campbell closed. I saw their names backstage and I was like, “I am ready.” It was really fierce seeing them pump that huge runway.
MACIAS: Who had a better walk?
DARA: Oh the shade of it all. I am not gonna answer that.
[CALL DROPS]
DARA: Not “Never Gonna Give You Up” as the waiting room music. That is so crazy. You just Rick Rolled me during the call.
MACIAS: You were saved by Rick Roll. What was your favorite look?
DARA: There was this cute little purple ballet flat that was eating me all up. I’m really into like an unnecessary purple accessory right now. Not purple as a look—not a purple coat, not a purple jacket, not purple pants, but, like, a purple shoe or purple bag. That’s fierce. It was look nine. It had a purple ballet flat and there was a white leather coat. I thought that was very chic. There were cute little pencil skirts. There are a lot of good things to wear. A lot of wearable, chic, and easy pieces that I like.
MACIAS: I feel like the collection was very Dara.
DARA: It was giving a bit of @daraism but you know, clean, easy colors. Not in a severe palette of all black. [Laughs]
MACIAS: Did you see any trade in the audience?
DARA: No. They were all on the runway.
MACIAS: What has been your highlight of this fashion week so far?
DARA: The highlight of Milan Fashion Week was going backstage at Tod’s and hanging out with all of my divas, my gays, and my girls. They were all really fun to kiki wit with backstage. I was up in there with Leon and we were just terrorizing the dolls.
MACIAS: And what are you up to for the rest of the day?
DARA: You know I just left Gucci and now Versace.
MACIAS: Insert Daphne Groeneveld GIF here.
DARA: No, but literally. That is what I’m doing, I can’t take it. That is literally me, I love it.
MACIAS: What is your big fashion week beauty secret?
DARA: Sunglasses.
MACIAS: Are you going to any after parties?
DARA: Hell no. I gotta sleep, girl. Here’s what: before everything started, I went to our party in New York and it put me back five years. I have no energy for anything else because that party was just too fast and too good. I’m here sick and coughing because of it. No other parties are worth going to now.