Alessandro Dell’Acqua of No.21 brought his womenswear classics to men, making the boys for summer romantic and sweet. Lace was worked for slim pants and shirts, tops and short pants in lightweight gingham fabrics were cut in fluid silhouettes and suits came in sorbet colors. These contrasted with the contemporary, skater-inspired feel of printed T-shirts and Neoprene color-blocked sweatshirts embossed with the No. 21 logo. This is the modern Milanese guy.
This look above is the outfit that killed all the others for SS15. Clement Chabernaud wears a over-sized, striped pajama like shirt, paint marked boyfriend jeans and the classical, Gucci loafers. What to need more for summer? This gorgeous collection delivered by Frida Gianini for us yesterday is one of the best Gucci men ever had! Ticking all the nautical boxes and yet deftly managing to rise above costume party clichés, the tailoring-led collection featured boating jackets – contrast piping adorning collars and sleeves – gold anchor-stamped buttons and pristine white ankle grazers. Bravo!
So, what did Prada serve us this time for her men’s SS15 and women’s Resort’15? Something you would probably not think of: a pool. In the middle of the show venue, we had a 90 deegree rectangular swimming pool filled with water. A pretty perfect mood for summer, isn’t it? But all the spark was in the fashion that was presented. “I interpreted the classics. It means everything and nothing. It means what looks good for me” said Miuccia Prada backstage, meaning that for menswear, she always can do what she likes most, while for womenswear, “we always have to push, push, push.” I totally agree with her in that fact – the men’s clothes were a fresh, updated version of her 70’s ugly-chic uniforms and the sandals had this Prada mood written all over it. “It’s kind of conservative. Conservative looks more new” Miuccia added. Utah boys visiting the concrete jungle, embroidered top-stitched everything, brown leather-detailed denim and cashmere versions of charity shop knits… it all felt old, but new in a way it was a bit forgotten by people. But as it sounds typically, nothing is really normal at Prada. The exagarated stitches are just the prove! You see them everyday on your denim, but here, Prada made them in the spotlight. If coming back to the pool, there was also an irony about it. Surrounded on all sides by bleachers covered in dodgy golden-brown carpet (only Miuccia would pair that with a glittering pool) that extended to a raised runway on the water, it was a Miuccia-style take on an old summertime chestnut. “It was a joke on what’s classic,” she commented after the show. So, was that just another show? No, it was a very Prada show.
About the artist: Israeli sculptor. He adopted the name Absalon on his arrival in Paris in the late 1980s. During his short career he achieved widespread recognition for the 1:1 scale architectural models that he constructed of idealised living units. These wooden models, painted white, demonstrate an obsession with order, arrangement and containment, and have associations both of protective shelters and monastic cells.
Beige. Beige. Beige. And then a little drop of yellow; little splash of red; and the whole red / yellow / orange PVC sweatshirts appeared. That was possibly the most dynamic change of action during the whole Milan Men Fashion Week! Calvin Klein summer was a sportish collection full of casual shorts, trousers (I love the cuts) and tank tops, that went through reincarnation of their colour. “Transparency is very important to move ahead with straightforwardness and simplicity” said Italo Zucchelli, the designer. I just want to add it reminded me of Miu Miu for AW14 (these vinyl!)…
Allesandro Dell’ Acqua is now the man behind two brands. First is his No.21, based in Milan and the second one is Rochas- based in Paris. And he makes it really, really fine! The new collection for No.21 was all about cute prints and sweet words like Darling that made the overall result very girlie and feminine. I truly fell in love with all these floral prints a la Marni and gorgeous polished bags with huge No.21 written over it. This is going to be a really lovely spring, I assume…
Design & Culture by Ed 