Milan is usually known as the more commercially minded of the fashion weeks and this season that really played to their strength as the prevailing trends were towards easy, wearable and more classic clothes. But don’t think that means boring – there were some lovely pieces out there with lots of covetable tailoring, cool knits and some beautiful colours to choose from.
Zegna
Mouthwatering shades of ochre, umber and indigo with exceptional construction elevated Zegna’s easy and comfortable clothes to something special. We loved the roomy blazers and baggy pants in particular and the set of the show, with an ever-growing pile of cashmere fluff, was a striking background.
JW Anderson
Generally, we prefer Mr Anderson’s work for Loewe than his own collection – his take on avant-garde often veers into fashion victim territory – but there was some lovely knitwear in this show, particularly this double layered degradé jumper in a deliberately pilled yarn. As for the strange flouncy shorts and hosiery though, we will pass thank you very much.
Fendi
Fendi is really on a roll at the moment, for both their men’s and their women’s collections. In a somewhat left-field move, this season was based on England’s Princess Anne (probably a first for menswear) but the end result was gorgeous. Think country set shooting jackets, kilts and some mid-calf length trousers that seem part of a mini-trend that were seen on other runways later in the week.
Gucci
Gucci’s creative director Sabato De Sarno caused a lot of raised eyebrows (not easy in the botox fashion world) for his 180 degree from maximalism to classicism when he showed his womenswear late last year but we like what he’s doing. Sure, there are no gender-fluid frills or challenging haircuts but the clothes are elegant, understated and probably way more suited to the European jet set customer than the previous influencer (but not payer) crowd. God was in the details here – from the super skinny scarves to the horse-bit snaffled brothel creepers – and there is more here than appears at first glance.
Prada
Never afraid to celebrate the nerd in all of us, Prada based their collection this season on office workers. Sure, there were grey suits aplenty but these were curiously sexy with oversized jackets and the return of slimmer trousers in many outfits. Teamed with weird slippers, swimming hats and goggles, this was definitely not the corporate world we are used to.
S.S. Daley
Showing as a guest designer at the Pitti Uomo show in Florence, Englishman SS Daley presented the perfect wardrobe for those suffering from Saltburn withdrawal symptoms. Looking like a bunch of aristocratic guys stumbling out of bed and going for breakfast, the models wore variations of dressing gowns, cosy knits and the occasional evening jacket with no trousers (bare legs are a BIG thing this winter it seems). So far so theatrical, but there were some lovely knits and tailoring and we would happily stay in or go out in this pyjama set.
