Last but not least, as we warp up Milan Fashion Week Men's autumn/winter 2019 season, we take a closer look at Emporio Armani and Fendi, who continues the trope of tailoring, but with their own modern twist on it.
Emporio Armani
While the world is having a moment with tech wear, Giorgio Armani looks at a different way of dressing the Armani man who inhabits both the great outdoors as well as the urban concrete jungle. Broken down into two defining components – Armani signature soft, and fluid tailoring still remains, and use of heavily textured fabrics, think loads of organic materials like furs, leathers and shearling translated into coats, blousons and scarfs. While the fabrics might be a throwback to a more rugged, throwback era (think what would caveman would wear), but ethics of it were definitely modern. Case in point, all the furs are actually eco faux fur.
Where the collection truly shines, is the deft amalgamation of both these elements. For example, you see fur coats and fur hoodies, worn with tailored jacquard trousers, shearling blousons with tailored jackets and joggers. Taking the concept of urban and wildness a tad further is one of our favourites from the collection, where the furs and leathers are given a metallic treatment.
In an era where streetwear biggest appeal is its ease and comfort, Giorgio Armani has successfully adapted those elements into his manifesto, presenting a collection where a suit looks just as comfortable to sleep in as a pair of joggers, hoodies and sweaters.
Fendi
Bringing on a guest artist to collaborate on Fendi's menswear collection has been a running theme, one that we have seen work to interesting effect in the past few seasons. This autumn/winter 2019 collection is no exception, but one that we saw Silvia Venturini Fendi was a letter of love to the man who helped put the Rome-based luxury house on the map and defacto 6th Fendi child, inviting Karl Lagerfeld as its artist-in-residence.
The collection was a celebration of duality, one that sees both creative directors of the Fendi's menswear and womenswear working on a singular collection, one that saw Karl Lagerfeld collaborating on and inspiring the collection. Lagerfeld love of tailoring was presented with Venturini Silvia signature twist, in the form of the opening suit look, complete with asymmetrical lapels. But more than just showing a jacket with dual lapels, dualism was interpreted into half and half jackets that zipped up on both the front and back, a coat made with light translucent mesh and heavy wool.
Our favourite expression of Fendi's autumn/winter 2019 theme of duality was in the accessories department, where the Peek-A-Boo bag and the first male version of Fendi Baguette, are made in collaboration with Japanese's nylon luggage specialist, Porter-Yoshida & Co are updated in their signature nylon. The new iteration of the Fendi Baguette keeps the silhouette that made it an icon, but meant to worn in more ways than one – as a crossbody bag or a fanny pack also comes more luxurious version like metallic leathers, crocodile and shearling.
Fendi's autumn/winter 2019 collection is more than just a throwback, but one that saw Venturini Silvia take tried and tested classics, put her own spin it and present it for the future.
