Milan Fashion Week A/W 2016 menswear editor’s picks
Bally: Pablo Coppola looked to a host of artists and dandys for inspiration this season in a collection that combined the formal and casual. A striped rugby shirt was paired with a purple tux jacket reminiscent of David Hockney’s wardrobe, whilst a robe coat and pyjama suit were perfect gentlemen’s club attire
Rossignol: Ski brand Rossignol presented a collection of versatile pieces that felt equally at home on the city streets as on the slopes. Technological excellence was key - super light padded jackets came insulated with a Thinsulate-featherless layer, their shells providing protection from the rain and wind. The lines made by skies in the snow raced over parkas and knitwear to graphic effect, while an oversized hooded gilet added a heavy dose of luxury
MSGM: Artist Elizabeth Peyton’s colourful portraits of men inspired Massimo Giorgetti’s A/W 2016 collection for MSGM. Tailoring and sportswear were mashed together, whilst colours expertly clashed: a baby blue overcoat was team with a tangerine sweater, baggy trousers and sporty sneakers. Other notable pieces included a perforated wool coat and felted wool cardigan. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Canali: Andrea Pompilio continues to deliver excellent results for Canali, taking the classics of menswear – printed silk ties, sweater vests and checked suits, for example – and rewriting them for a new generation of men who like a fresh pop of colour and a modern silhouette in their suiting serving
Fratelli Rossetti: Thick soles and a rainbow coloured leathers were the big news at Fratelli Rossetti’s fall presentation
Tod’s: Set in the grounds of the grand Villa Necchi Campiglio, Tod’s presented a collection of fine menswear staples, giving each a luxury makeover. The down jacket, for example, was luxed up using the softest brushed leather. The rubber pebbled sole of the iconic Gommini moccasin was further exploited appearing as a motif on bags and wallets
Z Zegna: Taking to the great outdoors this season, Z Zegna paid homage to the world of mountaineering with a collection that meged technological tailoring with authentic sportswear. Sharp elongated overcoats and laser cut metallic kagools were paired with chunky roll neck sweaters, whilst soft tweed trousers came finished with knitted ankle warmers and merino wool sheepskin trekking boots
Prada: A detail shot of the plywood set designed by AMO for the Prada’s menswear show. The set itself took inspiration from the traditional public stages and places of civic ceremonies. A system of balconies and tribunes defined the central space, creating at once a middle ground and an imbalanced symmetry
Missoni: With jingling coin embroidered sweaters, hefty hiking boots and thick tweed suiting Missoni delivered the perfect uniform for strolling through an outdoorsy autumn season. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Valextra: The accessory brand did a great in-store installation of its men’s leather goods set up on a cement block sculpture by Belgian designer Bernard Dubois
Kiton: Napolese tailoring band Kiton continued to push the boundaries of luxury menswear for A/W 2016. Standout items included a handmade overcoat in a unique check fabric woven in their newly acquired mill and a series of streamline leather jackets with fur linings
No 21: For A/W 2016 Alessandro Dell’Acqua blurred the lines of masculine and feminine via a host of military references. Combat green was offset with dusty pink and leopard print, while chiffon, macramé lace and crepe de chine were mixed with heavy cotton drill. Parkas came appliquéd with raw strips of fabric creating decorative panels, fluid blouse-like shirts fastened with metal zips and sneakers made of patchwork suede completed the look. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Gucci: A preview of Gucci’s impressive invitation bundle ahead of our A/W 2016 invitation wrap. Stay tuned. Photography: Antonio Camera
Santoni: The footwear brand continued to wow with its cool take on footwear classics. This season the hiking boot and knapsack were revisited in super luxe detail
Caruso: The Italian tailoring brand maintained its upward ascent in the world of cool, quirky, classic menswear. Pops of fresh colour and new patterns kept things spicy for the autumn season
Brooks Brothers: For winter the brand fused tailored elements with denim and sportswear in a collection intended for city life. Military and hunting references ran throughout the collection most notably in a tartan bomber and Donegal tweed jacket. Relaxed blazers came with narrow lapels in Houndstooth or Prince of Wales check and were teamed with slim knitted ties and classic button down shirts
Ralph Lauren: This season saw a shift in Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label with a more relaxed approach to tailoring and the addition of casual pieces to its fine repertoire. Outerwear came in the form of luxurious shearling coats and suede jackets. A formal suit appeared in a technical fabric and a bespoke fully functional range of ski equipment made its debut
Ermenegildo Zegna Couture: Zegna creative director Stefano Pilati clutching his Best Men’s Fashion Collection 2016 Wallpaper* Design Award in Milan
Dolce & Gabbana: The duo set the stage for their ‘Sicilian Western’ show - a 21st century digital homage to Sergio Leone’s film genre - with models doing the screening from their own extra large iPhones direct from the catwalk
Neil Barrett: Backstage at the Brit’s show models wore neat outerwear classics and sports attire borrowed from his proper English childhood. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Jimmy Choo: This season Jimmy Choo’s creative director Sandra Choi took on the establishment by clashing age old codes with street culture cache. Tough DM style boots felt refined and elegant in fine leather, while a punky coloured leopard print covered classic Derby’s
Ports 1961: The Ports 1961 show opened with Ukrainian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin. His performance expressed the collections themes of strength and fragility while Samurai armour acted as a key reference in communicating these. Bomber jackets were embroidered with bold oriental motifs as military jackets appeared patch worked together in Japanese-style fabrics. These were teamed with fluid 3/4 length trousers and grounded with tough, heavy-duty boots
Church’s: The cobbler reworked its classic Shannon shoe as a sneaker for A/W 2016, while the new Patfield came with a relaxed flat rubber sole and formal upper bridging the gap between the casual and formal. Another notable reboot was the Plumley, this time appearing in a double colour on top of its heavy-duty tread
Andrea Pompilio: The designer skipped his usual runway presentation and instead treated editors to an up close inspection of his brightly patterned, beautifully constructed clothes in his Milan showroom
Brunello Cucinelli: The Italian designer’s boys in their perfectly undone tailored separates
Giuseppe Zanotti: Fluffy fox winter walking boots for next winter? Giuseppe Zanotti has us covered
Corneliani: Models walked on a wet cobbled catwalk in a collection inspired by a 1940s man’s wardrobe. Trousers and jackets were considerably higher at the waistline and made in herringbones of various scales. Single and double breasted suits came in caramel, bark brown and tobacco. Stand out items included a generously cut cashmere coat belted at the waist and an elegant ultra light nylon trench. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans