The menswear verdict is out. At Milan Fashion Week recently, predictions tended towards a conservative winter wardrobe with tweaks on the traditional and attention to detail.
Giorgio Armani’s collection included super-light single and double-breasted suits with tailored trousers – all with techno treatments and hence new textures.
In the sportswear department, Armani offered structured leather coats and jackets using modern technology that recreates an age-old Italian tanning process.
Armani stuck to his urban colour guns, using black, warm greys and shades of brown. The surprise effect came in the recurring flashes of ruby red for pants and jackets – just a touch of bright detail.
Canadian designer twins Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared2 went for a 1940s jazz club theme. The range included a double-breasted, wide-lapelled suit, accessorised by an exaggerated bowler hat and slick footwear. Pants were low slung, and shirt tails stuck out from under cashmere crew-neck sweaters.
But no matter the theme, DSquared2 is still all about jeans. This time they came loose and worn out, but also carefully pressed to match the classic camel hair coats and the luxurious Astrakhan furs featured in the show.
Colours for the new winter collection were mainly monochromatic – black, white, gold, red and green. Favourite accessories include waistcoats, suspenders, pocket-watch chains and a tuxedo bib.
Designer Angelo Galasso said that men were becoming increasingly fashion indulgent and vain but that designers had to move with caution.
“Men have a harder time accepting change,” Galasso said.
His collections were rooted in traditional styles, such as double-breasted suits and overcoats, and he combined British touchs, such as equestrian motifs, with Italian flair and tailoring.
His latest collection mixed plaid, striped and checked patterns with velvet and shearling details and dandy bow ties.
Overall, menswear seemed to remain about the classics. Suits were double-breasted and pinstriped, and coats came in the dark, urban colours of anthracite, navy and slate grey.
As we saw on South African fashion ramps, yellow is bound to be among the standout colours, with baby blue also coming to the fore.
Details reflect the winter season, with big and bold pockets, buttons and clasps.
Not likely to take off here, though, were lace undies. Jewellery included lockets and amulets. In addition to ties, there were kerchiefs knotted neatly at the neck.
And the new fashion dilemma? Socks or no socks. Shoes were oversized and worn with skinny, cropped pants.
Designers also experimented with technology to play with cashmere, leather and fur, enriching their looks. Sweaters had a starring role in that vein, notably big and bulky and often worn with shirts left deliberately untucked.
Finer knits replaced shirts under jackets, with all this adding up to a boyish look. - The Mercury