T he menswear fashion shows in Italy are the first on the international show circuit and act as a bellwether for future trends. This season it was all about reimagined classics, using either new technologies or adding flair via colour and extravagant fabrics. Familiar silhouettes have been tweaked and everyday pieces have been made luxurious.
It’s going to be a fun year. I’ll get my coat An essential wardrobe piece for any winter is a great coat. This year there are literally greatcoats.
Big and cosy and flowing, often double-breasted, these beasts were much in evidence in Milan. Massimo Alba, the man who put 007 into a moss-coloured cotton baby-cord duster coat in No Time to Die , has a new favourite — a 700g felt cashmere unlined navy-blue double-breasted number, easy to wear and somehow both casual and super smart. Another navy blue double-breasted model was at Dunhill, where brass buttons gave it a nautical look, while Prada had single-breasted knee-length woollen coats in grey and military green, augmented with shearling collar trim.
Agnona, the Piedmontese brand recently arrived in Harrods, but dating from 1953, had a handsome classic stone-coloured double-breasted overcoat in baby alpaca. But it was Giorgio Armani at Emporio Armani that went all-in with the overcoat — leather long styles in tan and burgundy, which possessed more than a whiff of the military. He followed this up at his Giorgio Armani show with a sumptuous flowing wool-blend coat with a broad sha.
