In a hectic 24 hours in Milan, MSGM paid tribute to the Mediterranean; Brioni revealed some surprising lies; Setchu celebrated the samurai in Egypt; David Koma made his male debut; and Corso Como celebrated Yohji Yamamoto.
MSGM: Mediterranean mode
No Italian designer conveys the joy of life better than Massimo Giorgetti, whose last collection for his MSGM brand was an ode to the sea.
Specifically, the Mediterranean, on whose coast Massimo owns a beautiful house by the sea. That Ligurian village featured on several fantastic Photoshop-printed shorts for boys and windbreakers for girls in this mixed show.
Surprisingly, even though this is Milano Moda Uomo, this season's three opening shows have featured both men's and women's looks.
Presented inside an eastern Milan warehouse, where extras dropped buckles of paint onto white screens to create abstract expressionist brushstrokes, in the same palette as the collection.
Shorts with floral and fauna print; hibiscus print shirts; knitwear embroidered with huge crabs or sweatshirts that said Not A Tourist. Cheerful and optimistic, and completely in sync with MSGM's DNA.
“The sea is where I grew up. In this collection there are many memories of my childhood: stripes, colors, waves, dolphins and even my house in Liguria. So it is a reflection of what I want to see in the future: happiness, positivity and energy,” Massimo explained backstage.
Among the beachwear was a careful selection of tailoring, with MSGM's iconic oversized trousers and baggy blazer suit as evidence. In this collection, Giorgetti also teamed up with Luke Edward Hall, the carefree English illustrator, to create some drawings of super young people on the beach seen in tank tops and party shirts.
Backed by the classic dance song, 'Kids' by MGMT, the entire show garnered huge applause for Giorgetti, one of Milan's most popular fashion figures.
Brioni: Men's haute couture in a labyrinth
It's hard to imagine a better high-end resource for modern men's tailoring than Brioni, where designer Norbert Stumpfl has become the inventor of the most forward-thinking fabrics in men's fashion.
On Saturday, as raindrops fell, he unveiled his surprising new concepts inside a central garden in the city, captivating with almost every glance.
Other designers play with seersucker, Norbert takes that material to a very new place, composing it in Japan and layering dark checks and tartans to extremely light blazers and doublets.
He cuts long trench coats in silk crepes and composes languid suits in beige and iridescent pink silk, while silk membrane shirts seem almost made of liquid, as they hide under crocodile vests.
For the evening, he designed almost completely transparent white tuxedos with a checkered print, while his monochrome tuxedo with matching shirt and bow tie in pale gray-blue seemed born for an Oscar winner's red carpet.
The decisive coup though was a black silk shantung tuxedo that sprouted hand-finished bugle beads and silk threads. Men's haute couture at its finest.
A brilliant collection presented within a green maze, and the only caveat. Brioni really needs to be seen on natural models, not just wooden mannequins.
David Koma: a daring debut
David Koma, London's king of sexy bodycon attire, unveiled his first menswear collection on Saturday, and it turned out to be a much bolder vision than his womenswear.
Placed in a basement, equipped with exercise machines, the collection felt a lot like “me training my creative muscle.” And help my mental health,” Koma explained.
Aged leather crossbody cabanas; fabrics that looked deliberately moth-eaten; or faded plaid shirts adorned with feathers. Feathers flourished on leather biker jackets, wool jackets and military shirts.
“Design in a different way, since it is the first time I can do it with my own clothes. And I was able to think about the circle of friends I have and realized that I'm actually surrounded by quite artistic men,” added Koma, who teased items from his women's collection, from crystals to tech fabrics.
The designer born in Georgia, but based in London, was also inspired by the latest women's collection by Pina Bausch and Candela Capitan, with garments that suggest athleticism, movement and dance. Or clothes on and off stage, like shaggy denim jackets and pants that billowed when shaken.
“Women are pure fantasy for me. But men's fashion is super real for my friends. I kept wondering how I can balance high-end with super normal. They are very different languages, but I think I achieved the balance,” concluded Koma, who is not a designer characterized by self-doubt.
Setchu: Satoshi's subtle clothing
No trip to Milan is complete without seeing Setchu, the ultimate cerebral brand and the brainchild of 2023 LVMH Prize winner Satoshi Kuwata.
“I can't stand mood boards. They are like decoration. I like to start with an idea,” smiled Kuwata, who gently tore up a taxi receipt from Milan to explain the concept of this season. Tearing apart to unfold, reveal and surprise in a large series of skillfully deconstructed coats and garments.
Although he lives in Milan, Japanese-born Kuwata often focuses on Japanese fabrics, dimpled cottons and samurai stripes. He even created some cool new prints, based on images of samurai standing before the Sphinx of Giza in the 1860s.
“I wasn't born to make Western clothes,” Satoshi insisted, politely pointing to an editor's double-breasted jacket.
The collection, largely unisex except for a few dresses, was presented amid a lookbook session inside an exhibition space featuring artwork by Gio Marconi. It included a giant felt cockade, like the one Napoleon wore in his Egyptian campaign.
The ideal setting for this highly inventive designer, whose collections are sold in the best boutiques, from Dover Street Market to Antonia in Milan.
Above all, it was Satoshi's clever modular ideas, where slits and dropped shoulders can be reassembled, that made this collection modern, commercial and flattering. Like the crisp white linen suit with adjustable pants worn by his LVMH mentor, Patou CEO Sophie Bocart. The best dressed luxury executive in Milan this season.
Yohji Yamamoto: cool haute couture in Corso Como
Much to the surprise, Yohji Yamamoto accepted an exhibition of his work in Corso Como this summer.
Like some designers, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Yohji never likes to look back. But he did it in this installation of 25 brilliant creations, titled
'.
“I'm not afraid of time. I don't care if that makes me old… although I miss my rivals. I lost them all the time, they were friends too, I feel lonely, but in reality, the best rival you can have is yourself,” Yohji says in words written on a white wall.
Technically, Yamamoto is a ready-to-wear designer, but this mini-retrospection makes it clear to anyone with an eye in their head that Yohji is one of fashion's half-dozen best couturiers of the past 25 years.
Yamamoto is probably best known for his avant-garde draping, which envelops and protects women, making this exhibition a revelation.
Its challenging deconstruction; The exquisite sense of unexpected proportions and the mad ability to twist materials create looks of great brave romanticism.
Curated with elegant understatement by Alessio de' Navasques, the exhibition marks a new moment in the life of Corso Como following its acquisition by Tiziana Fausti, the prominent Bergamo boutique owner.
From a geometric felt origami dress coat dating back to autumn/winter 1996 to a series from his most recent show held inside Paris City Hall, this is a can't-miss fashion statement from a designer from the fashion pantheon, who made her debut on the Paris catwalk. four decades ago.
“The first looks date back to the mid-nineties, because before that date there was not a huge archive. Yohji would literally burn old clothes. He talks about not looking back,” the curator marveled.
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