A Fine Romance on the Runways
“Italians do it better” was the slogan printed across a forest green T-shirt worn by a muscular male model at Moschino.
Whatever the tongue-in-cheek fashion house was referring to, the slogan offers a good description of the latest round of “moda Milanese” fall menswear shows, which ended Thursday.
After several seasons of a forced casual look that at times ended up being sloppy rather than sporty, designers returned to what they do best--soft and suave elegance.
The new millennium male is a romantic. “He lives in the city but pines for the country,” said Miuccia Prada, who sent pale-faced models with boyish haircuts marching down the runway in pointed black leather boots to Bob Dylan tunes. Their clothes, however, were citified: gray flannel pants and tight-fitting pullovers. Instead of ties, they sported elegant silk bandannas.
For Gucci, American designer Tom Ford took a more macho approach. His man works on the waterfront. He has the muscle of Marlon Brando and the dreams of John Lennon, whose music accompanied the show.
Black leather over faded jeans is his uniform, with the omnipresent black leather cap, and a belt impertinently buckled to the side. In his dreams he sees life as a “bed of roses” (the runway was carpeted in red rose petals) and dances through the night in a shiny white tuxedo.
Dolce & Gabbana staged their show in a re-created stable complete with horse-racing gear and a shiny red Ferrari. The rearing black horse, symbol of the Italian company that won the Formula One championships last year, appeared on quilted red leather racing jackets, silk printed shirts and sparkling tie pins.
The designing duo said they drew inspiration from Ferrari racer Michael Schumacher, but also from Richard Gere, whose recent film “Autumn in New York” is showing in Italy.
Donatella Versace also took the high road for her new winter collection, aimed at a customer so well off that he can afford gold logos on the heels of his shoes.
He can’t live without his faded jeans but goes out in the cold in a mink-lined jacket or a sheepskin coat dipped in gold. His hair is finely streaked.
Giorgio Armani combined the macho with the romantic in a collection where fabric rather than style made the difference.
An interweave of cashmere and tweed takes the rigor out of a military trench coat. In the suit department, super soft pants are worn under velvet jackets, or, inversely, cardigan jackets are matched up with classic gray flannel pants. Zippers often replace more complicated buttoning.
“More than casual,” said Armani, “the collection is about sophisticated simplicity.”
