Menswear Tailoring Brands Embrace Deconstructed, Relaxed Designs – WWD

MILAN — Soft tailoring and deconstructed looks were all the rage on Milan’s runways but also at the venues chosen by Italian menswear brands that embraced the trend, leveraging their time-honed sartorial expertise.

Brioni staged its spring presentation in an apartment on the 29th floor of the first skyscraper built in Milan, Torre Breda, which dates back to 1955, with a breathtaking view of the city. “I was thinking of the newness this building brought to the city and that led me to the newness I wanted to bring to Brioni,” said design director Norbert Stumpfl.

In fact, the brand’s core tailoring was there, although this season presented in even lighter fabrics and sophisticated constructions, which led the designer to speak of ease and comfort, also in light of the several leisurewear looks he offered — field jackets, knitted shirts, polos, nubuck leather pants, suede duster coats and bombers.

The tailoring was more relaxed in fit and construction with fuller volumes. The mannequins staged on the terrace, positioned around a fountain, evoked the Dolce Vita, he said, wearing cashmere, linen and silk pieces in a pastel color palette of lime green or pink. Secret details are always a Brioni forte and a nubuck coat with crocodile skin elements on the back of its collar was a perfect example. The eveningwear selection was equally light, as shawl-collared dinner jackets were cut in silk, and peak-lapel smoking jackets were offered in jigsaw jacquards. Stumpfl once again presented a few women’s looks that evolved from the men’s designs — beautiful sleeveless coats and long dresses.

The names of the colors of Pal Zileri’s suits were derived from the food world, so that cotton pants dubbed “milk coffee” were paired with a shirt in micro seersucker in a vanilla hue, and the apricot suit was worn over a silk blouse embellished with a motif of stylized coffee beans. An oyster field jacket in nylon was displayed with a cotton shirt in a sugar color and the stretch pleated pants came in an espresso hue. Beyond the fun play with words, the collection was streamlined and in sync with the brand’s tradition.

Following the exit of Paul Surridge, who collaborated on two capsules over two seasons, at Corneliani style director Stefano Gaudioso said the Circle line will continue to embrace sustainable solutions and craftsmanship but expand even more its cross-cultural influences in a dialogue with creative talents in architecture, design and the arts. The guest collaborators this season are Gaëlle Gabillet and Stéphane Villard, the duo behind the Paris-based design and architecture studio GGSV. The Circle was visually interpreted as a circular pavilion with giant tiles of marbled papier mâché in the natural colors of the collection at the elegant Corneliani headquarters in Milan, and the dedicated setup will be donated to the city of Milan to extend its life cycle.

With lower impact Italian fabrics and practices, Corneliani favored organic and certified materials such as twill linen, techno wool, jersey, cotton piqué or chevron wool, linen and silk. The layering of jackets in different proportions and more ample volumes — yet feather-light — were key elements of the collection. A Prince of Wales suit in a construction punctuated by elaborate stitching and seams reflected Corneliani’s tailoring expertise. There was also an expanded knitwear offer ranging from ultra-fine to heavyweight shapes with mouliné effects, rib motifs, interlock stitches and cable textures.

Precisely executed details were the common denominator running through the range of designs Kiton presented in the courtyard of Palazzo Clerici, a Milan landmark dating back to the 18th century. While the collection didn’t stray from the brand’s sartorial origins, it was infused once again with a sense of ease in sync with the moment. Cue lightweight jacquard jackets, cotton and linen jumpers in shades of beige and emerald green, or Japanese nylon padded jackets with a reversible cashmere lining. There were feather-light cashmere and linen polo shirts in bright green and suede waistcoats. Geometric patterns of orange and white were reminiscent of the masterpieces of Paul Klee and Philippe Malo. The beachwear collection, with swimwear and short-sleeved jumpers in shades of yellow and orange, and the collared shirts with a classic Neapolitan majolica motif print completed the collection. As guests sipped drinks and enjoyed Neapolitan pasta in the early Milanese evening at the venue, it all looked perfectly suitable for those leisurely summer evenings in any of the resorts Kiton customers favor.

With its sophisticated spring collection, Canali shined a light on the work behind the clothes, so much so that it was dubbed “Mediterranean Craft.” The brand’s cornerstone, tailoring, was emphasized but in a more gentle way, following the body in fluid silhouettes, with fuller trousers and a soft color palette that ranged from lavender to sunflower, with accents of caramel and burgundy.

The collection included handmade pantsuits, reversible checked coats and blousons constructed with a complex technique resulting in unlined and seamless garments with invisible stitching. Micro or macro Vichy checks were irregularly painted on shirts and trousers, but there were also flower motifs adding to the gentleness. Canali’s Care suits and knits were made with organic or recycled fabrics, adhering to the brand’s eco-stance.

Linen infiltrated the Boglioli wardrobe, casting a refreshing light on the brand’s staples. For example, the classic double-breasted suit in wool and silk was replicated in linen for a more casual, effortless feel, which was amplified by the palette of earthy colors conveying a Mediterranean summer vibe. Winking to the wedding season, the brand also displayed a linen version of its white tuxedo. With the same desire for comfort, the company expanded the collection with field jackets and polos, and debuted a new concept of the suit that matches pants with overshirts. 

As it marks its 50^th anniversary this year, Boglioli flanked the main line with a capsule collection celebrating its signature deconstructed cashmere K-Jacket, here offered in a limited edition of 50 pieces coming with a dedicated tag and serial number. The special line will launch at Boglioli’s stores in Milan and New York, as well as its e-commerce, in September.

In the season of deconstructed and breezy tailoring, even Massimo Alba, who usually champions a more inventive “spezzato,” the Italian word for the separate suit, offered plenty of creased and easygoing sartorial wear in his spring collection, decked in earthy tones and chalky sorbet nuances.

“I really like suits… the idea is for men to anchor their look to a suit and then play with underpinnings,” Alba said. His tailoring came in single-breasted linen versions, the pants long just past the ankle to add extra ease, or in of-the-now workwear-informed short iterations in turquoise, tan and chocolate brown shades.

The washed, worn-in effect that is core to Alba’s fashion offering enhanced the laid-back attitude of the collection where cashmere polo shirts and linen and silk crewnecks were raw-hemmed, and finished to achieve matte and dusty effects. They mingled with striped, polka dot and checkerboard shirts as well as lightweight corduroy suits for the early spring days. The collection, called “From my house to yours,” with its easy mix-and-match approach highlighted individual personality.

At Lardini, a safari theme brought to the fore the escapist mood running through the spring collections in Milan. It echoed in the juxtaposition of dusty tones, the abundance of separate suits and the inventive underpinnings which overall telegraphed an understated, off-duty sense of elegance.

Suits retained a certain rigorous formality, at least in the blazers’ silhouettes with strong shoulders that penciled the torso, but boasting rounded lapels or coming collarless. They were paired with roomy, often double-pleated, pants and underpinned with djellaba tunics cut just past mid-thigh and textured open work knits.

“It’s all about fluidity and comfort but still a return to suiting [was overdue] to embrace elegance again,” said creative director Luigi Lardini. To this end, a burgundy tailored short and overshirt combo, paired with a gradient silky shirt, would befit the younger generations as their tailored holiday gear.

Tonal dressing in menswear is having a moment, according to buyers polled by WWD, and there were plenty of iterations in the spring Eleventy collection with ivory and buttery whites softly accented by touches of powdery blue, brick-wall red and brown or beige.

In keeping with the explorer theme seen in other collections, a pocketed blazer hinged on utilitywear paired with fluid pants, while field jackets were tossed over double-breasted linen suits. The leisurely mood was best telegraphed in the textured aquamarine suit layered over a polo knit and presented with boat shoes.  

A dedicated range coming in bright blue, dusty pink, and lilac, among other shades, was front and center in the Tagliatore spring collection filled with welt-pocketed blazers and wide-legged pants. A stronger focus on casual pieces resonated in the overshirts, crafted from lightweight linen or in 3D-patterned, textured cotton blends offered as a separate suit paired with narrow formal pants.

The season’s underpinning par excellence, knitwear was presented in various iterations by creative director Pino Lerario, with open-work stitches among the standouts, while kurta- and pajama-style shirting mingled nicely with leather and suede bomber jackets and overshirts.

Rich hues, including peacock blue and curry yellow, accented the summery whites and beige of the Brett Johnson spring collection, contributing to elevate the French Riviera flair. While ditching the full suit, the American designer had jersey blazers, a new style for the brand, bearing micro chevron patterns matched with tonal knits and linen drawstring pleated pants.

The use of color was the main theme in Harmont & Blaine’s “Harmontcromia” spring collection, heavy on casualwear seen through the lens of summer gateways in southern Italy. The brand’s take on tailoring included periwinkle linen blazers layered over tonal T-shirts and shirts with white chino pants.