Portofino's Playboy, as Ralph Lauren goes Riviera

It says a lot about designers' current preoccupations when such contrasting creators as Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren presented Riviera-inspired menswear shows on Saturday in Milan.

Dolce & Gabbana: the playboy of Portofino

Roll of raffia and refinement at Dolce & Gabbana with a masculine wardrobe that will be ideal for a Riviera playboy in 2025.

Presented within the duo's exhibition space on Viale Piave, the key component of the collection was raffia, a traditional straw fabric whose breathability has always made it popular on the hot Italian peninsula.

Especially in this show, which opened with a large series of doublets, cabans and jackets made in a mix of black and tan raffia. The gentlemen even wove the threads into houndstooth patterns seen on everything from cardigans to espadrilles. And I enjoyed weaving loose raffia into shirts for lunch, or thickly for clubbing after midnight in Ibiza.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are clearly expecting a long, hot summer next year, as this 2025 collection was subdued and very light. Even the crepe trousers, trousers and shirts, carefully embroidered with pink coral beads.

Presented against a simple white proscenium backdrop, the show did not, however, rely on the help of its soundtrack, a rare mistake for a label so obsessed with music. Old, syrupy songs like Piero Piccioni's 'Amore A Forza' or Piero Umiliani's 'Bob and Hellen' probably seemed like a good idea during the planning of the show, but they sure ruined the mood.

Otherwise, it was a great change of direction on the part of Stefano and Domenico, and a revealing commentary on fashion's search for optimism in a dark time.

Ralph Lauren: Refined Riviera

Elegant classicism with a contemporary twist at Ralph Lauren this season in a superb new collection from America's most respected designer.

“We call it Ralph's Riviera,” explained John Wrazej, Ralph Lauren's design director, in a tour of the collection, presented in the carpeted central courtyard of Lauren's villa in central Milan. After several fairly formulaic seasons, this all felt like a new take on Ralph Lauren, underlined by the upbeat mood at this morning's presentation.

Mixing ideas from St Tropez to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat with Lauren's polished preparation, and all showcased by a dazzlingly attractive cast.

Lauren has always been a brilliant natural stylist and although he wasn't present, his touch was evident in many outfits. Like the magnificent dark trousers and the white tie vest worthy of a morning suit, combined with a blue linen safari. She talks about the epitome of gentlemanly style.

Also impressing were the navy paisley and Prince of Wales looks with a thick silk tie fabric, which had a lot of energy.

“We've focused on key looks in Ralph Lauren's history and seeing how they can work very well today,” Wrazej ​​said, pointing to a combination of yellow pants and blue blazer. Which was pretty much exactly what Ralph was wearing one day when he was winning awards for his Bugatti at car shows in Florida in the '80s.

And, one couldn't help but notice, there was also a navy raffia shirt in this collection, albeit cleverly worn in an air/cardigan combination.

Later that evening, the house hosted the most elegant evening in menswear with a dinner with US Esquire inside the house's refined rationalist-era home.

Hugo Spritzes cocktails or margaritas, followed by Lauren's classic surf and land food: crab and avocado with delicious filets.

Earlier, Rufus Wainwright sang five songs, from Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' to a beautiful rendition of Bertolt Brecht's 'Mack the Knife', accompanied by John Idol on grand piano.

Welcome to the new era of gentlemanly elegance of the Torch Song, near the Mediterranean.