Milan Menswear: AW13

While London is known for its young talents, Milan prides itself on heritage brands continuing their legacies of luxury and craftsmanship. The Italians' traditions in tailoring for cranked up for a strong showing of outerwear for Autumn/Winter, while Spring's focus on colour was replaced by a keen interest in materials, with the trend for tweeds and tartans growing all the while. Take a look below for my round-up of my five favourite shows from the week.

 

Salvatore Ferragamo's Spring collection was a plethora of colour so it was nice to see the attention turn to texture and construction for the luxury house's fall show. Outerwear was the main focus, where designer Massimiliano Giornetti explored the possibilities of layers- mounting smooth leather on wool felt for contrast lapels, using all materials from quilting to shearling to line the sumptuous coats, in every imaginable style, from cape to biker. Perhaps to allow for so many layers, the outerwear was generally oversized but kept sleek with the use of metal snap buttons, precise top stitching details and exposed zips. Giornetti created a sort of dark iridescence, using shades of teal, peacock blue and navy that, combined with the dominating black, were reminiscent of petroleum. 

 The quilting trend continued at Calvin Klein, this time in more complex patterns, in contrasting layers and panels to graphic effect. Italo Zucchelli transferred his inspiration from sportswear to formal wear by embossing the patterns on to luxurious wools for tailored pieces, as well transforming them into knit patterns. Shapes were quite boxy, with the utilitarian vibe stretching to the use of patch pockets on jackets, sleeves and even tailored trousers. Like at Ferragamo, the colour palette was dominated by black with a few select shades of maroon, aubergine and navy making appearances.

Unsurprisingly, Kenzo had more colour to offer, looking to the skies for inspiration. Spring's jungle print was replaces with soft, fluffy clouds on pastel blue, later seen in a red colourway, while a cartoonish, mini print in monochrome also made an appearance. Block colours were strong too, with Humberto Leon and Carol Lim injecting their sense of humour by lining pastel blue outerwear with cream shearling as fluffy as clouds. The silhouette was slimmer than at a lot of the mens shows so far, with the exception of some A-line coats, but the cropped trouser trend certainly stayed strong, exaggerated by the pairing of chunky boots. The design duo once again collaborated with jewellery designer Delfina Delletrez, this time resulting in button coverings and metal pocket squares, as well as starting a new relationship with hard-shell manufacturer Boblbee to create lust-worthy backpacks.

Costume National had less colour not no fewer desirable pieces in its Fall show. Apart from thankfully few snatches of a questionable shade of blue, the show was largely monochrome, even in the details like white zips and lapels on black outerwear. For the most part, the looks were simple and conformed to the brand's classic with a twist style. Models marched with attitude in sturdy leather boots, which matched the mood of the collection, partly inspired by a mug shot of a young Mick Jagger. Double-breasted coats, biker jackets, turtle-necked knitwear, leather trousers and felt fedoras featured throughout., and while this may be nothing new for designer Ennio Capasa, I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Frida Giannini's collection for Gucci drew some obvious references from military tailoring with solidly structured outerwear and sharp suiting, with generous lapels stretching across broad chests to widened shoulders. Cream trousers harked back to Napoleonic times, and while the show's other shades of red, grey and moss would not look out of place on the battlefield, numerous looks of solid black, graphic houndstooth and checks were deemed suitable for more modern warfare. Accessories fitted into the overall style of solid and sturdy, including a hefty leather backpack sure to sell out in no time, along with leather boots with double straps around the ankle- perhaps a clever nod to the new street style trend of the double monk strap? Giannini avoided  an obvious outcome from a much-visited inspiration by keeping things simple with no signs of metallic buttons or haberdashery, and by keeping necklines soft and free from ties, often replacing them with silk scarves. This collection stood out by not layering tailoring upon tailoring like many other shows, and produced countless pieces that men would actually wear, as opposed to solely admire.