Trendspotting at Milan Menswear

The Furries
As an all-encompassing embrace or a subtle flourish, faux fur proved to be a standout feature amidst the Milano menswear collections. At Prada, hairy pelts were shrugged around shoulders, accentuating the already dramatic silhouettes of the knee-length woolen coats. Following suit, Emporio Armani’s shorter, boxy jackets were accented with oversized faux fur lapels, providing depth with dark hues. While the fur accents lend more feminine touch to the menswear looks, full faux-fur coats leant into the primitive aesthetic qualities of the material. With Setchu’s black shearling coats adding a somewhat Game of Thrones-esque drama to the contemporary suiting it was styled with. While at No.21, toffee brown faux was built up into huge collars, creating imposing silhouettes while maintaining softened textures. 

Prepare to Swish 
Despite the attempts to reacquaint fashion audiences with the skinny jean (see, the indie-sleaze trend of last year), the trouser legs showed no sign of slimming down in Milano this season. At Magliano, a parade of wide-leg trousers featured pleats around the leg, imbuing the silhouette with a sense of movement. Ludovico Bruno’s collection for Mordecai extrapolated ballooned shapes and curved lines across neutral tones with trouser legs puffing out at the waistline and continuing their exaggerated silhouettes right down to the ankles. While Axel Arigato debuted a more personalised approach to garment shaping, including adjustable buttons along trouser waistlines, inviting wearers to experiment with reconfiguring their pieces while on the body. As budgets and trends are squeezed and slimmed, it seems that Milano still welcomes a more relaxed approach to dressing. 

Give them the Boot
It was the footwear at Prada that proved to be a focal point of Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada’s menswear offer, debuting a fleet of slightly cartoonish, upturned cowboy boots. Exploring the conventional cowboy boot across a taxonomy of prints, materials and shapes, there were florals, patent leather, cherry reds and volcanic orange hues and even a pair of mary-jane style cowboy boots. Honing their curiosity in on singular items, co-creative director, Raf said: “What attracts us is the opposite – an unconscious dialogue between ideas, coming from everywhere, and then allowing them to sit together in a way that seems uncommon and new.”’

Coats buttoned to the TOP 
Much like Lily Rose Depp spotted in Soho, with trenchcoat buttoned to the top, menswear in Milan followed suit. Embracing a buttoned-up approach, coats were fastened all the way up this season, allowing for the outer garments to shine as the main character, rather than simply cloaking what lies underneath. Our Legacy explored a variety of fastenings, crossing over lapels to create a totally sealed neckline or shaping supple black leather to form a sturdy wraparound collar. At Giorgio Armani, heavy woollen coats in the house’s signature greige tone were fastened all the way up. Double-breasted silhouettes and their masculine energy was softened by leather belting and slightly rounded, dropped shoulders, reconfiguring the classic menswear shape. While Mordecai’s elevated outerwear gave rise (literally) to high necklines, sealed above the chin and accentuated with varying materials, playing with texture around the jawline. 

Pink to make the boys wink
The menswear on display at Milan fashion week was far from the traditional monotony of muted colour palettes. Instead, brands explored blushing vibrancy usually reserved for their womenswear collections. Prada remained adventurous in its colour range, debuting bright blocking with a pair of fuschia silk-satin trousers. Magliano showed a blush suit, paired with a baby pink waistcoat underneath, also presenting a magenta knit, styled with a powder blue shirt. Pronounce followed Prada’s soft pinks and flaming fuschia, with wide-leg trousers and a v-neck cardigan in a similarly eye popping pink. 

Technical
The lines between sharp tailoring and sportstyle tech continue to blur as a slew of menswear shows debuted more technical approaches to their collections this season. At Saul Nash, sartorial silhouettes were enhanced with his signature dexterity for movement and functionality. The traditional cumberbund was revamped for the modern man, featuring a zipper opening and designed with sporting material, totally reimagining the ever-fading black-tie specification. At Emporio Armani, puffer jackets, baseball caps and waterproof trousers were crafted in tech fabrics across a handful of sporty hues in their skiwear first act.