News Coverage Milan Menswear Show Fall 2003

Rock and Road: Milan Men's Wrap-Up
By J.J. Martin

MILAN, Jan 21, 2003/ -- With a cast of characters ranging from futuristic militia, 70s and 80s rock stars, Carnaby Street swingers and 19th century poets, a smattering of new trends materialized during the Milan men's fall 2003-4 catwalks.

The single greatest idea however, and the one with the biggest staying power, was a shift in designer attitude rather than a creation of a must-have item. Orchestrating a great closet shake-up, they showed how favored sporty items like tracksuits or athletic parkas can be fused seamlessly with such tailored pieces as a tweed jacket or a polished suit, all in the name of convenience and modern reality.

Christopher Bailey at Burberry, Donatella Versace and Dolce & Gabbana created new pieces to fit the mood, like blazers with fused-on hoods, sweat pants constructed in leather or silk and metallic parkas to be worn with slacks. The wall between the formal and the informal came tumbling down on the Milan runways and the modern looks answered long-awaited questions for men in today's fashion conundrum.

No doubt fueled by daily press headlines, this season's shows also proved that fashion's love affair with military-inspired clothing isn't ending anytime soon. The newest trend, seen at Dolce & Gabbana, Cavalli, Dsquared, Vgrantham and countless others, was clothing shrouded in protective layers like padding, hoods and pockets, bound with extra straps and belts.

Road Warriors were seen decked in space-agey or techno fabrics and the cargo pant continued to be ubiquitous. This season's version, done by nearly everyone, is loose at the thigh and comes tapered down the leg with four buttons lining the ankle. Uniforms for men who don't roll around in the trenches, like brass-covered Eisenhower jackets and long military coats with epaulets, also made their mark, most notably at Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Giorgio Armani.

For spiffy daytime looks, a slew of Italian-born designers looked to the British mainland for the source of their inspiration. Colorful Carnaby Street in the 60s was a popular setting, especially at Prada, who showed the much-copied bright printed shirts, skinny ties and cropped slim pants. Also prevalent was striping on suiting, either in edgy chalks, muted pins, or in a colorful David Jones variety seen at Etro, Trussardi and Cerruti. One other noteworthy trend, picked up by Bally, Iceberg and Cerruti, was suede riding boots worn chicly over updated cargos, cords and velvet slim pants.

For nighttime, designer's looked to Iggy Pop, Kiss and Ziggy Stardust to create a rock star checklist of glam costuming. Body-conscious pieces, dusted in layers of glitter and sparkle, ruled the runways. Dark sheens, metallic thread, and silver glitter washed over slim pants and super luxe leather jackets at Fendi, Cavalli and Dsquared. The edgy looks sometimes treaded softly, like on tooled-up leather jackets at Costume National and Jil Sander, and other times roared for an on-stage appearance, like skinny gold leather jeans or shimmering reptile skin suits at Dsquared and John Richmond.

As far as details, large gold zippers were the season's shining star, criss-crossing jacket arms and pant legs at nearly every show. But leather and fur, which have whizzed by their controversial status, continue to gain momentum. More than ever, the focus is on creating one-of-a-kind, distinctive products whose individualism merits its hefty price tag. On the handcrafted front, leather and fur-lined shearlings bore patches, embroideries, worn washes and wrinkles, like those at Cavalli, Costume National, and Trussardi. On the other futuristic side of the spectrum, leather came in high-tech varnishes and glazings at Jil Sander and Fendi.

If dressing like a rock star isn't your thing, chances are you're going to be taking things down a notch for evening next fall. A distinct lack of formality graced even the strictest of runways, like at Giorgio Armani where formal jackets were swapped with Armani's new unstructured jersey jackets. Even at Gianfranco Ferre, open cardigan sweaters replaced the tuxedo jacket in the grand formal finale, while Bally matched lounge-worthy black robes with formal pants and patent-leather shoes.