Calvin Klein Collection photography by Dan Lecca.
LAST LOOKS: BEST OF MILAN MEN'S FALL 2016
After the vibrant burst of energy that kicked off the new year in London, Milan’s designers seemed to be reacting to a world that is full of difficulties of all kinds. Sometimes the answer was taking a position of strength, and sometimes it was about finding power in abundance and repose, as can be seen in The Last Magazine fashion director Alastair McKimm’s top ten Fall 2016 collections in the slideshow below.
Androgyny has been one of the major trends in dressing over the last few years, but a tipping point was reached when Italo Zucchelli of Calvin Klein, that arbiter of American masculinity, showed his strong, minimalist suiting on gorgeous women like Iselin Steiro and Mariacarla Boscono, with sparkling technological metallics on the guys. Crossing the gender divide from a different angle, Alessandro Michele affirmed his new direction at Gucci, reminding us how far the house has come in just one year with his quirky prints, effusive embroidery, and the boyish pompoms swinging from the ends of knit hats. Peter Dundas worked a similarly ornate sensibility in his first men’s collection for Roberto Cavalli, riffing on the house’s bohemianism with bold prints, louche pajamas, and heavily decorated shearlings. Embellishment was also the rule of the day for Ermenegildo Zegna’s Stefano Pilati, who added jacquards, woven patchworks, and hand embroidery to accentuate the clean lines of his suiting and outerwear.
Over at Jil Sander, Rodolfo Paglialunga updated the namesake’s traditional precision with a strong edge, adding references to armature and the military with a streamlined classicism. Also responding to the difficult trials of contemporary life, especially immigration across the Mediterranean, Miuccia Prada found her inspiration at sea, with pea coats, oversized lapels, and sailor hats that were at once both innocent and powerful. Donatella Versace took to the air in her collection, showing space-age metallics and glowing piping pulled from astronaut suits, mapping an optimistic and strengthened path into the future.
In difficult times, Consuelo Castiglioni based her response in comfort rather than coldness, wrapping her models up in large knits and oversized tops that had a simple, playful appeal. There was a similar homeyness at Fendi as well, with robe coats, flannel plaids, and—of course—furs finished off with fuzzy slippers and a cowhide runway. And for Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier worked to reinvent a longer silhouette, one that spoke of ease and confidence with soft plaids and velvets that seemed just as appropriate for taking on the world as any uniform.
Take a look at our top ten collections from London here.
