For the past few weeks the fashion world has been buzzing about menswear, with London and Milan done, and Paris Fashion Week ending today, the excitement has been yet another example of the rise of menswear. I think its no coincidence that its rise has been concurrent with the growing interest in and influence of street style. There is no shortage of photos of Italian men striding across cobbled streets, cigarettes precariously dangling from their lips, a flash of melton from an upturned collar, trousers turned up just-so, and no doubt some luxurious loafer or brogue donning their pavement-pounding feet. Its a testament to Italian style, and how European men (even more than European women) have that, to use a French phrase, 'je ne sais quoi'. Style is no doubt an attitude, something which Italian men have plenty of, and this combined with the Italian skill in and appreciation of tailoring, is what makes Milan Fashion Week so exciting. You can see all the menswear shows so far here, or take a look below for some of my picks from Milan.
John Varvatos cited Bowie as an inspiration this season, but his intent to add an elegance to the way men dress next spring made the fedoras and pinstripes more 1930's than 1970's. Varvatos' experimentation was focused on jacket closures this season, in asymmetry with various shapes and numbers of buttons- something that demonstrates how menswear is shaped by subtleties. Despite the focus on tailoring, loose trousers gave a relaxed vibe, and the abundance of accessories was characterful as opposed to pretentious. With a palette of black, white, khaki and grey with accents of red, it was a collection of reinvented classics that I'm sure many girls would love to borrow from their boys.
Giorgio Armani entitled his spring collection 'Sportsmanship'- perhaps a little surprising for a man known for his tailoring, yet at the same time apt for a designer renowned for having softened the male silhouette. Models looked at ease striding in trousers that were loose and baggy- a trend seen across many catwalks this season, something I can't say I welcome. However the jersey blazers, linen tailoring and easy knits and tees were a wonderful lesson in leisure dressing, and encapsulated the ease of Italian style. The pyjama-style lapelled shirts were the stand-out pieces for me- elegant yet easy-to-wear, which must surely be the perfect combination.
I'm usually not one for an abundance of colour, but this season Salvatore Ferragamo managed to make an overdose of brights irresistible. Designer Massimiliano Giornetti described the shades as 'vitamins' and one can almost feel the goodness as they look through the collection. Inspired by chilled out LA, the show featured every colour, from mint with primrose yellow, to cobalt paired with neon orange. Sneakers were worn with every look, a trend also seen at Valentino and countless other shows. Prints and zany knits that may otherwise have been almost frightening blended seamlessly into the collection- a lesson to be learned for those wanting to wear more colour. In contrast the final look was a perfectly tailored stark white suit, with just a flash of blue from the sneaker sole- perhaps a more wearable but no less tantalising taste of colour.
Another label assaulting the senses with all the shades of the rainbow was the tongue-in-cheek Moschino. Taking place in its source of inspiration, the collection was modelled through supermarket aisles, with Budweiser logos and detergent labels emblazoning sporty polo-shirts and tailored shorts, with Pop-Art prints that brought Warhol's Campbell soup prints to mind. From the 1960's to boating in the 1950's (perhaps not an intentional reference from the designer)- the collection also offered relaxed chinos in striped pastels, diagonal striped knits, straw trilbies, printed handkerchiefs and seersucker suits. When divided into separates, the collection surely offers some fun for the modern man's wardrobe, and as a whole it gave us something to smile at.
This season Valentino juxtaposed tradition and innovation in a throughly modern collection. 'Go-faster' stripes highlighted the seam lines of raglan sleeves in combinations of neoprene and leather in bomber jackets. Sharply tailored suits that went against the grain in Japanese denim were worn with sporty sneakers embellished with studs of rubber, as opposed to predictable metal. The silhouette was boxy on top- something that might not be so welcomed by the streamlined-inclined, however the crease-fronted tailored trousers were a welcome respite from other designers' support of the slouchy trouser trend. The camouflage trend saw no sign of dying here, although the heat-bond technique was innovatively different from its previous print incarnations.
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