On January 18, Fall/Winter 2022 Milan Men's Week officially came to an end.
Due to the rapid spread of Aumechon in Europe, fashion week has been hit again, and the London Men's Week that should have been held before Milan has been cancelled due to the epidemic, and many brands have also adjusted the original arrangement. Giorgio Armani directly announced the cancellation of the menswear show and the next couture show, and two years ago, when the new crown epidemic began to spread on a large scale in Europe, Giorgio Armani was also the most decisive brand to respond, when it decided to close the show and cancel the audience admission. In addition, JW Anderson, who was scheduled to hold an offline fashion show in Milan this season, also canceled the show and used the form of video release instead.
Therefore, this season's Milan Men's Wear Week is somewhat deserted. We've put together 6 shows to keep an eye on and look back at some of Milan's highlights of the season.
Prada: A tribute to the classic show of 10 years ago
Prada's Fall/Winter 2012 menswear show, with Gary Oldman, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe and many other actors participating in the catwalk, leaving a classic mark on the history of the brand's fashion show.
3 digits of the year. Image courtesy of VOGUE US website
It's exactly the time of 10 years that Prada paid tribute to the classic moments of the year at the Fall/Winter 2022 menswear show, this time inviting 10 Hollywood stars such as Kyle MacLachlan and Jeff Goldblum to walk the runway. Although the number of people is large, it is not as good as the heavyweights of that year, and the aura of those who appeared on the scene is still difficult to surpass.
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons' designs this season revolve around the theme of "Body of Work", focusing on uniforms, transforming men's uniforms such as coats, suits, bomber jackets, cargo jackets, and jumpsuits.
The silhouette is cut with a wide shoulder and waist, reinforcing the contrast between the shoulders and waist. A major feature of the fabric is the extensive use of lustrous leather and silk, and the plush as a decorative detail is stitched together on the hem and sleeves of the coat, becoming another recognizable detail this season, which is actually a common technique in Miuccia Prada's past designs.
The jacket is the absolute focus of this season (many items are indeed very heavy), but small pieces such as turtleneck knits, gloves, belt bags, chokers, robot-shaped earrings and other small pieces that continue the style of popular items in previous seasons are expected to be another focus when the series is released in the future.
FENDI: The first step towards the metaverse
FENDI this season around the classic men's wear, the entire collection to maintain an elegant and modern temperament, Silvia Venturini Fendi in the fabric selection, cut and decoration, have given the classic more worth playing places, but also let the entire series classic but not boring, and with a distinct brand identity.
There are 3 details that deserve to be said separately. First of all, following the FF logo, the new element O'Lock promoted by FENDI has revealed a blockbuster appearance, which runs through the entire series, as jewelry, clothing patterns, handbag handles, Loafer shoe decorations, everywhere.
In addition, FENDI also took the first step in the metaverse in this series. Unlike most brands that launch NFT crypto artwork, FENDI has partnered with LEDGER to create a hardware wallet accessory series. The so-called hardware wallet, simply understood is the physical device used to store the private key of cryptocurrency, LEDGER is one of the most influential brands in the industry. The collaboration revolves around LEDGER's star product, the Nano X, which is wrapped in FENDI's O'Lock chain and Baguette handbag shape.
In the costume part, following the open-waist suits created for men last season, this season's designers brought out open collarbone suits, similar sexy designs and chest cut-out knit shirts. Sexier itself is also one of the trends in the current menswear industry.
Dolce & Gabbana: Individual performance of Machine Gun Kelly
The Show at Dolce & Gabbana pieces together a range of popular elements: metaversals, ice and snow, logo prints, gender-blurred dresses, and more. The whole show is very lively, showing more than 100 sets of looks, but it is inevitably a bit boring, and the recognition of the entire series is almost supported by the logo.
The most memorable part is the collaboration, where artist Rocco Pezzella creates graffiti on a number of pieces in the collection, which are spray-painted directly on the products.
It may not be too much to say that this show is a personal performance of Machine Gun Kelly, he changed 3 sets of looks in one breath, sang two songs, and did the WORK of DJ by the way, from the beginning to the end, full of presence.
Megan Fox was also present, the two had recently been engaged, and according to Megan himself, the two drank each other's blood after she agreed to MGK's marriage proposal
Zegna：A Path Worth Taking
Zegna is still releasing a new series in the form of creative short films this season. In this short film themed "A Path Worth Taking", outdoor scenes full of nature and abstract indoor scenes alternate, the traditional catwalk form is retained, and artistic director Alessandro Sartori injects more cinematic language into it.
The second half of the short film shows the dances created by French choreographer Sadeck Waff (the one who performed at the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Paralympic Games) for the fashion show. The final shot shifts from indoors to outdoors, and the dance troupe becomes a sea of people outside the Duomo in Milan, with two orange-tucked black settings echoing Zegna's new brand identity released late last year.
As for the clothing, the collection, like the brand's past seasons, maintains an elegant, clean yet vibrant tone.
JW Anderson: The Milan show that didn't make it
JW Anderson, who usually runs shows in London, moved to Milan this season, but due to the impact of the epidemic, the original plan to run a show in Milan was temporarily cancelled, and the brand finally released a new series in the form of video as an alternative.
JW Anderson has put the Pre-Fall 2022 womenswear collection and the Fall/Winter 2022 menswear collection together, which is a strategy that many brands will adopt. Menswear and womenswear are quite a few of the same designs, which is not surprising to JW Anderson, who has always advocated erasing gender boundaries.
JW Anderson experimented this season with turning a coat into a skirt
The brand temporarily filmed the catwalk video at Scala nightclub in London, which is just right for this season's party atmosphere. In addition to the keyword of party, JW Anderson's collection also has a childlike, fun and funny temperament, which is reflected in the knitted handbags in the shape of cartoon animals, pigeon-shaped clutch bags, and vests woven from hand rings.
1017 ALYX 9SM: Funky but lacking in personality
Also moving to Milan this season is the 1017 ALYX 9SM, which is actually based in Milan, but has been attending Paris Fashion Week before.
The 1017 ALYX 9SM also uses the same presentation method for men and women. The whole collection looks very fashionable, all the looks are in the tone of haute couture, there is no obvious street feeling, and it completely avoids the brand's most familiar signature safety buckle elements. The collision of fabrics is a big clue for this season, such as the contrast between the naturally flowing feathers in style and the PVC material of the artificial rebel light.
But unfortunately, this trendy collection lacks personality, and you can put it under the names of many brands without causing the slightest problem.
Paris time
After Milan, Paris Men's Fashion Week has taken over the baton, with more than 70 brands bringing new collections to show, nearly 20 brands arranging offline fashion shows, and other brands still going online.
Louis Vuitton and KENZO are undoubtedly worth focusing on. LV will bring Virgil Abloh's legacy (which, if nothing else, should be Virgil's final season), while KENZO will present NIGO's debut since taking office.