From the Waist Up: Six Key Pieces Seen at Milan Presentations
MILAN — The frequency of Zoom calls might have slackened, but brands such as Massimo Alba, Brett Johnson and Slowear still offered their best propositions from the waist up in their latest collections presented during Milan Men’s Fashion Week.
Here, WWD lists six key pieces men could add to their wardrobes come next fall.
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The New Jacket: Massimo Alba
Massimo Alba has a natural talent for offering easy-chic collections rendered in charming color combinations. The fall 2024 was no exception, with his signature laid-back flair exalted by relaxed silhouettes and rich textures encompassing corduroy, lightweight cashmere and wool.
While knitwear remained at the core of the brand, this time the focus on jackets stole the spotlight, with covetable choices running the gamut of blazer and field jackets to peacoats. Highlights included boxy corduroy blazer jackets in foliage greens and burnt orange shades, as well as a series of solid-color jackets featuring a mandarin collar and contrasting hues on the inside.
Shearling Outerwear: Brett Johnson
In charting his vision of American luxe casualwear, Brett Johnson continued to deliver wardrobe-building pieces crafted from luxurious and high-quality materials, embedding a winter resort vibe, courtesy of an inspiring trip to the Swiss Alps. Among a plethora of statement outerwear this season, the shearling jacket came to the fore as an all-time classic to embrace, which Johnson presented in supple leather or suede versions in the shape of aviators, mid-length coats and bomber jackets. They were paired with cable-knit crew- and turtlenecks in earthy and subtle nuances.
The overall casual look had no shortage of special pieces, including a range of overshirts and coats with rounded lapels crafted from superfine Yangir cashmere. They were paired with chino pants and drawstring sartorial numbers. Johnson said that his aesthetic, although developed with an American sensibility, caters particularly to European customers, in addition to Middle Eastern ones, where the brand has traditionally had a strong footprint.
The Chore Jacket: Slowear
At Slowear — home to the pants-maker Incotex; Zanone knitwear specialist; Glanshirt shirtmaker, and Montedoro outerwear label — the integration of brands in its portfolio is ongoing, translating into an increasingly cohesive lineup hinged on reinventing “classics so that they do not look outdated,” in the words of chief executive officer Piero Braga.
Case in point: Incotex ventured into uncharted territory for fall, debuting a range of chore jackets, which have consistently proven a must-have in men’s wardrobes, borrowed from workwear and utilitarian garb. Here they were offered as a sophisticated, yet unpretentious alternative to blazers, done in suiting and traditional menswear fabrics, including cashmere and wool blends, to go with matching pants, the latter available in a range of fits, from carrot to wide-leg and pleated.
The knitwear, Zanone-branded offering was expanded with chic cardigans meant to be worn as outdoor pieces for the transitional seasons, while tuxedos were done in gemstone colored velvet with golden button and worn with turtlenecks.
The Overshirt: Eleventy
Eleventy embraced a sense of well-being with a holistic approach, ranging from clothes to tech devices. Fashion-wise, lightness was the keyword informing style choices, with everyday looks alternating versatile jackets with overshirts for a more contemporary urban attire.
These were intended to be styled with tapered pants in cotton, flannel or velvet and layered over soft cable knits and turtleneck options. As a final touch, the brand added a cool collaboration with Master and Dynamics, resulting in designer headphones that looked great even just when hanging from around the neck.
They reprised Eleventy’s signature color palette of white, light gray and beige shades, which for fall was expanded to include the new slate and burgundy hues, which promise to become a regular fixture in the brand’s language.
Adding to the collaboration game, the fall collection will include a capsule line developed with Mulberry. The brand teased that it will have a sustainable bent, reimaging archival Eleventy garments and reworking a selection of accessories by the British brand. Further details will be revealed in the coming months.
The Zip-up Sweater: Altea
A sense of comfort also ran through the approachable collection Altea presented in Milan, where the brand’s expertise in knitwear shone bright. In their simplicity, monochrome zip-up sweaters with front pockets best spoke of the effortless approach to daywear the brand intended to convey. For those in the mood for a dash of eccentricity, jacquard crew neck sweaters and moulinè options in leopard motifs were also included in the collection.
Elsewhere, workwear staples were reimagined with a higher-end feel, as seen in chore jackets crafted from soft flannel with added stretch to enhance wearability.
The Crewneck Sweater: Harmont&Blaine
The go-to underpinning to easily replace a shirt even while wearing a suit, crewnecks made a statement at Harmont&Blaine. The company worked with AI-generated reinventions of postcard-worthy images of Naples, the brand’s hometown. Arty brushstrokes in tonal colors, including different blue nuances nodding to the city’s gulf, were splashed on the pieces, available in a limited run of 100 for each version.
Elsewhere the brand homed in on its colorful and joyful take on Italian casualwear, hitting some of the season’s trends, including corduroy puffers and overshirts, here rendered in fuzzy mohair versions. Its total look offering included Ecorock footwear crafted from vegan leather and recycled nylon and boasting an outsole derived from worn-out sneakers.
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