As all eyes affix firmly on the Paris catwalks, we at SPICE are still taking in all that walked those at Men’s Fashion Week, Milan, where designers came and showed the stuff of Winter wardrobes’ best dreams.
Below lies our Runway Rundown of the 10 best on the ramp, and from Roberto Cavalli’s signature swagger to printed marvels by Stella Jean, take a look and let us know on Twitter (@SPICETVAFRICA) or here below in the comments box if your first choice made it onto our list.
Marni
Showcasing during Pitti Uomo in Florence, designer Consuelo Castiglioni presented Marni’s Autumn/Winter’15 collection and reminded us that trenches are still going to be a ‘thing’ next Fall, and that tunics and coats without collars will do just as well for men as well as women.
Said tunics were lined in suede and zipped halfway down the middle, while fur was a key facet to the range, showing up in the form of sheep and goat’s skin, and creating standout pieces in the shape of a multi-hued fur coat and a couple of fuzzy brief cases.
There was plenty of ‘safer’ things to fall back on, too – smart tailored separates such as suit jackets and trousers, though at times, flared legs were spied in the lineup, which only the most fashion-forward amongst you would think to wear. We at SPICE will certainly be seen in that crowd…
Dolce & Gabbana
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana took inspiration in thoughts of ‘family’ for their collection, which saw variants of them clad across clothes for Fall’15.
Portraits of the designers’ friends and family were used on tees and sweatshirts, while historical-looking portraits mimicking the style of those made centuries ago in oil were also spied, as well as cartooned characters and slogans like “Famiglia,” “Amore,” and “Love Forever.”
Renaissance-style brocade edged its way around key pieces through intricate patterns, inciting a sense of wealth and luxury, which also came strongly via royal symbols like crowns and crests.
SPICE favourites include the red pony skin coats and printed mac jackets – the standout items that should make the staples of your new season wardrobe to prove fashion’s in your blood, too.
Stella Jean
A fast-rising name in womenswear, with her mixed print pieces pulling compliments from the international fashion circle, Haitian designer Stella Jean has revealed a commendable Fall menswear range, having patchworked her way into men’s just 2 years ago.
Here, signature clashing patterns did again prevail but with inspirations from India found on models via sash-style belts made of scarves knotted to waists, Hindu art prints formed on silk and bindis painted to models’ foreheads.
The real interest came with Stella’s way with pulling the looks together – plaids juxtaposed with wax print, colours matched and contrasted here and there – which made for a brighter, cheerier take on what to wear when the weather’s going cold and moody. What sold it for us though were the coats in scissor, shaving brush and comb print, cut long enough to reach the middle of the thigh. Find one of these inside your wardrobe for Fall and you’ll have as many fans of your taste as Stella Jean does followers of her work.
Roberto Cavalli
Mr Cavalli just won’t quit with his glamorous affair with all things fervour, which finds its way into every collection he dreams up. Here, for mens’ Autumn/Winter’15 wardrobes, it’s a rockstar aesthetic imagined in sharp, slim suits, pony skin coverings and boisterous furs.
There is a sleekster vibe that only Cavalli seems to be able to carve so finely – probably because he lives it out with his own wardrobe of leathers and flash prints – and honing it here on the ramp in shades of blue, black, cream and gold, it’s clear that no matter the season, the era or what ever his peers are doing, as the slogans seen dripping down his collection suggest, Roberto’s romance with all things rock and roll really knows “No Bounds.”
Bottega Veneta
Tomas Maier’s collection for Bottega Veneta sees a casualness come over ideas for suiting up next season that simply can not be ignored – especially if dressing in a comfortable, non-contrived way is totally your thing.
Offering various relaxed silhouettes that’ll work for piling on without showing too much care, the range has elasticated trousers looking surprisingly chic, worn with herringbone jackets, neckties and polo necks that were sometimes in pops of bright colour.
The palette strayed from the sensible to the sensual, giving eyes a range of bold yellow, dusty pink, orange and green to behold, with the juxtaposition of the vintage and the classic against such a spectrum of colour nodding to the designer’s inspiration -“the creative life” – which Mr Maier revealed to Style.com.
These, the designer explained, are “clothes that have lived a life,” and if you’re hoping to breath some into your wardrobe for Fall, these are the ones to seek out.
Vivienne Westwood
Dedicating her collection to the Prince of Wales, British designer Vivienne Westwood pulled out signature plaid print and quirky touches in her famed, unapologetic manner and beheld a menswear collection that nodded to womenswear in front of the audience in Milan. Blue suede heels for he who dares? In Ms Westwood’s world, yes of course.
There were tailored pieces in the range boasting the skill that attests to Westwood’s 44-year career, and her spontaneous, playful and rebellious streak stuck out like everything else she’s ever crafted for the catwalk. But, layering printed jackets onto patterned tops and trousers, and featuring all sorts of headgear (feather headband anyone?) and types of shoe, there was an attitude at play here too, which we’ve also seen before.
Known for her punk beginnings, Vivienne sent a host of models down the ramp styled with that iconic kind of cool only a select tribe can truly pull off, and we were also pleased to see a version of the designer’s signature drop crotch trousers on their way down the catwalk (albeit in a much smarter reincarnation). Yes, for Autumn/Winter’15, the punk is back – but with heels in tow and clutch in hand, it seems he’s also been shopping.
Missoni
Angela Missoni’s ideas for the company’s new Fall collection came steeped in the brand’s signature and striking palette – hues that won’t date or fade from fashion, or in their appeal, even when we’re facing Winter 10 years from now.
And the choice of the garments here will remain just as robust in terms of relevance too, with cardigans always pleasing crowds come the colder months, and pea coats and long line jackets set to keep their place in one’s wardrobe too; all seen in seeping-colour prints like checks and stripes, which looked to blur and blend across the models’ bodies.
But amongst the warm and finely finessed items of luxury for Winter, where a robe-detailed coat made our lust list, bare chests were on display too via deep-V tunic tops and others that looked like a draped reinvention of the humble blanket – seen here as a top and again, showing some chest.
Needless to say, Missoni’s range had us hot and cold all over, and feelings are that we won’t be ‘over’ whichever piece we choose come Fall 2020, either.
Jil Sander
Rodolfo Paglialunga’s first menswear collection for Jil Sander went down a storm – if by ‘storm’ we mean in floods full of fabric, and by ‘down’ we mean down there, in the nether-regions…
Oversized trousers, pleated at the front, were the anchor of every look, while belts were seen holding them up and pulling coats together. And since we mentioned size, well, there were some pretty large shoes filled, too – not just Paglialunga settling into Sander’s, but with models seen trudging down the ramp in thick-soled Derby shoes that gave a certain Action Man-inspired sort of chic.
Overall, the palette of the pieces proved the strongest of elements in this ruggedly simple collection, with reds, oranges, mustards and navy worked through alongside black, and made best on long, sturdy coats. Keep one of them inside your closet this Winter and like its designer, you’ll set a pace in a stride of your own.
MSGM
A brand to get your head round – in fact, it’s one of the beloved ones for us here at SPICE – and, with a collection that has ‘wearable fun’ written all over it (alongside other actual slogans, too), MGSM managed to break through the doom and gloom of Winter, to produce the kind of things that boys big and small should want to wear.
Robot prints, space ship badges and prints that look like constellations came shooting down the runway in Milan, with designer Massimo Giorgetti said to be “obsessed” with the ’90s (hence all that wide, raw denim) and aiming for the stars. In this case, it was the era’s heroes: The Beastie Boys and The Chemical Brothers who helped Giorgetti look to reinvent the Dandy.
The rich red denim jacket was a standout amongst pale grey ensembles which were marked by black badges, shaped like all things Space. But there were also soft pinks, leopard print, pinstripe and leather to behold in the collection – so much to get your head around before stepping out to go buy it, like all the other besotted soles who’ll be following the brand like the robots it cleverly clad onto these pieces for Fall.
Gucci
With creative director Frida Giannini reportedly leaving the company – just 5 days before the show – the team at Gucci may well have been prepared, or were at least very proactive in removing every trace of her and the collection lined up for the ramp, replacing everything (clothes, models et al) to present something entirely new. That’s new plans for the show, new ideas for Fall and a radically new direction for the brand.
While the luxe element was surely there in the finery of the fabrics used and the precision with which they’d been cut, a real feeling of raw, creative rebellion emerged here – one akin to the New Romantic movement that awoke in the 1990s.
Pretty much, men stepped onto Gucci’s runway dressed as women – and we’re not talking blue suede heels a la Vivienne Westwood – rather, snuggly-fit tops and jackets with tiny arms, designed to look exactly like the models had been dressed from the wrong rails: womens’ ones. A little joke at how hastily the show had had to be pieced together? A tongue-in-cheek reference to what boys eager to ‘experiment’ might do while Mother’s out of the house? We’re not sure, but we do know we like it.
Here at Gucci’s Autumn/Winter’15 show, the theme (further thrust by pussybow details and fluted, 3/4 length sleeves) didn’t at all seem at odds though; the defiant, out-loud-and-proudness of each look felt refreshing and though it was all a bit unusual, it still felt very wearable too. And, nodding to the stereotypical staples of a ‘true creative type’ – round rimmed reading glasses, berets and uncombed hair – we get the impression a true creative was at hand to fix whatever broke five days earlier.
Well done to Alessandro Michele (Gucci’s head accessories designer) and his team for making a near disaster the beginning of a very near and spectacular future.
Image source: Style.com, WWD.com
