Along with Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi, the second day of men's shows for Spring/Summer 2025 was full of surprises. Several designers revised the codes of men's clothing, bringing a breath of fresh air to the Milan catwalks, with original creations ranging from the extravagant punk couture silhouettes of JordanLuca to the elegant, everyday elegance of Neil Barrett and the free and carefree Emporio Armani.
JordanLuca struck a hard blow, awakening a Milan Fashion Week that seemed to fall asleep before the wave of rather classic and sober summer collections. The models looked great in their punk spiked Iroquois or Liberty shields, their biker shorts and tight leotards, and their boots or ankle boots with curved stiletto heels.
This bravura look was underlined by the square shoulders of the oversized jackets, with the pointed, oversized collars of some polos. Or making a statement in an unexpected Chanel tweed bomber, shiny 3D-printed jeans, or a stiff, starched knit from Marcel whose shoulders rose from the body as if in levitation.
Englishman Jordan Bowen and Italian Luca Marchetto, the creative duo behind this haute couture streetwear brand founded in London in 2018, have fun and continue to renew and enrich their record of fun finds from season to season. This time they have been inspired by the world of dance, creating daring ballerinas with very pointed toes and studded soles.
For women, tutus made of tulle and other materials marked the waist, merging with suit jackets that extended into dresses, while large bows pulled the front of the garment back, opening to reveal the bust. . They covered their bodies with large squares of latex or silk to make sensual dresses.
As far as business is concerned, the brand has managed to stay in line with the previous season, despite “a dramatic moment for the market”, thanks above all to the viral success of its urine-effect jeans. “What has changed is that we now have many private orders from celebrities,” says Luca Marchetto.
Neil Barrett returned to a wiser, but no less sophisticated, style with a series of finds that were as fun as they were functional. As is often the case with Barrett, it's about construction, attention to detail and the careful choice of materials, which this season come from the world of women's and evening wear. “These fabrics bring a different light to clothing,” explains the English designer, who swapped nylon for taffeta to create windbreakers and sensual ultralight minishorts. She used silk for shiny pants, moiré for jackets, duchess for sweatshirts, and cashmere for knitwear, tank tops, and cozy sweaters.
It continues to look for solutions to make life easier for its clients, helping them “to dress well, with style and effortlessly.” She made clever two-in-one pieces, with a white T-shirt peeking out over a knit, vest, jacket or shirt. Of particular interest is a shirt, whose traditional vertical stripes faded downward as if worn by the sun. He also used post-cachofa pockets on anoraks, sweaters and shirts for a touch of class. Finally, to lighten the top pieces, he gave them handles to make it easier to adjust the length of the sleeves and shorten them in warmer climates.
In the end, Neil Barrett presented a clean and elegant collection of well-cut essential pieces, defining a fresh and modern new silhouette. “With these details taken from the world of fashion, I want to enhance the everyday wardrobe. They are seemingly simple details, but they are carefully thought out and make a difference,” says the designer.
In Emporio, Giorgio Armani's young line, whose show closed the second day of Milan with panache, we find the same minimalism and attention to detail, but with a fundamentally different spirit. The whole was much less urban, focusing on a warm summer in contact with nature. The gaze was directed towards the horizon, sweeping the vast meadows of the Camargue. It even reached the dunes and plains of the desert. The collection seemed to have been designed to fit perfectly into these majestic landscapes traversed by wild horses, which galloped in image all over the catwalk.
The models adopted a relaxed country style, with linen suits sometimes embroidered with fine flowers and spikes, openwork knitwear, mineral stone necklaces, woven raffia picnic bags and baskets, and straw hats. They turned to the equestrian world, wearing their trousers with garden boots, sometimes fitted with hunter straps, with leather pieces and suede jackets.
The clothes slid over the skin softly and lightly. Loose shirts, without collars, that closed just at the waist, where they crossed freely, leaving the chest exposed, as in these V-neck sweaters and pronounced necklines. The high waist of the pants is backwards, as if they are too wide and are being tightened with a makeshift belt. Oversized, unstructured jackets were worn close to the skin, accentuating the carefree look.
An oriental thread runs through the collection, with loose, light trousers, zipped or fitted at calf height, small zouave-style hats, fez-style hats, a series of collarless safari jackets with big pockets revised in looser proportions, while that for the evening the men wore blouses inlaid with sequins and stones or small embroidered jackets with a Mao collar. The palette was neutral, with all the nuances of earth, sand and nature. Large sunflowers were embroidered on a cardigan, a reference to Cézanne and the landscapes of Provence.
For the grand finale, the decor changed completely, with the horses giving way to large fields of lavender, while mauve and violet tones dominated the final looks. Elegant women in floral dresses came forward, accompanied by muscular guys dressed only in leather shorts and suspenders, each carrying large baskets full of lavender. Giorgio Armani, accompanied by his niece Silvana Armani and his right-hand man Leo Dell'Orco, only had to leave to the applause.
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