Tailoring Shifted From Office To Countryside at MFW
Italian brands revisited their sartorial offering with more generous volumes, functional details and textures inspired to natural elements.
MILAN — What good is a power suit when office life has been put on stand-by?
As working from home took over as the pandemic spread, Italian masters of tailoring revisited silhouettes and fabrics in accordance with the changing lifestyle.
In particular, for fall they shifted their attention from bureaus to the countryside, reflecting customers’ migration from metropolitan cities to smaller towns. Tuning into the natural environment and relaxed, outdoor activities squeezed in between Zoom calls, brands updated their sartorial offering with looser fits, generous volumes, functional details and elements conveying an unfinished, rustic feel.
A specialist in the category, Milanese luxury label Blazè Milano made an example with its collection — intended to provide sartorial solutions from day to night.
As sported by Dree Hemingway, who starred in the video depicting a day in the Roman countryside, checkered doublebreasted jackets were cut in cropped shapes, while felt wool options were charmingly revisited with the addition of drawstrings at the waist, evoking riding jackets with their shape. Tartan and gingham motifs, herringbone tweeds and Prince of Wales patterns added to the country-chic vibe of the range, which was rendered mainly in green, gray, brown and mustard colors, as well as in eccentric, 1970s-inspired prints.
Conversely, Kiton’s take on the theme came via monochrome separates crafted from cashmere, leather, suede and corduroy. Exuding a luxe feel — especially in their combination of taupe, beige and olive green shades — ankle-length double cashmere coats and leather blazers looked effortless with their minimal silhouettes and oversize fits, while functionality was enhanced in a taupe Safari jacket paired with matching culotte pants.
Practicality also informed the Eleventy range, which looked to the British countryside for inspiration. Here, suits were revisited with a utilitarian twist: blazer jackets clutched with belts at the waist were styled with cargo pants with bias pockets, which were crafted in mannish sartorial fabrics, and tucked into Chelsea boots.
An expert in tailoring, Daniele Calcaterra referenced the ‘80s and its oversize volumes but with a gentler hand rounding the shoulder lines and elongating the silhouettes. The generous use of fabric resulted in cocooning shapes and was further enhanced in the layering of vests, blazer jackets and coats, all crafted from the same fabric.
Vests in particular played a big role and often replaced blazer jackets, considered more versatile and allowing for more movement. They were seen both under other garments as well as separates retooled in maxi proportions and thrown over chunky knitwear.
In addition, treatments on textiles and unfinished details added raw accents to Calcaterra’s tailoring. Cue a beautiful, hand-stitched cashmere jacket that underwent treatments generally used for Shetland wool to get a textured, prickly touch and outlined by raw cut trims.
Organic textures also informed the crafty collection of Gabriele Colangelo, who integrated drop-shoulder jackets and coats to be worn with culottes in his precise tailoring. He elevated the looks with embellishments evoking natural elements, including soutache-embroidered scalloped panels donning a raffia-like feel.
His natural references continued in his impeccable work for Giada, where Colangelo serves as creative director. Respecting the brand’s signature rigor and purity of lines, he delivered tactility, corrugating the textures of precious fabrics, and developed abstract prints nodding to trees trunks. He employed sable, yagir cashmere and curly double bouclé wool in crafting blazer jackets, coats and especially adjustable capes, which stole the spotlight with their luxe feeling.