Art meets craft at Tod's Milan runway show touting 'Artisanal Intelligence'

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MILAN (AP) — Tod’s showcased its “Artisanal Intelligence” behind the latest womenswear collection for next fall and winter at the Gallery of Modern Art during Milan Fashion Week on Friday.

At the entrance, Italian model Carla Bruni was swathed in a leather dress crafted from strips of scrap leather, a living installation that paid tribute to Tod’s craftsmanship. Nearby, artisans hand-stitched the brand’s trademark Gommino car shoes in a living display of craftwork.

“Machines will never replace the hands of artisans,’’ brand founder Diego della Valle told reporters before the show.

Outerwear prevailed at the creative director Matteo Tamburini’s third runway collection, featuring tailored leather trenches, intarsia shearling furs and cozy, woolen pea coats. Knitwear alternatively hugged the body over asymmetrical leather skirts, or was belted over sheer skirts. Blouses with broad shoulders meant business, paired with neat trousers.

Tamburini said he studied artists’ surface treatments to produce the pieces, mimicking their strokes with brushed alpaca wool, combed jacquard and patchwork leather.

Actor Keira Knightley was a front-row guest.