Dhruv Kapoor RTW Fall 2023

The frescoed 18th-century Tiepolo Room at Palazzo Clerici was an unlikely choice for Indian designer Dhruv Kapoor to unveil his post-streetwear garb — his toying with tailoring, workwear and pop references turning out as an offbeat blend.

Backstage he described the fall coed collection (after some tests and tries he has settled on the combined format in January and September) as a play on softness and ruggedness, much to the detriment of the latter, likening the contrasts in the lineup to the different traits in one’s personality.

Trading the runway for a blend of soundscapes, orchestra music and hip-hop, models sported ripped denim ensembles cut loose and sportswear tracksuits. They mingled with sharp tailoring boasting squarish blazers played against flared and elongated bottoms in solids, bearing violet brushstrokes, or dotted with dangling crystals, all paired with Marsèll footwear and Huma eyewear.

Roomy sartorial pants were layered under pleated overskirts for men and women alike, hitting a trend that was seen elsewhere this Milan season. A violet version was matched with a skin-tight lacy underpinning and a printed shirt.

A closer look at it would reveal it’s part of a see-now-buy-now capsule collection developed with the Godzilla franchise — quite appealing for fans of Kapoor’s pop-tinged garb in Japan or the U.S, his strongest markets.

“Godzilla has a very negative, monstrous thing attached to it, it was about spinning that [side] around and accepting that version, as well,” the designer said backstage.