The power of presentations.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good runway show – when executed well it is essentially a theatre. They can be very moving, the sound tracks, the venues, and getting to see people move in the clothes. But the massive benefits of presentations are 1) You can come by any time, people are rarely late to presentations (They can be 11am until 5pm). 2) You can often talk with the team, including the designer and they can walk you through the collection first hand. And 3) you get to actually touch the clothes. Love.
Milan is by far and away the best of the men’s circuit at presentations. There are incredible Palazzo’s down pretty much every road. They are able to create such an amazing atmosphere, and as Italians, are extremely welcoming. There were a lot less actual runway shows in Milan for men’s this season, as many designers have chosen to show a combined offering next month for women’s fashion week. This absolutely makes sense in terms of a bidgeting point of view but it did make me a little worried, as this is how the demise of LFW mens began, before disappearing almost entirely. Though as menswear is so celebrated and appreciated in Milan, I am less worried about them, than I am about London.
For us, Milan represents the tailoring experts outside of Savile Row. Their innate passion for materials and functionality make for beautiful clothes, designed to be worn and worn. Less capital-F Fashion and more capital-C Clothing. Perhaps top of the chain amidst the MFW calendar was Brioni. Some may argue Brunello Cuccinelli has been the break out household name in the last two years, achieving back to back €1billion + revenues, and the self-proclaimed king of cashmere. Whilst their presentations are beautiful and well catered, Brioni add an element of sensuality and movement.
Norbert Stumpfl has been creative director since 2018, for this season he went to visit the daughter of Brioni’s founder, Segnora Maria Vittoria at her home. (when I write pieces like this for mags I have to call the designers by their surname, but on here, and having known Norbert many years, it feels weird to sur-name him, so I’ll be sticking with Norbert). He told me Maria has a goldmine of an archive, filled with pictures of her father, alongside some of the worlds’ most famous people. The sentimentality and wholesomeness captured Norbert’s heart – who is a family man too, and I’ve met his family at previous presentations. The collection had nuanced references from his trip and the archive as it always does. But the standout attraction was a performance of dancers in the new pieces which truly captured how some of the most formal attire, according to Brioni, should be free from restraint. Dancers moved elegantly as the pieces moved effortlessly with them, flowing behind creating striking silhouettes. He told me the dancers were carefully selected; the best in the world, and choreographed by the same architect from the Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony.
From the static collection, a highlight was a piece made with silk and British wool – a shawl lapel blazer in ivory, with the softest roll you’ve ever seen, “never pressed and sharp, always soft and gentle” said Norbert, styled with an open shirt, visible tank top and scarf wrapped around. Deconstructing the ‘rules’ of garments, to make them even more wearbale and comfortable for multiple ocassions.
One of the busiest days of the circuit for us meant we caught all the presentations – to an untrained eye it may all look similar, but each house has their own unique codes, whether its proportions, silhouette, textures or styling cues. Canali held a presentation between the Prada show and Dhruv Kapoor show. Canali also know how to stage a decent presentation – sunk into the beautiful, brutalist-chic and soft concrete surroundings of the restaurant and cocktail bar, LUBNA. This was a dynamic presentation where the models wander about the stage, sit, chill, and relax in soft knits and cosy car coats. The textures were great and it felt like a true to the name autumn-winter collection – wools, cashmere, suede and shearling. Is smart-casual back, or perhaps more norm-core-luxe-casual? Whatever tf people are calling things these days.
The rest of our time in Milan we visited, Qasimi, Pal Zileri, Corneliani, Paul and Shark, Valstar, Altea, FAY, Woolrich Black Label, Bally, Church’s and Tods. In Italy they have their beloved brands of heritage and expertise, renowned for certain product categories, and have remained unchanged for years. You want a suede jacket? Valstar. A denim utility jacket? FAY. A driving shoe? Tods. A classic loafer or Derby? Church’s or Scarosso – even the Italian-owned brits can get in on the action there. Little here actually needs reinventing, they can make minor changes to modernise existing classics, and reintorudce them using the character and history of the brand whether it be a store launch, a photographic exhibition or a collaboration with a friend of the house. It’s nothing new-new, because it doesn’t need to be, it just works.
Ps. Shoutout to the worst things we saw in Milan – one guess who makes these…
