Monsters and masculinity seen on Milan’s catwalk
Print Edition
Prada
Miuccia Prada observes a world becoming more “difficult, dangerous, boiling” and interpreting it through fashion.
Her latest collection had a strong military silhouette, but offset with whimsical details.
“It came out naturally,” Prada said. “I didn’t know that I wanted to do it, but the only thing I had in mind was military.”
Prada’s looks mostly were done in black and navy, starting with elegant men’s suits first shown with the jacket casually opened, worn shirtless and having slightly cropped trousers that revealed bare ankles. But the collection had more than one mood and Prada gave a nod to cheesy horror movies. The soundtrack included harder-rock versions of music from the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “The Addams Family.” Prada said she wasn’t necessarily a fan, but was fascinated that the writer who created Frankenstein’s monster, Mary Shelley, initially had to publish under her husband’s name.
N21
Alessandro Dell’Acqua dresses men in sheer cable knits, plunging scoop necks and lace shirts for his latest N21 collection, exploring the themes of male eroticism and ambiguity through mariner motifs.
“I like the fragility of the sailor,” Dell’Acqua said backstage. Rainier Werner Fassbinder’s 1982 film “Querelle” provided references “to present a kind of camaraderie among men that isn’t comprised only of muscularity but also a certain ambiguity, a certain eroticism.”
The designer said in his show notes that challenging stereotypes of masculinity can help men better understand themselves as well as “the world around, including the major decisive change on the part of the female universe.” Dell’Acqua’s sailor wears tight-fitting, scoop-necked ribbed T-shirts with glazed poplin trousers that mimic leather and slings a duffle bag over his shoulder.
Ermenegildo Zegna
Menswear fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna showed under the cavernous arched ceilings of Milan’s fascist-era train station, offering cups of mulled wine to warm spectators before the show. The space in the entrance hall was replete with symbolism. Thousands of commuters and travelers rush through each day. But the hall’s mezzanine was also used as a station for thousands of migrants who had arrived by sea in the south and were making their way to northern Europe from 2013-15. Designer Alessandro Sartori seemed to have both in mind, writing that he chose the venue as “a place of arrivals and departures, but also integration and acceptance of diversity.”
The collection aimed at Sartori’s vision of a “multicultural generation of global citizens” combined classic suits, sportswear and military detailing. For the traveler, the looks were finished with easy-striding footwear including Zegna’s first sneaker, called Cesare.
An oversized plaid notched-lapel bomber jacket paired with matching cargo trousers gave a neat daytime look. Military detailing included ribbed knits, calf straps and a touch of camouflage.
Fendi
Fendi wants to entice younger adults into eschewing streetwear and dressing more formally. The brand’s menswear collection, designed with input from Karl Lagerfeld, featured suits in shiny materials, metallic accents on knitwear and sheer-collared shirts, and organza tuxedo jackets.
Dress shoes finished the looks, often with a lip on the sole in a contrasting color — a male version of the celebrated Fendi Baguette bag. Underlining the formal tone, there were even some ties. A suit jacket with contrasting lapels — one shawl-style and one notched — already has been dubbed the “Karl jacket.”
“There is nothing more subversive than a young man wearing a formal suit,” Silvia Venturini Fendi said.
Chinese singer and rapper Jackson Wang performed his hit “Fendiman” for the show’s crowd.
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