Ultimate run-down
FW24 takeaway: here’s what went down in Milan
Here’s your ultimate run-down of what happened at Milan Fashion Week Men’s this season. From the Prada office to Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci menswear debut and Fendi’s royal tribute, there was plenty to chew on. We’ve done the chewing for you – scroll down for your Milan menswear takeaway.
JW Anderson FW24 was a Kubrick thriller
Inspired by the auteur’s final 1999 movie, Eye’s Wide Shut, Anderson looked beyond the story, specifically at the paintings in the background of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s characters’ apartment – these artworks were produced by Kubrick’s wife and daughter Christiane and Katharina Kubrick. For Anderson, the collection was about bringing these background details to the foreground, reimagined as screen-printed replicas, woven onto jumpers and translated as triptych knit dresses.
The Prada show took place in an office
Work cubicles lined the showspace, each with branded Prada screensavers on their flat-screen computers, and guests sat on swivel chairs. Underfoot, nature blossomed beneath a glass floor: grass, leaves, rocks and even a waterway. The message from Miuccia and Raf was this – remember to switch off and immerse yourself in nature. On the workplace runway, done-up office suiting was translated through the house’s savoir-faire alongside pops of brightly coloured cardigans and swimming cap headwear worn by almost every model.
Seeing double at Dsquared2
In the middle of the Dsquared2 runway, the Caten twins had placed a makeover machine. What’s a makeover machine, you ask? Models walked in wearing one outfit and magically left wearing another. What is this devil technology?! Twins. They used twins – clever. The collection was a lesson in duality and transformation.
Fendi in the British countryside
The inspiration behind Fendi’s menswear collection was, in fact, a woman – Princess Anne. Bringing to mind rolling hills, morning fogs, bugles and beagles and shouts of “pull!”, models walked wearing long pleated shorts with leather wellies and hiking socks. Fisherman’s coats, corduroy and waterproof wax jackets.
Gucci menswear mirrored Gucci womenswear
Same show title – Ancora – same Mark Ronson on soundtrack duties and even some of the same looks reappeared from Sabato De Sarno’s debut womenswear collection shown last summer. Establishing his menswear vision in a mirror image of his women’s, the designer’s mix of slick tailoring and sensual cuts was a lesson in dramatic pragmatism.
Zegna formed a mountain of cashmere
Cashmere flocks fell from the sky onto an incredibly soft and luxurious mountain in the centre of the runway – the installation reflecting the sustainable recycling process in constant production at the brand’s Oasi mill in the Biella Alps. 2024 marks an important year for Zegna, who have committed to certifying the fibres of Qasi Cashmere as 100 percent traceable from this year. This message reflected the collection, reinventing menswear classics through innovative cuts and the most luxurious fabrics.
Stay tuned to our FW24 coverage – live from Paris.