Diesel Black Gold

Monday morning started out in a bit of a dark place thanks to Andreas Melbostad and his latest menswear collection for Diesel Black Gold.

This urban collection cut in street-friendly shades of black, navy and gray, split its proportions right down the middle. Up top came oversized outerwear covered in zippers and featuring big pockets. Below, pants were only available in the super slim variety.

The outerwear was quite interesting in the way Melbostad cut a roomy black perfecto leather jacket or transformed a classic four pocket safari jacket into a cape design with a back panel that swung freely from behind. Rounded shearling bomber jackets were a fun twist on the youthful staple and the volume added to quilted puffa jackets gave the garment a new face.

The collection should do well with the youth set looking to load up on roomy alternatives to more classic Diesel pieces they already proudly own.

Emporio Armani

Giorgio Armani gave his own touching tribute to David Bowie at the start of his show. Before the first model hit the catwalk, the hushed room was treated to Bowie’s distinctive voice singing his stirring classic Life on Mars in the darkness. It was one of the best tributes to the late singer so far since he passed away last week.

Cue the somehow incongruous start of the show, when a handful of models, their faces masked by ski helmets, walked the runway in form fitting skiwear.

It was an odd choice…but no matter.

After that strange start Armani returned to more familiar grounds with clothing in shades of gray, black, olive and navy, playing off the easy silhouettes against sharp graphic patterned fabrics and embellishments. He balanced all his old favorites in terms of fabrics – the velvets, the chenille, the buttery leathers –with high tech materials that saw a whole lot of laser cutting and bonding going on.

It was nice to see Armani still passionately exploring all the latest developments in fabric and construction while maintaining his hallmark love for a nonchalant understated style.

Antonio Marras

Antonio Marras’s menswear show was a real barn raiser. The designer sent out a delightful collection that mixed his romantic, highly embellished sartorial inclinations with the rough riding styles of the far west.

As guests sat on straw bale hay seating, the designer treated them to a rich reinterpretation of classic cowboy staples. Velvet overalls were paired with chambray shirts embroidered with stars and slithering snakes. Bandit bandanas came crafted out of metal mesh and were worn by men in unforgettable plaid suits. And an ironsmith’s apron was cut from denim and leather, and worn over a fantastic shirt covered in clashing western references.

As for the ladies, they skewed closer in style to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s gritty character in the movie The Hateful Eight than any prissy country bumpkin. A toughened-up choice that felt very modern even as it referenced the past.

Considering that a number of Spaghetti Westerns were actually filmed in Marras’s native Sardinia, it made his choice to explore this theme all that more delightful.

Gucci

The paradigm shift created by Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele has shaken the industry to its core. His gender bending collections, eclectic textile mixes, love of embellishments and adornment, and his audacious color combos are now impacting the work of other designers all around the world.

No pressure, then.

At least that is what the Gucci menswear catwalk felt like on Monday afternoon as Michele continued down his decorative path. This time, the path came lined in a rich red carpet and surrounded by imposing red walls, a setting which spoke of love, passion, blood and burning and could have easily over powered a lesser lineup. Out of this potent colored backdrop came one statement-making ensemble after another.

There were velvet Chinese embroidered tracksuits, wallpaper brocade suits and tapestry coats, as well as a large selection of capes. All of it was finished off with Michele’s gift for packing on accessories. Rings on every finger, funky “Elton John” sunglasses, studded shoes and knitted embroidered hats somehow came together in a harmonious magpie way.

But look closely, and this collection also read decidedly more commercial. The western-inspired fringed or button embellished items in particular or the sporty Snoopy and Woodstock motif tops will have a broader appeal. As will the scalloped lurex knitwear, the silk souvenir jackets and the colorful trousers.

Michele is staying true to himself and he should be applauded for it. And if everyone else in fashion seems to be following his quirky lead, then he must be doing something right. It certainly looked that way with this collection.

Etro

After a long introductory video that saw models in Etro designs frolicking in autumnal woods, accompanied by a deep male voice praising the beauty of the natural world, and finished with the Henry David Thoreau quote “All good things are wild and free” emblazoned across the screen, Kean Etro finally got his show underway.

Now Etro himself is a bit of a wild man and he is undoubtedly a freewheeling spirit, so why not have an entire collection that celebrates that perspective?

The designer certainly incorporated some wild animal elements into his show. The leopard spotted and zebra striped outerwear, worn with colorful yellow, fuchsia or green underpinnings, definitely made an impression. But alongside those garments came calmer offerings like a classic checked suit embossed with a subtle leaf pattern or knit sweaters with a raised undulating cable knit running down the center.

The well-loved look of sweaters with hems appearing moth-eaten (a bit of a trend this season) had a homey beauty. And the roomy olive green suede pants and black velvet suiting gave this collection, as wild as it was intended to be, a cultivated ease.

MSGM

The fast paced MSGM menswear collection made a big impact in a very shot time.

With models whipping past it was the broad stroke themes that hit the eye first, the strong hued color palette, the graphic outsized patterns, the elongated lines. Then the cool details started to filter through. The way designer Massimo Giorgetti introduced perforated lines into the diamond edges of outsized argyle sweaters created a clever “moth-eaten” distressed look on the bottom of his knitwear, and used images of mid-century furniture cut in velvet as a motif on tops, was randomly charming.

The collection was infused with a grungy sort of rebellious vibe, its oversized proportions making the clothing look like hand-me-downs that the wearer had yet to grow into. And yet it all worked in a way that felt fresh and new.

This collection was young. It was fun. And it is a hit.

Fendi

Oh, to live in the Fendi home. A place where the carpets are made out of fur, the groovy circular staircase is also lined in the stuff and Barry White’s baritone voice is crooning sexy tunes on a loop. It’s all so seductive. And that includes this season’s ensembles, each one a decadent and yet delectable demonstration of luxury at its audacious best.

How else to explain a blazer cut from mink fur, or felted wool and mohair pieces made into roomy plaid winter loungewear. Not to mention all the relaxed silk and velvet trousers and the abundance of furry footwear.

Everything about this inviting Fendi collection oozed comfort at the highest sartorial level.

And it wasn’t just the touchy-feely luxe fabrics that put the audience in the mood to curl up in front of a warm fire with a good book. The slightly oversized silhouettes also lent this collection a forgiving, post-Christmas holiday charm. While the addition of playful cartoon patches on outerwear, and the apparition of the now iconic Fendi monster face on a fur coat or oversized fur bag helped this show seem not to full of itself.

All of this feel good fashion never got out of hand. Silvia Venturini Fendi made sure that even if this collection was designed with an eye towards being enjoyed in the privacy of a person’s home, that didn’t mean it was time to pull back on the craftsmanship. As always her attention to detail was impressive. One standout piece saw a turtleneck sweater evolve from chunky knitwear at the neck to shaggy fur, to a felted wool plaid at the bottom.
This was a collection that quite a few men will want to cozy up to next season.

Milan Menswear Day 1
Milan Menswear Day 2