For any confirmation of what the Hermès Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Saturday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Hermès Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Saturday, 20 January 2024 at 10pm Singapore time
There's no doubt that Loewe is one of the hottest shows on any fashion week calendar. Not only do the stars come out in the droves to witness the fashion conceptualised by creative director Jonathan Anderson, the fanfare goes beyond the celebrity front rows—the fashion is actually inspiring and different.
For any confirmation of what the Loewe Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Saturday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Loewe Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Saturday, 20 January 2024 at 7pm Singapore time
Valentino makes a return to the Paris Fashion Week Men's calendar after going back to splitting up its menswear and womenswear shows since the Spring/Summer 2024 season—shown during Milan Fashion Week Men's last year.
For Autumn/Winter 2024, creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli is calling it Valentino Le Ciel. Translated to English, "le ciel" means "sky". Which is interesting given the location of the show: the Monnaie de Paris. It is one of the oldest minting and manufacturing minting institutions in the world with many runway shows and events held there over the years. Could Piccioli attempt to connect the relationship between money and the heavens above? Or would we be seeing a collection completely done in the shade of blue (perhaps with some whites for a visual break) as exemplified in the teasers and the physical invite received?
For any confirmation, stay tuned for the show this Friday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Valentino Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Sunday, 21 January 2024 at 1am Singapore time
"Consistency" could mean different things to different people. For some, it's akin to playing it safe with no actual point-of-view to speak of; others take it to mean being true to one's spirit and key aesthetics. Berluti falls in the latter—a shoemaking brand that has expanded over the decades to offer a more holistic luxury experience.
That's not to say that Berluti is only skilled at shoemaking (it is, of course). But throughout its course of creative directorship changes—Haider Ackermann as artistic director was a personal favourite—it has proven that there's a lot to work with as extensions of its sharp footwear. Berluti is decidedly rudderless but the design team is crafting innovative pieces that works for a lifestyle worthy of the quality of its craftsmanship and pieces.
It's evident from the presentation space for the Berluti Autumn/Winter 2024 collection. Located in a historical house with all the typical flourishes of a luxurious Parisian apartment, it was easy to imagine that the collection could very well belong to the owner of the lavish four-room suite.
The space opened up with an installation of Berluti's new Venezia leather patina colours for the season, displayed on the classics the likes of the Alessandro and the Andy. To the left was a room of the season's ready-to-wear offerings worn by a cluster of mannequins, each completely styled from head-to-toe. And facing that was the return of the Rapiecé Reprisé collection—first created in 2005—as the first instalment of the Berluti Editions line of a limited edition proposal of savoir-faire pieces.
The fit: Workwear was enhanced for Berluti Autumn/Winter 2024. A denim-like coordinate looked and felt somewhat like denim but was expertly crafted from a combination of cotton and silk, making it lighter than traditional denim with the strength of its weave intact. Leather and suede jackets take on lightweight constructions too. Opting to enhance the detailing of the pieces, a suede jacket in a gorgeous shade of burnt orange was decorated with pleats near the placket with pockets left slim and close to the body. Textural accents were also key as topstitched elements were employed quite tastefully and the use of smooth leather on the collar, the underside of which featured the Scritto—a hidden detail that Berluti loves to add almost in every iteration.
Functionality is always key and Berluti offered up some. A shearling jacket for example, was designed with a removable shearling collar—attached by snap buttons—for a second option on how it can be worn. And also, effectively switching up the vibe of the complete outfit. It's not exactly new perhaps, but smart nonetheless.
Suiting too was made with a function-first approach in mind. While Berluti's bespoke service is the brand's heightened form of tailoring on offer, the Autumn/Winter 2024 collection approached tailoring in a more lifestyle-driven manner. They're made for travel and thus are crafted from incredibly soft and lightweight Loro Piana cashmere. The idea is that these travel suiting pieces need little to no steaming—pop one on right out of the luggage and you can be on your way without looking worse for wear.
The details: A new sneaker was introduced. Fitted with a Vibram sole, the Sky Running sneaker echoes familiar silhouettes of trail-running sneakers. But also, it also felt to me like an amalgamation of some of the elements of Berluti sneakers past. The Sky Running sneakers will be offered in three different colourways with each consisting of a patchwork of mixed materials, including a heel counter that's crafted out of a patinated material meant to resemble Berluti's renowned Venezia leather patina.
There were also a duo of square-toed footwear called the Grand Chemin that's crafted from nubuck. In its deck shoe version, it resembled a cross between a formal dress shoe with that of a deck shoe collar. The trekking boots iteration featured a knit ribbed upper rendered in the same colour as the rest of its parts.
Three exceptional looks: The aforementioned "denim"-on-"denim" look 10; look 13's combination of a more rugged (yet rather minimal) suede jacket with key menswear staples (peep also that massive cabas); and look 18's simple proposal that highlights the Sky Running in all its glory.
The takeaway: Clothes that you'd actually wear with shoes crafted with centuries of craftsmanship expertise—consistency isn't necessarily a bad thing, folks.
View the full Berluti Autumn/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery below.
While writing this review, "Good People" by Mumford & Sons and Pharrell Williams is playing on Spotify. Ever since the song was played as part of Louis Vuitton's Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show soundtrack, it's been stuck in my head ever since. A stirring rhythm made perfect by Mumford & Sons' signature musicality, it was one of four original songs Williams worked together with other musicians to amplify the mood of the show. "Good People" is the only one that has been released on streaming platforms.
Lest we forget, multi-hyphenate Williams has had an accomplished music career for decades now. As a producer, he was responsible for some of the greatest, most addictive hits—from Usher's "U Don't Have to Call" to Camila Cabello's "Havana". Williams knows that the music is just as important as the collection walking down the runway. "Good People"'s country-esque undertones and marching beat felt rousing as models walked fast in the makeshift showspace right next to Fondation Louis Vuitton.
And just like how he'd collaborated with a number of artists for the soundtrack, the Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2024 collection was also an amalgamation of many different cultures and aspects of his home state of Virginia. The overarching Americana-themed collection saw plenty of cowboy-inspired looks with American Western motifs and silhouettes running rampant throughout. They were added with touches by both the Dakota and Lakota nations—not only in the accessories, but also the staging of the show and soundtrack.
The collaborations didn't stop there. The runway show debuted a collaboration with American brand Timberland. Some of the work boots were housed within clear plexiglass and Monogram canvas Louis Vuitton trunks carried by models like prized possessions—these are set to be limited editions. There were a few iterations of the Timberland x Louis Vuitton collaborations and they're crafted by the team at Louis Vuitton's Italian ateliers.
The role of a creative director is more than just about designing. It's about bringing together multiple ideas, streamlining them, at times editing them, and ensuring that everything feels cohesive. Williams has had decades of practice albeit not as long within the fashion realm, but the man clearly knows his stuff. And this third outing with the maison proves it.
The fit: Part-cowboy and part-American workwear, the entire Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection were essentially reworked updates on classic American Western tropes. Tailoring—a segment that Williams has excelled in with Louis Vuitton—made use of boot-cuts and flares with a bodice that was proportionally slim. When they were not rendered in variations of the camouflage Monogram, they were decorated with fine embellishments and at times, Dakota flower motifs in stunning placements.
While some looks may border on the side of being a tad too costume-y, the entire collection felt more like contemporary reimaginings of American Western clichés designed to be wearable and elevated. Cowboy buckle belts for example, were branded with Vuitton in the maison's signature scripts with other versions displaying a more craft-centric approach. And the styling too was quite enjoyable to see as these classic tropes came together in all their warm, dessert-like hues.
The details: It'd be remiss of me to talk about a Louis Vuitton collection without mentioning the bags. The classic Steamer was reintroduced in three sizes, including a massive 65-cm silhouette that was hard to miss out on as it made its way down the runway. The massive Steamer could easily fit a cabin-sized luggage inside of it. There were Speedy affixed with gems and others designed in new forms, including a studded saddle version.
What caught my eyes the most were the worn out treatment of the Monogram canvas. Rendered to look as though the bags themselves have been baked in the sun for a long time, creating a beautiful light patina along the sides.
Three exceptional looks: Look 13's play on the flamboyant nuances of American Western ensembles, with a flared trim around the torso; everything about look 28 from the all-white suit with abstract prints and contrasted with that bold, in-your-face Speedy; and the closing look of a leather Monogram suiting crafted to perfection.
The takeaway: Louis Vuitton may have indeed found the right person to continue to evolve Louis Vuitton into more than just a luxury fashion brand.
View the full Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
Save for the spotlights on a hill of cashmere fibres positioned in the middle of the Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 showspace and for a moment, the A-list front row—as one should when it’s a gathering of Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Fassbender, Lucas Bravo and more in one long front row—everything else was dark.
The cashmere hill (in Zegna’s signature vicuña colour) felt like a divine altar, amplified by a soundscape of whirling winds. As soon as the show began to the tunes composed by James Blake, even more fibres seemingly dropped from the sky. The Oasi Cashmere fibres—the brand’s fully traceable cashmere—were the centrepiece of the collection. For artistic director Alessandro Sartori, it was a form of servitude both to the luxurious material as well as to the luxury fashion community at large—a facet of sustainability that was promised and eventually achieved.
The fit: The framework that had been set hasn’t deviated. Sartori’s consistent intent in crafting a timeless wardrobe of nouveau tailoring presented itself in brilliant hues that once again exemplified how well he understands the effect of colour in a collection. The blacks in the Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 collection weren’t just blacks that faded into the background of the space, they fell somewhere in between black and a deep grey with tonal differences, if any, highly unnoticeable. The same went for the whites that ran along the spectrum and transitioned gradually into an egg wash hue.
Layering was the key intent as a form of individual expression. And even at a glance, it was strikingly apparent that every single piece could very well be stripped and from their individual looks and remixed in different permutations.
There’s a sense of lightness evident even with the most layered of looks—I counted four visible layers on one. The outerwear were light enough such that they moved with relative ease as the models walked by, even when they were decked out with multiple oversized pockets. Equally plush-looking yet breezy were the trousers that were cut wide as always and designed with a single fixed pleat on each side.
The details: The stars had to be the knit tops for Zegna’s Autumn/Winter 2024 collection. They ranged from super sleek drop-shouldered turtlenecks to iterations with flocked designs. One particular detail stood out, especially during the post-show inspections. Look 20’s version of the same opening knit had trompe l’œil ribbing that appeared as though they were burned into the material but were in fact an effect resulted from combining a different-coloured fibre as well as tight knitting of the ends together for a more robust hem foundation. The same effect was also applied onto the trousers paired with each corresponding top.
And if you’re looking for gloves to add to your winter wardrobe, look no further than the ones offered by the collection. Crafted longer than typical gloves, they pooled stylishly for that always desirable element of sprezzatura.
Three exceptional looks: Look 5's simply sublime monochromatic combination with beautifully constructed lines; a bit of blush melange suiting with pockets deep enough that you wouldn't even need a bag; and look 45's multi-layered approach that's an excellent example of genius layering.
The takeaway: Quiet consistency with injections of newness is the way to go. Because why invest in a piece from a new collection if it’s unable to seamlessly integrate as part of a complete wardrobe from others by the same brand?
View the full Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery below.
It was a visual overload at Prada’s Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show.
For starters, the entire showspace had once again been completely reimagined from the previous Spring/Summer 2024 shows. We were stepping into an elevated glass platform and beneath it was a riverbed landscape of greens, rocks and pebbles, and at certain sections, flowing water. Chairs that seemed to be positioned rather haphazardly (but of course they weren’t) were typical rollers you’d find in an office setting—these became the show seats and might I add, pretty comfortable too.
And of course, the number of international celebrities that were greeted with screaming fans as they made their way into Fondazione Prada. Newly appointed Prada ambassadors Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Troye Sivan were there, as did a host of other fellow ambassadors such as Jake Gyllenhaal, Kentaro Sakaguchi and Win Metawin, as well as Korean stars Karina of Aespa and Lee Jae-wook. To say that it was chaotic in the showspace as editors gathered for sound bites and content would be an understatement.
But at the end of it all, it was really about the clothes and Prada hardly ever disappoints. As both the invite and showspace teased, co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons explored the traditional confines of office wear and simply turn them on their heads for a collection that was rebellious and youthful in nature.
The fit: The tie became sort of the centre of the entire collection, a symbol of that rigid connotations in an office setting. Nothing was altered when it came to the tie but its symbolic attribute was what pretty much tied the entire collection together.
Standard office dress codes were designed with skewed proportions. Suiting consisted of oversized blazers with slightly nipped-in waists and exaggerated lapels, as well as trousers that were worn low on the hips with signature Prada slim cut. And if you were expecting colours that corporate Joe would be at home in, you’d be sorely mistaken. Bold hues permeated throughout the collection with knit cardigans, jumpers and textured leggings—beautifully constructed that you wouldn't even notice a single seam—and those knit swim caps. There were no explanation for the latter but I gather if you're already one foot out the door in a corporate setting, you'd want to take the chance to head to the pool any chance you get, winter or not.
Oversized coats were consistent standouts (we all know how both Mrs Prada and Simons love their coats) especially when the inspiration transitioned from office uniforms to more public service types. Military- and navy-inspired outerwear were crafted in a number of materials and looked especially killer when they were individually worn and distressed by hand.
The details: Back to the trousers for a bit. Upon closer inspection, in place of waistbands, trousers were sewn together with leather belts. That's right: there's no longer any excuses not to wear a belt with your formal trousers. The belts came in a number of iterations too—from more classic colours and widths to the more extravagant woven ones that reached up to a width of 9cm.
The belts were also applied on to the bags. Re-Nylon backpacks and messenger bags came with the same range of leather belts for multiple ways of carrying each piece. A clear favourite was a backpack in washed navy with worn out details applied to every leather trim for a stunning distressed effect.
Three exceptional looks: Look 19's super cool reworking of the trench; look 36's oversized military coat that I now have on my wish list; and Prada's take on the Canadian tuxedo in look 45.
The takeaway: This is for all of us who'd escape the confines of a 9 to 5 in a heartbeat; and if that's not possible, at least the fashion channels the feeling.
View some of the key looks from the Prada Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
After two show-stopping shows in succession—a debut on one of Paris' famous brides and a takeover of a Hong Kong landmark—creative director Pharrell Williams is readying his third outing for Louis Vuitton.
As one would imagine, details are somewhat scant at the moment. All that we know thus far is the location of the show in Paris (it's still under embargo but we know) and the teaser of Virginia being a point of reference. Williams was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia and it's clear that he'd probably include inspirations from his home state or even perhaps memories from his childhood. How that will eventually pan out, is anybody's guess.
But after a debut that saw such a strong support from the Black entertainment community—Beyoncé and Rihanna at the same event—we're left guessing how Williams is going to top the theatrics this time around. And most importantly, what new, reimagined Louis Vuitton icons will be presented.
For any confirmation, stay tuned for the show this Wednesday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Wednesday, 17 January 2024 at 3am Singapore time
The fit: Elegance was the assignment at Dolce&Gabbana. One of the opening looks was a full black ensemble consisting of a high-neck-collared blouse cut oversized and paired with slim trousers. It was a fine example of the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection title: Sleek.
While “sleek” could mean a simplification and the stripping off of excess and unnecessary flourishes, Dolce&Gabbana opted for refinement and elegance.
Sleekness was apparent across the entire collection with black taking prominence. But like most designers, black was the foundation where textural play and tasteful embellishments helped to further refine the looks. Even in a number of the opening looks, black sheens and shines differentiated the components of each outfit, whether they’re subtly done or not.
There was also no stopping the brand from executing exaggerated forms and show-stopping looks. A plush fur coat, for example, wouldn’t necessarily be thought of as “sleek” (although I’m sure the feel of it would be absolutely divine) but again, sleek in the sense that it’s a restrained Dolce&Gabbana where the focus of that particular piece was the grandeur of it with no added details. And trust me, the brand knows how to go over-the-top.
The details: Like many of the brands that have shown a this far, Autumn/Winter 2024 is set to be one where sparkle and shine reign supreme. At Dolce&Gabbana, they’re done sparingly with a standout look included a blazer completely riddled with rhinestones worn over a scoop-neck tank done in the exact same way—sleek. On the tailoring front, suits were cut with slightly cropped blazers (at times with tailcoats) reminiscent of what a conductor would wear, worn with pussy bows blouses (a Dolce&Gabbana classic). Prints and lace too were incorporated in a number of looks—styled either as a quiet statement or paired with pieces of the same make such that the entire look is rather homogenous.
Three exceptional looks: Look 19's super clean and minimal take on a biker jacket that still retains an element of cool; the peacoat in look 34 cut at just the right length and beautifully paired with riding boots; and look 53's take on formal eveningwear—one I'd wear right now.
The takeaway: Even Dolce&Gabbana is adhering to a quieter (I mean, sleeker) fashion movement. But how long will the brand stick to it?
View the full Dolce&Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
The fit: Something’s happening with Silvia Venturini Fendi. The artistic director has become quite a rebel of late—a perfectly good thing, in my opinion. What first started as a shocking Spring/Summer 2022 collection that involved severely cropped blazers and tops with waist chains, has continued on with other deviations from traditional menswear.
For Autumn/Winter 2024, Silvia once again subverted menswear codes by incorporating nuances of typically womenswear tropes. What I initially thought was a pencil skirt (the collection’s standout piece made its appearance in the very first look) was actually a pair of berms cut to resemble on—an incredibly low crotch joined inches above the hem. The flow of these skirt-berms—inspired by the spirit of the Scottish kilt—too were deceptive enough to warrant that initial impression.
In a further defiant move, Silvia paired these hybrids with fine gauge knits before layering over coats made for the outdoors. At some glances, the looks appeared somewhat granny-like and eccentric but somehow, cool all the same as Silvia merged the outdoors with the more refined pieces underneath them.
But of course, there were plenty of looks that didn't make use of the hybrids and they weren't lacking any fashion-forward fervour. Tank tops were layered over polos, cardigans were fastened with a single brooch, and tops designed with extended hems.
The details: Pillow-like bags were crafted from quilted leather or shearling, adding to the tactile comfort that they exuded. The Peekaboo and Baguette bags were mainstays; this time they were interpreted with shearling and in some cases, appeared to be slashed to reveal a hidden pop of colour (they're a collaboration with MAD Architects' Ma Yansong). But perhaps, the most talked about accessory at the Fendi Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear show was the collaboration with Devialet. The handheld portable speaker was already teased moments before the show as Italian rapper Lazza got out of his vehicle with one and a song was played. Let's just say, the sound quality and volume were pretty impressive and something that could be held on your palm.
Three exceptional looks: The simplicity of look 5 with its fitted polo and cardigan in deeply rich autumnal colours; look 39's somewhat collegiate look but elevated with a delicious blue coat; and the closing look consisting of a metallic yarn polo worn with pleated kilt hybrid.
The takeaway: Too afraid to wear a skirt in public? Start with a Fendi skirt-berms hybrid.
View the full Fendi Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
Closing Milan Fashion Week Men's for the Autumn/Winter 2024 season is none other than Zegna. The last show by a major fashion brand in the schedule, artistic director Alessandro Sartori is set to focus the attention on the brand's Oasi Cashmere—the traceable cashmere line that the brand has worked on for about a couple of years now.
What that entails would probably be an Oasi Cashmere-centric collection but in ways that cashmere probably isn't traditionally designed for. Sartori may perhaps take some learnings from his collaboration with The Elder Statesman where colours were bright and punchy while still looking and feeling extremely luxurious.
The Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 show will be held at Milan's Allianz MiCo, the largest convention centre in Europe. And that only means that the show would most likely be big in scale too. We've seen the line-up of celebrities slated to sit in for the show, and Zegna is certainly closing Milan Fashion Week Men's with a bang. Like the teasers state: "This will be worth the wait."
For any confirmation, stay tuned for the show this Monday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Milan Fashion Week Men's.
What: Zegna Autumn/Winter 2024 runway show
Where: Milan, Italy
When: Monday, 15 January at 10pm Singapore time
The collaboration continues with Prada as co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons are set to present their seventh menswear collection together. And after revealing a pretty star-studded Spring/Summer 2024 campaign too.
As with every Prada runway show, clues to what the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection could look like is vague at best. The physical invite to the show—a rather massive one at that—is a folio pictured with a natural landscape and contains a single Prada tie. Tagged to it is a card that says that the tie's authentication certificate has been uploaded on the Aura Blockchain Consortium platform—founded by Prada together with LVMH and Cartier in 2021. Further teasers include similar portrayals of natural landscapes splashed on desktop screens in an office setting.
Perhaps, what we'll be witnessing is an evolution of officewear codes (Prada does have a thing for uniforms) imbued with semblances of digital applications. The staging for Spring/Summer 2024 included slime; could this season's showspace see digital renderings of nature in surreal ways?
For any confirmation, stay tuned for the show this Sunday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Milan Fashion Week.
What: Prada Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show
Where: Milan, Italy
When: Sunday, 14 January at 9pm Singapore time
A lot was riding on the Gucci Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection. For one, it's the first menswear collection by creative director Sabato De Sarno; the other reason is that it's a follow-up to a debut that had fashion insiders and fans split. In some cases, the latest effort by De Sarno was similar to his debut, but better—much, much better.
Gucci Ancora took on a slightly different meaning as compared to De Sarno's debut. While the overarching theme of wanting to make people fall in love with Gucci again was apparent, the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection takes it a step further. Embedded into the line-up—starting from the opening look—were a number of ensembles that mirrored the womenswear debut. They're tweaked slightly, but the spirit was essentially the same. Heck, even the Mark Ronson-curated soundtrack (the man was also in attendance) was an intentional repeat.
The difference—and brilliantly so—was that the menswear collection felt more complete. There's no telling how De Sarno felt post-debut of his very first collection, but if any of the naysayers got to him, this collection felt like he was hell bent on proving them wrong.
The fit: Perhaps, De Sarno is a better menswear designer than he is at womenswear. Because the tailoring (a perennial key tenet of any menswear collection, pretty much) was impeccable. Instead of opting for the easy way out by pandering to current style obsessions, the cut of trousers were slim with enough give for a sleek and clean bottom half. The top was left slightly oversized, but proportionally just right such that the flow and fluidity of floor-grazing coats felt dramatic without weighing one down.
Tailoring may have run rampant throughout the collection, but they were anything but staid or stuffy. Print and patterns seem to not be something that De Sarno may be leaning towards—save for the GG monogram—but colours are clearly his specialty (perhaps something that he picked up during his time at Valentino). Surprisingly, the deep shade of red that's becoming a De Sarno signature for Gucci, was not heavily used throughout the collection. Instead, the additional colours employed ran along the same tonal shades as the new Gucci red. This not only added on to the cohesive nature of the collection, but also elevated it to be rather universal across different ages.
That's not to say that there were no statement pieces; in fact, far from it. In place of ties, a necklace-scarf hybrid was the centre of attention consisting of leather pieces connected by metallic hardware with the former attached to a slender strip of fabric. Each swayed as models walked—a sense of romantic flou that was both refreshing and much needed. And if Harry Styles or Måneskin were to return as part of the Gucci fold, they'd certainly gravitate towards the metallic fringed pieces that exuded the kind of gender-fluid sensibility Gucci had made its own.
The details: As predicted, the Jackie continues to be the focus for the House. Rendered in plenty of iterations—albeit kept a tad simpler and less showy than the female versions—including a thoroughly embellished version, the menswear Jackies were constructed significantly larger.
But what wasn't easily seen on the livestream, were the backs of the looks. De Sarno skilfully ensured that the backs of most, if not all, the looks were crafted as beautifully as the front. Some coats featured a hint of the Gucci webbing right on the vent, while leather coats were embossed with "Gucci" right at centre back along the hem. The drapes and silhouettes too felt devastatingly dramatic from the back—of mystique that you'd want a person wearing a piece to walk by again.
Three exceptional looks: Look 5's ultra clean combination of a long sleeveless coat paired with the collection's trousers as well as studded Horsebit loafers; look 13's all-over GG monogram in red; and look 51's sparkly oversized tank that I would very much like to cop immediately.
The takeaway: Don't strike off De Sarno's Gucci just yet.
View the full Gucci Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
