The Big Milan Fashion Week Looks We'd Take Straight From The Runway
As the second city of menswear's Big Four, Milan Fashion Week has long and winding roots in fashion (of which it is very, very proud). This is the birthplace of Gucci, and Fendi, and Giorgio Armani; in other words, brands that not only command a large slice of the industry's attention, but also define that industry's trajectory.
All of this makes Milan Fashion Week very important. But, unlike London (the mad one), and Paris (the serious one), the Italian capital of style is a bit more playful, a bit more romantic, a bit more, dare we say, sexy? And that lends itself well to collections that the Esquire style team can pluck straight from the runway, and into real life. Perhaps with a slicked-back haircut and sunglasses indoors.
Tod's
Charlie Teasdale, Style Director
"In Milan, I really enjoyed the general return to classic elegant menswear. That is to say, there seemed to be fewer trainers, technical fabrics and oversized shapes, and more tailoring, shirts, ties (TIES!) and overcoats.
"One of the surprise packages was A-Cold-Wall*, which opened with a super-clean, totally mega double-breasted suit in a deep indigo blue. But my pick of the whole weekend was Tod’s, which presented its collection of casual, quietly stylish men’s garb around a purpose-built bar at Milan’s iconic Villa Necchi. Of that collection, the best look was as simple as they come: blue jeans, a navy-blue polo shirt and a tan rain mac with leather detailing. You might not have the cheekbones of the man wearing it, but it’s wonderful to see that such timeless, off-duty style can be so easily achieved."
Fendi
Murray Clark, Digital Style Editor
"Happiness is my housemate's bright puffer jacket, which I've eyed for quite some time. So I was nigh-on hysterical when Fendi presented its own take, mixing wearable, fun tailoring alongside wearable, fun sportswear.
"So far, so Fendi. Though under the steer of creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi – the daughter of the Italian house's founder – the playfulness was considered. This wasn't solely for the optics of Instagram; the house's logomania has been dialled down in recent seasons.
"This look blurred the lines of once strict codes too: in 2020, you can clash prints and textures. You can plate-up a grey two-piece with a bright orange over-layer. Yes, Fendi proved itself to to be the new master of high fashion high-low mixes. And its puffer jackets are now my new favourite (sorry Phil)."
Prada
Finlay Renwick, Deputy Style Editor
"Against a bright red backdrop that dipped into a violet ombre, the Milanese stable boy-meets-urban commuter of the future stomped into the Fondazione Prada, Milan’s high temple of tactical nylon. Around a Rem Koolhaas-constructed cardboard horse, grey-suited and boxy-coated men in ties dominated, but it was the subtle clashes of colour that caught my eye.
"An oversized blazer in not-quite navy, teal trousers with a heavy turn-up and a punch of colour in the red leather holdall. Glasses that were both Art Deco and future-facing. It’s what Prada does so well: technical fabrics in a strange and masterful construction. A suit that isn’t quite a suit. No logo, but you know exactly who's made it."
A-Cold-Wall*
Dan Choppen, Fashion Assistant
"Moving from London to Milan is no an easy move. Relatively speaking, younger brands have a greater sense of creative freedom in London, as opposed to the commercial powerhouse that is Milan. Samuel Ross's early years with A-Cold-Wall* were an ‘art project’, which suited his London shows. His new home city was keen to see the designer would express his burgeoning maturity.
"Missing his typical industrial and brutalist motifs, Ross steered more formal, combining vibrant, modern tailoring with wavy flared trousers. His obsession with technicality was still present, just subtler. My personal favourite, the finale: a distressed M65 leather jacket with a faint camouflage, over a nylon raincoat with chunky, black boots. Now I just need a motorbike."
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