Live from...Milan Fashion Week, Day 4

Giorgio Armani

Giorgio Armani got busy with print this season, offering an exploration of macro and micro scales worked in his signature tonal blue-grey palette. These may not be the boldest prints out there next summer but this is ultimately wearable pattern play for the Armani customer.

“The use of print creates an interesting visual effect that elongates and streamlines the silhouette, which is offset by the contrasting jacket with its soft lines and natural proportions." said Georgio Armani

The look: Casual elegance

Silhouette: Relaxed tailoring, fluid volume, lightweights

Key items: Tailoring is the cornerstone of the Giorgio Armani label, and for summer 2012 suit jackets and blazers feature raised button placements allowing the lower closure to flare slightly; there are 2 and 4DB jackets, 1SBs and soft structure casual blazers in lightweight fabrications for a casual off-duty touch; there are three principal pant shapes  - tapered and neatly cropped, tapered with volume created by an asymmetric wrapover front detail and a new jodhpur derivative with a tightened lower leg, creating exaggerated volume at the crotch; outerwear highlights include a series of flyweight silk nylon rain coats, a fitted wool biker jacket and double-breasted pea coat with curved closures, and a perforated suede snake-effect zip-through jacket; neat crew-neck sweaters arrive in glossy glazed finishes and chequerboard patterns

Colour: Signature steely greys and blue in a tonal range; jet and onyx darks with chalky pales and alabaster pink with crisp resort white

Fabric & knit: Summer-weight suitings, flyweight silk nylon, denim effect silks, gauzy sheer shirtings, semi-sheer knits, washed silk, seersucker, chequerboard knits, dense cashmere wool blends, crisp cotton and poplin, perforated suede, embossed leather and croc leather

Print & pattern: Pattern was Armani's core theme for the Giorgio line this season, offering painterly horizontal stripes and faded and degradé chequerboard pattern on sweaters, bleached flecks and spots on an evening jacket, suit and shirts in diminutive spots and geometrics, neutral-coloured dogtooth and optic zigzags

Details & trims: 3-button pant cuffs, asymmetric wrap-front pants, glazed and lacquered metallic finishes, high button placements on tailoring, bound blazer trims

Footwear: Velvet slippers, suede deck shoes and casual lace-ups all with a woven jute trimmed sole, desert boots, laceless shoe-sneaker hybrids, formal oxfords in stained leathers

Accessories: Patterned silk ties, silk neckerchiefs in midnight blue, bookish optical, luxe leather totes and multipocket nylon kit bags

DSquared

Dean and Dan Caten took their DSquared boys on a European Grand Tour this season – stopping at the Nordic Fjords, Mykonos beaches and churches and galleries of Florence before hitting up the London music scene dressed as punks and mods.

The look: The Euro traveller

Silhouette: Sporty layers and skinny tailoring

Key items: The Scandinavian look comprises sporty, activewear layers built with utility jackets and parkas, chunky sweaters, checked shirts, spliced jean jackets and bombers, casual shorts, slim-leg jeans and casual chinos; the Grecian beach gods wear a variety of shorts and swimwear including dropped-crotch jersey sports shorts, speedos, short resort shorts and tight swim briefs; For the Florentine pitstop there are smart tapered chinos with fold-back cuffs worn with a denim shirt, knitted tie and leather bomber for a young take on Italian sartorial styling as well as a plethora of casual blazers worn with cropped coloured jeans; the London look fuses musical influences from punk to Mod with tight-fitting zippered biker jackets in red leather or a denim jacket with spliced leather sleeves, Teddy Boy blazers with black lapels and slim-legged tailored pants

Colour: The colour palette is a game of two halves – first up are clashing brights of orange, blue, fuchsia and green worked against a lot of bronzed skin, then latterly a combo of red, white and black with denim blue

Fabric & knit: Signature distressed dark denim, coloured denim, cotton chino, treated cottons, gingham and plaid shirting, sweatshirting, jersey, suede, washed leather

Print & pattern: Breton stripes, recoloured camo, a parrot graphic, kitsch T-shirt slogans and doodle graphics, stars, tiger heads

Details & trims: Sporty drawstrings, pieced fabric panels, pyramid studded lapels, biker zips

Footwear: Walking boots, colourful activewear-inspired sandals, casual loafers, pointed lace-up shoes in patent leather

Accessories: Skinny knitted scarves, lightweight woven cotton scarves, blunt-ended knitted ties, skinny ties, straw trilbies, trucker caps, knitted beanie hats, workwear gloves, alligator belts, gold key chains, square aviator sunglasses, geek chic opticals

Ports 1961

A well-edited collection proved simplicity works for chic summer style at Ports 1961 yesterday.

The look: Streamlined resort chic

Silhouette: Neatly tailored

Key items: 4DB suits with a longer-length jacket and full but straight-legged pant, 1SB suits are pinched for a slight flare; outerwear offers crisp sleeveless trench coats and simple fly-front car coats; semi-sheer knit sweaters are layered over patterned shirts or T-shirts, while short-sleeved summer shirts arrive in glossy ciré or smooth suede; elsewhere there are tailored shorts and polo shirts for that true resortwear style

Colour: Manila-toned neutrals with crisp optic white; intense ink blue and classic black provide the staple darks

Fabric & knit: Cotton summer suiting, semi-sheer knits, ciré, suede, leather, silk

Print & pattern: Optical lines and waves

Details & trims: Peaked lapels

Footwear: Luxe leather cross-strapped sandals, smart white leather derbys

Accessories: Chain-handled clutch bags, thin leather belts with clip fastening

Posted in: Dsquared,Giorgio Armani,Ports 1961