THE 5 BEST SHOWS
GREAT OUTDOORS
Mr Armani’s Emporio line has always embraced a dynamic kind of man, with every type of activewear from alpine adventurers to urban speedsters catered to, for autumn/winter the elder statesman of subtle masculine style combined the two, turning technical denim into skiwear, showing heavy duty parkas with airy, fluid suits and a procession of yeti-esque, swamping coats and jackets trimmed in faux fur that’s been developed to have zero impact on the environment.
FABRIC INNOVATION
Italian behemoth Brunello Cucinelli is a byword for understated luxury, and this focus on exceptional fabrication carried through to his autumn/ winter offering, which applied soft corduroy to suits and plush, deep velvet to a series of handsome tuxedos. The designer might use the most luxurious of fabrics – his cashmeres can fetch into the four figures
– but doesn’t keep things precious; there was a sporty vim and vigour to Cucinelli’s cargo trousers and joggerhoodie combos. This is leisurewear for the private jet, not the gym.
CAMEL COLOURS
Fendi’s Seventies-tinged, soft-focus, caramel and chocolate collection was a mellow take on corporate dressing, with camel coats in fluid silks and cashmere, traditional pinstriped suits updated with iridescent fabrics and stripes in bronze instead of standard grey and chunky, and shaggy outerwear that looked as if Paddington wear had embraced some Milanese glamour.
ROBUST LEATHER
How do you make a big old parka look sartorial? Give it to Andrea Incontri, Tod’s head of menswear, who tinkered with the formula of outerwear to apply prints that evoke heritage style – subtle plaids in this case – and make them robust and waterproof, for a Milanese elegance when you’re in the Alps. The house, famed for its shoes and Gommino loafer, applies its technical capabilities with leather to its clothing, with suede pea coats and heavy duty puffers.
NEW SUITING SOLUTIONS
Ermenegildo Zegna’s creative director Alessandro Sartori doesn’t exactly rip up the rule book, but rather he discreetly slides it to one side to create his own. For autumn/winter, that translates into a new template for pattern. Houndstooth, plaids and Prince of Wales checks were artfully replaced; a fragmented pattern like broken lettering featured across coats and jackets. His new take on the suit revolved around a cropped, boxy blouson plus trousers that can be transformed from cargo pants to airier iterations.