Scene setting: No-one has filmed the ordered chaos of a busy train station better than Alfred Hitchcock in his 1959 masterpiece North by Northwest. Though the police try to hunt their dashing fugitive from justice, they cannot break through the bustle and tempo all around them. Stations in major cities are vast energetic spaces. Paths cross, glances exchanged, routines played out. Now the grand foyer of Milano Centrale station became the stage for Alessandro Sartori’s autumn/winter 2019 show at Ermenegildo Zegna. Bureau Betak dressed it in large LED columns, onto which the endless scrolling of numbers – train timetables lost in translation – trickled up and down as the models walked. For a moment, we joined the 330,000 people who pass through the station every day.
Mood board: The collection of tailored pieces, confident outerwear and hardy, detail-laden boots were inspired by life in perpetual motion. ‘Borders keep being narrowed throughout the world. I felt the urge to advocate the power of openness and multiplicity,’ Sartori said. This multiplicity played out in a hybridised composition of sartorial codes. Cargo pants in smart wools had straps around the calves, reminiscent of a cyclist on the move; the wide lapels of classic men’s coats were grown onto short, cropped blousons. Storm cuffs poked out from the hem of smart trousers. Standout was a metallic jacquard with a repeat illustrated pattern of commuters reading the papers, cut into a lean suit.
Finishing touches: The company’s classic Cesare sneaker was worn in many variations and was available online for customisation after the show. The high-top leather style with mesh inserts and XXX logo can be created in diverse ways. Sartori’s cross-generational, metropolitan vision goes from head-to-toe. §
