(Milan) The master of Italian fashion Giorgio Armani unveiled on Monday a spring-summer 2024 men’s collection of light elegance, as if weightless, marked by soft lines and fluid materials.
With nonchalant steps, the models strolled through the intimate setting of the historic headquarters in via Borgonuovo, which also serves as the designer’s home, on the fourth day of Men’s Fashion Week in Milan.
Vests are worn next to the skin, matched with loose, ultra-light double-breasted jackets and pleated trousers. The scarf tied around the neck and the hat worn casually in the hand complete the new Armani look.
Giorgio Armani drew his inspiration from the Adriatic coast, intrigued by “the vision of elegance of a certain population” of this region, he confides at the end of the show.
“They always wear very comfortable and soft things that caress the body without restricting it and it’s a way of dressing that is both elegant and practical,” explains the 88-year-old stylist.
The new collection gives pride of place to light fabrics, such as linen, cotton, satin or even silk.
True to its DNA, Giorgio Armani has chosen a color palette that ranges from sand to grey, greige, green and black, passing through blue, with touches of ruby red.
Geometric patterns and prints imitating knots bring a playful note and help “to change the look of a man in jacket and pants”, according to the Italian designer.
Like other major labels, it is inspired by the classical repertoire, bringing it up to date with a few offbeat touches.
“We can do something that recalls the past but without it being the past, because it’s the way you put on a garment that counts”, analyzes the octogenarian, the complexion always tanned and the lively look.
Hollywood Stars
The new jackets are reminiscent of those worn by Richard Gere in American Gigolo (1980), says Giorgio Armani, who created the actor’s wardrobe for this film.
“Il re Giorgio” (“King Giorgio”) has dressed movie celebrities from John Travolta to Lauren Bacall to Diana Ross and Jack Nicholson.
The deconstructed jacket, without shoulder pads and unlined, has been the emblem of the brand since its founding in 1975.
If casual chic is the leitmotif of the new collection, the strict suit and tie in gray or black, tailor-made for business meetings, also features prominently, closing the parade.
At the end of the podium, an oversized black pencil bearing the name of Giorgio Armani attracts all eyes.
It is to “remind me that my work is done by me, by a pencil, a white sheet and then there is also the head that works,” says the veteran of Italian fashion, a bit mischievous.
Zegna’s “Linen Oasis”
The lightness of the fabric and the fluidity of the cuts were also the mantra of the Zegna fashion show, which for the occasion transformed Piazza San Fedele in the historic heart of Milan into a “linen oasis”.
More than 190 bales of linen, arriving from Normandy, were arranged along the catwalk, setting the scene for a collection focused on this material prized for its suppleness. After the show, the linen will be transformed into yarn, then into fabric and finally into clothing.
Pleated trousers and bermudas are loose, to be combined with jackets with lapels and round neck jerseys or sweaters that replace straight cut jackets and coats.
Linen is the “lightness of living and dressing,” commented the brand’s artistic director, Alessandro Sartori.
“The suit as matching jacket and pants is no longer relevant. Today, everything goes with everything and that frees the customer who can play with shapes and colors,” he said.
Milan Fashion Week ends on Tuesday with purely digital presentations before fashionistas travel to Paris, for menswear and then haute couture shows.