Milan’s menswear shows: next summer will be easy-chic

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 24, 2015

The week was full of soft fabrics and innovative luxurious materials, increasingly over-size volumes, giant sweatshirts and T-shirts reaching down to the thighs, as well as ultra-thin and long knits draped endlessly over ample Bermuda shorts, extra wide leather shorts (they're everywhere!) and leggings.

Shirts have also been lengthened, often transforming into a tunic, while the simple summer coat has become somewhat smock-like. In general, pants are getting larger. They’re wider and longer, expressing the idea of extreme comfort, often gathered at the waist, while jackets are getting shorter. 

Unstructured, but elegant, jackets are now being worn over jogging pants and under a light nylon waterproof raincoat. Pajamas suits and bathrobe coats of course are also included as part of the new menswear wardrobe, while for the evening, there are a few flashes of light.

Here there’s a complete silver look (Diesel Black Gold), there, a sweater featuring stones and sparkling rhinestone (Ermanno Scervino) and an undershirt (Dsquared2) matched with golden shoes (Gucci) or sparkling flip-flops (Scervino). 

This is the man that is emerging for next summer. Fashion Week, which ended on Tuesday, June 23 in Milan, has indeed showcased a somewhat confused male figure searching for identity, bravely eyeing the female universe.

A look by Vivienne Westwood, in particular, perfectly illustrates the trend toward feminization, showing a man in an old sweatshirt with a leather pocket bag on his chest featuring a photo of a pair of breasts! 

"It’s a man who is a bit too quiet, indecisive and not very confident. He might steal fabric for his suits from the female wardrobe, giving the impression that he is hiding behind a woman, who is always more visible," said an Italian retailer, while noting, "the portion of luxury is beautifully made, the shapes and the extreme quality of the products can be seen as easily in Florence as at Pitti Uomo in Milan."

The Prada man, however, puts on leather shorts and python shirts, python serving as "the new poplin" according to Miuccia Prada, without shocking anyone. In Prada’s wake, many designers have in fact opted for shows combining looks for men and women. 

"Men are changing. There’s a lot of sportswear with ever wider and more flexible deconstructed jackets. There’s still formalwear, but in more softs tones and in a reinvigorated version," said Angelo Sermoneta, who owns several stores in Rome.

In his wardrobe for next summer, men must have "a fancy polo, jogging pants, a nice tailored jacket and a backpack,”" said one buyer. 

Blue, in all its various shades, will be the dominant color for men for next summer, definitively taking the place of black.