Milan Menswear Shows -Shows Review -Spring /Summer 2015

The Milan Menswear Shows have come around again and although many are complaining about London stealing Milan’s Thunder with the hugely successful London Collections:Men, surely no one can moan when your schedule contains such household names as Gucci, PRADA, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Calvin Klein, to literally name but a few ????

Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana

Now, its not uncommon for designers to cite jaunts to far off climbs as inspiration for their collections, but this season in Milan I half expected Judith Charmers to jump out from the end of the Catwalk and start giving me a review of her stay while in Milano. We had Donnatella Versace falling in love with the people of Cuba, there was Stefano Pilati of  Ermenegildo Zegna finding divine inspiration from a temple in Greece and Dolce & Gabbana drawing on the Spanish occupation of Sicily and that was for starters.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein

Apart from all that travel malarkey, Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein worked with lots of naked flesh tones for Spring 2015 from pastey whites to sun kissed browns and inserted flashes of primary colours in for good measure.

Missoni

Missoni

However, over at the House of Missoni nothing could be further from the truth. Angela Missoni working to the tried and trust recipe of producing great clothes in this most wonderful house pattern and not managing to make it look like a dogs dinner.

Prada

Prada

Then over at PRADA we saw a collection, where at times you were left puzzled as to whether you were watching a Womenswear or menswear show. Miucchia Prada held her show set around a swimming pool and had both boys and girls parade around it, although very 1970’s inspired garb, at the same time incredibly commercial and equally wearable.

Diesel Black Gold

Diesel Black Gold

Diesel Black Gold continued with its reboot under the watchful eye of Nicola Formichetti, who like John Varvatos was on a real military tip mixing a contemporary rebel skater silhouette with Crimean military style jackets.

 

Fendi

Fendi

Penultimately, we have an ultra wearable collection for next Spring from Fendi, offering Summer must haves for ever well dressed international jet setters, catering for the rich young things who party in all the beautiful places and insist on being impeccably turned out.

Lastly, we get to those crazy Canadian combo Caten twins, Dean & Dan of DSquared, see the below image as the twins kinda take on military. In their fluro camo print, which we predict will be one of the most ripped off, sorry inspired prints that we see on the high. Street next Summer.

DSquared

DSquared

Milano Moda Uomo (Milan Menswear Shows AW14)

 Ciao Ragazzi ! we follow on from the splendiferous LC:M of last week with what hopes to be equally captivating and awe inspiring Milano Moda Uomo. Unlike London the colour palette of our stylish Italian cousins seems to be of a more somber and some might say commercial and seasonally appropriate nature, that is apart from Prada, Versace ohhh and the Brit Dame Vivienne Westwood, more on that later folks.

First off  on our whistle stop round up on the Italian style capital is Ermenegildo Zegna, capably helmed by ex YSL Creative Director, Stefano Pilati, who was inspired by the fusion of City and Nature on a global scale. The city-scapes of New York, Shanghai or Milan where Zegna suits are common place, the mixing of casual elements with the formal cuts which Zegna has made its name in.

Ermenegildo Zegna

Ermenegildo Zegna

On a more ROCKIER tip was John Varvatos, who despite worked with  Black, Navy or white was channelling a very Glam rock vibe which culminated in Kings of Glam Rock “KISS” yes Kiss coming out to take a bow with the man himself.

Crazy, crazy night with John Varvatos(far right, just in case)

Crazy, crazy night with John Varvatos(far right, just in case)

Now over to a Dolce & Gabbana, who always love a theme for their shows and boy do they know how to put on a show ! Literally all we needed was good King Goffrey sat frow (front row, God get with it) giving his Royal approval to complete this Medieval Merriment. The duo paid homage to everything of this epoch and ensured more Game of Thrones then Spamalot.

Gotta say I loved the D&G balaclava, there I said it

Gotta say I loved the D&G balaclava, there I said it

And so from the King of ROCK dressing to what has to be the Queen of dressing Rock Stars, Donnatella Versace, who was in a Wild, Wild West mood, I think can only sum it up. No one could ever accuse Ms Versace of not having a sense of humour which is often lost in the Fashion industry, where people take themselves far too serious. 

Just off down the corner shop, does anyone want anything ? Yes, this was one of the more conservative looks.

Just off down the corner shop, does anyone want anything ? Yes, this was one of the more conservative looks.

Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein, drew on the Urban Explorer trend we are seeing rather a lot of this season, but also explored the heritage that made Calvin Klein so iconic using the names of three of their timeless fragrances in, Obsession, Eternity(my personal fave) and Escape to be emblazoned across some of its sweatshirts.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein

Now we all know I hate to start off on a negative and sorry for that Prada, but what was that soundtrack all about ? I needed some heavy duty Mexican painkillers for the headache after I left ! And have to say it did interfere with the enjoyment of the show, which was my favourite Prada collection of recent years. Trademark signature colours, which so shouldn’t work but so do, lil military detailing and a move away from that skinny-Malinke silhouette.

Prada

Prada

Penultimately we have the first show from Marc Jacobs since he parted company with Louis Vuitton to concentrate on his signature line. This is a man who knows a thing or two about Fashion design and this collection has to be one of his most commercial and wearable to date. Take away the styling details of the turn ups etc this a collection that every man with a modicum of taste will LOVE, honestly, I promise.

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs

Ahhh and once again we reach the end of our non stop tour of some of the biggest names in men’s style and what better way to finish then with an Italian Super brand synonymous with style, class and excellent taste, of course, Gucci. While watching this show I couldn’t help thinking of two inspirations throughout it, firstly, obviously Frida Gianinni was draw towards the influences of London’s Swinging Sixties of Carnaby Street and the Beatles but secondly and somewhat more obscurely was the Hovis boy of the TV ad fame, sorry I know but couldn’t stop referring to him.

 

By'eck son it's None other then Gucci

By’eck son it’s None other then Gucci