After seasons of relative calm and predictability (some might say stultifying sameness), Milan has become the city to watch, with the two debuts of the season. First up: Sabato De Sarno at Gucci. Then there’s Peter Hawkings, another longtime deputy, who became the creative director of Tom Ford in April after the brand was sold to Estée Lauder and Mr. Ford stepped down. Mr. Hawkings worked beside Mr. Ford for decades, and judging by his official portrait, is very much in the mold of his mentor (down to the tinted aviators). The result is pretty much guaranteed to remind of us what we lost when we lost the very talented Mr. Moschino at only 44 in 1994 and why brand founders really matter.

---

Persons: Sabato De Sarno, Gucci, Valentino, Alessandro Michele, Peter Hawkings, Tom Ford, Estée Lauder, Ford, Hawkings, Jeremy Scott, — Katie Grand, Carlyne Cerf, Dudzeele, Gabriella Karefa, Johnson, Lucia Liu —, Moschino Organizations: Mr Locations: Milan