Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Prada

             

Miuccia Prada was in playful mood for spring/summer 2012. Drawing on retro Americana influences for her latest menswear collection, she referenced golfing, kitsch resort dressing, and vintage 50s sportswear, worked in happy mismatched combinations of neat tailoring, with strong commercial casual sportwear looks that are bound to be a huge influence on the junior high street.

The look: Miami golfer meets the rhinestone cowboy

Silhouette: Casual and easy, but pin neat

Key items: A focused set of key items reworked in various colours and fabric or print combinations, with the neat but boxy 6DB and 2SB jacket coming as a blazer or as a suit component teamed with a classic pant silhouette and the contradictory mix of a printed resort shirt. A more casual look focuses on knee-length shorts and a zipped padded jacket worked in-anything-goes mismatched fabric mixes, or the kitsch printed resort shirts which look set to be the collection's hottest item. Americana influences include classic Western shirts reworked in clashing prints or with rhinestone trims, maybe teamed with an incongruous floral print pant. Patterned Johnny-collar tops and simple Harrington jackets embellished with cowboy-style studs are two other key items we can expect to see impacting the high street any day soon

Colour: Cool greys and a range of washed sky blues mixed in combination with 50s-style Formica pastels – think lemon, baby blue and blue, mango, and spearmint – used in prints, contrasting with summer darks, like espresso, Burgundy, indigo and charcoal, with camel as a grounding neutral

Fabric & knit: Mohair suitings, lightweight micro check suitings, windowpane check suitings, cotton poplin, chambray, cotton, jersey, fine-gauge knits

Print & pattern: Vivid retro florals, small-scale foulard-style geometrics in rich darks, quirky 50s-inspired conversational on pastel grounds

Details & trims: Rhinestones, studding treatments

Footwear: Two-tone kiltie-fringed golf shoes in pastels or rich dark colour combinations of tan, with oxblood or navy, some with glittering rhinestone trims

Accessories: Floral-patterned golf bags look set to be the new hot Prada accessory item, along with printed flat caps, cravats and neckerchiefs. Flat envelope document/iPad case-style bags get the Prada treatment in clashing two-tone colours or with decorative rhinestone trims

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Bottega Veneta

             

A play on innovative fabric treatments from Tomas Maier brought a relaxed feel to his riff on lightweight SB tailoring. There were subtle ethnic influences too in his covered-up casual looks.

The look: Relaxed summer dressing

Silhouette: Neat and narrow

Key items: The 2SB narrow-shouldered suit forms the core of the collection, worked in washed and treated fabrics to create a worn and relaxed feel, layered over mismatched patterned shirts with micro collar detailing. A more casual feel combines pieced leather and denim for simple zipped jackets and narrow jeans or for Maier's take on ethnic summer dressing, with button-to-the-neck shirt jackets with four pockets and zipped detailing. Knits too continue that casual feel, with graphic jacquard patterns mirroring the patterns on shemagh scarves

Colour: Shades of soft blue, tonal pebble greys and warm tobacco browns and cigarillo neutrals are offset with crisp summer white and two shots of vivid contrast in bright cerulean blue and parrot green

Fabric & knit: Basic cotton and linen move into a new dimension with Maier's preoccupation with innovative fabric treatments, as materials are mixed, patched, or cut apart and reformed. There are overprinted seersuckers and shirt checks, pique, leather and jersey, stripes atop stripes, linen-cotton twill printed to look like Irish tweed, elaborately patterned knits, and bleached, printed Japanese denim

Print & pattern: Tweed effects, multicoloured overprinted bleached effects on denim,  cross-hatched linear stripes, graphic knitted jacquards, shirting checks

Details & trims: Contrast waistbands, leather trims on shirt jackets, zips

Footwear: Cutout slides, a casual-style Oxford

Accessories: Soft slouchy bags with feature stitching, alligator bags with a worn and weathered feel, tri-colour zipped document-style bags, checked belts

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Vivienne Westwood

            

Political themes are a Westwood hallmark, but the irreverent designer swapped cause for commercial this season with an Olympic narrative that will be bang on the money for 2012.
London is Westwood's stomping ground, so no wonder the sporting event became her focus for next summer – giving rise to a wealth of Olympic-themed graphic tees that are sure to cross the winning line.

The look: Olympic heroes

Silhouette: Stocky and athletic

Key items: Westwood's signature English tailoring, including broad three-piece suits worn with open-necked shirts, are peppered with sporty pieces such as the dropped-crotch shorts worn with themed graphic tees, zip-through cardigans with ribbed welts at hem and cuffs, and a raglan-sleeved sweatshirt teamed with baggy track pants. T-shirts are so oversized they become smock-like tunics. Elsewhere there are pieced shirts with contrast collars and sleeves, tailored blazers with cutaway closures and shiny evening suits with cropped pants

Colour: Cool greys and chalky neutrals, steel and rich ink blues, plum and black

Fabric & knit: Signature tartan and plaid, including a hand-drawn version, jersey, cotton and sweatshirting, wet-look velour, shiny wool mohair, lustrous silks, chalkstripe suiting, a range of denims, sporty nylon

Print & pattern: Olympic torch motif in foil transfer, signature orbs in Olympic ring colours and placement, trompe l’oeil medals graphic placement, a hand-drawn London Olympics conversational, Grecian Olympiads, stars

Footwear:  Metallic gladiator sandals, satin slip-ons with bows, plastic loafers, double-strap flat Mary Janes, lace-up shoes styled with long socks

Accessories: Pin badges, orb pendants, rosettes worn as key rings or lapel pins, a battered straw trilby and a Mr T baseball cap; printed cotton shoppers, two-handles laptop bags

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Emporio Armani

            

An extensive collection from Emporio Armani took lightness as its key narrative, with weightless fabrics providing a fluid silhouette that while cut close to the body, appeared soft and easy at all times.

The look: Urban casual

Silhouette: Relaxed but masculine

Key items: Full pants with double-dart volume are cut short at the ankle and worn with unstructured jackets with a softly sloping shoulderline; shackets, zip-through shirts, semi-sheer shirts and skintight T-shirts are layered under double-zip biker jackets or lightweight coated rain macs and parkas; tailored 1SB jackets are casual but cut close to the body and worn with bib-front shirts with stand-up collars

Colour: Cityscape greys, titanium blue, steely silver, chalky neutrals, ink and navy blues with black

Fabric & knit: Washed leather, waterproofed cotton, silk, gauzy semi-sheer shirting, linen, grey denim, chambray, light summer wool suitings, subtle plaids, micro houndstooth

Print & pattern: Marble grains, scuffed and dirtied effects, brushstrokes, faded checks, moody ombré, eroded EA graphic logo

Details & trims: Tonal lapels, narrow shirt collars, popper studs on tailoring, crumpled effects
Footwear: Two-tone desert boots, minimal ankle boots with stained toes, formal suede loafers, casual brogues

Accessories: Futuristic metal-framed aviators, some with mirrored lenses; oversized casual bags; woven belts, extra-long leather belts worn knotted; ombré silk ties, casual trilbies, stacked bangles

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Missoni

             

Angela Missoni has a deft touch with colour, handling geek-chic combinations such as turquoise and grey or fawn and burnt orange with a touch that makes them wearable and not scarily offbeat. With subtle sportif touches, her summer menswear is both covetable and comfortable.

The look: Summer in cooler climes

Silhouette: Neat and slim

Key items: Crew-neck sweaters are the cornerstone here, arriving for almost every exit. They are layered beneath knitted suits with cardigan-blazers and tapered jogging bottoms or styled for summer with shorts. Shorts are another key theme with options including knitted hotpants, tiny resort shorts, sporty shorts with drawstring details or slim-fitting knee-length styles, while lightweight nylon 2SB jackets, blousons and parkas offer something for those inevitable spring showers

Colour: Tonal ink and navy blues, grey with turquoise, shades of khaki and olive, fawn and soft browns with burnt orange

Fabric & knit: Open mesh knit stripes, chevron stripes, wavy stripes, degradé knits, textured stitches in abstract formations, dense knit suiting, flecked knits, space-dyed yarns, brushed wool; casual cottons, sporty nylon, crumpled linen

Details & trims: Drawstrings

Footwear: Knitted trainers (US: sneakers), Velcro-strapped sandals, suede slip-ons with white soles

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Salvatore Ferragamo

             

It was a light-filled jaunt through the South of France with Massimiliano Giornetti’s spring/summer showing for Ferragamo. Full of raffish tailoring and relaxed casual looks, it  perfectly melded into  the long lazy days sipping an aperitif watching a game of boules.

The look: Mediterranean summer

Silhouette: Louche and unstructured

Key items: Slouchy tailoring with softly structured 6DB jackets and shorter truncated variations worn with wide slouchy pants, perfect to team with collarless tunic shirts and micro patterned shirtings and toning knitted ties. Knitwear is a strong suit with this designer, and for summer there is a play on lean textured sweaters, belted cardigan jackets and subtle nautical chevroned stripes. 8-button Henleys, soft linen parkas, unstructured belted shirt jackets and dark denim 4 pocket jackets compound the casual look

Colour: A light-infused summery palette reflects the landscape of the South of France, from the warm sand-tinted neutrals to marine blues and soft olive or sage greens, with accents of delicate washed terracotta and the sharp contrast of stark white

Fabric & knit: Cool linen, silk tweed, washed linen, line/silk blend knits, slubbed linen knits, denim, ticking
Print & pattern: Micro-patterned shirtings, knitted stripes

Details & trims: A striped hemline on a linen jacket, rouleaux button loops

Footwear: Espadrilles, casually styled white oxfords, fringed detail on basket-weave effects

Accessories: Knitted ties, X-body leather satchels, leather shoppers, canvas and leather trimmed holdalls, wide unstructured straw hats

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Calvin Klein Collection

             

Unsurprisingly the Olympics are proving a key theme for summer 2012 and at Calvin Klein, Italo Zucchelli ran with it. His sportswear had a distinctive all-American vibe with models sporting neat buzz cuts, track pants and muscle vests. He also harked back to the iconic 1990s Calvin Klein look with a pair of dark-rinsed jeans and simple crew-neck tee, repositioning the classic T-shirt as next summer's style staple.

The look: Sports god

Silhouette: Athletic masculine – tight on top, loose bottom weights

Key items: Combinations of baggy track pants, layered muscle vests, snug polo shirts, long shorts and neat zip-through blouson jackets - bombers and Harringtons - with drawcords make up the central look, while T-shirts become a style staple – crew-necked, in either cotton, leather or rubber-tiled mesh. Tailoring has a relaxed structure, pinched with an unfussy 2SB fastening

Colour: Fresh and zingy punches of sulphur yellow and tonal absinthe, ice blue, titanium blue, cool grey with classic black and white

Fabric & knit: Sporty debossed nylon, simple jersey, honeycomb waffle pique, stonewashed cotton, semi-transparent mesh, laser-cut and perforated leathers, experimental techno fabrics such as laser-cut rubber tiles on mesh, double-bonded matt cotton twills, or resin suede, rinsed denim, waxed and polished denim, thick but malleable leathers, an optical-effect tiled jacquard

Print & pattern: A trompe l'oeil marled jersey effect, overdyed treatments

Details & trims: Elastic waistbands and trouser cuffs, laser-cut details including a tile/flap mesh, drawcords with silver toggles, tuxedo pant seams, debossed lapels

Footwear: Minimal lace-ups with a translucent, inverted rubber cartridge tread

Accessories: Squared and sporty aviators with clear-framed glasses and lenses

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Pringle Of Scotland

             

A new broom at Pringle in the shape of Alistair Carr, sweeping in a new modernist look for the venerable knitwear house. There was an emphasis on sparse silhouettes and a youthful sportswear vibe that may take the traditional Pringle customer by surprise.

The look: Minimal modernist

Silhouette: Pared back and narrow

Key items: Lean and skinny is the mantra for Carr’s tailoring, working round narrow 3SBs with slim cropped pant shapes or below-knee clamdiggers, layered with a coloured crew-neck top, matching the knitted flash inserts tracing shoulderlines and revers. Knits too have those same sparse proportions, with marled ribs inset with coloured flashes. Relaxed commuter coats and Harrington-shaped jackets offer an alternative silhouette to team with Carr's sportswear-inspired looks of relaxed-fit cargo shorts, printed textured knits, cropped ribbed joggers and athletic vests. The house's signature Argyle gets a Carr makeover too, with deconstructed patterns and the contrast of a formal crisp white collar

Colour: String, mole grey, vapour grey, and black with vivid accents of teal, sulphur, cobalt, mandarin, orchid and candy pink

Fabric & knit: Smooth suitings, ribbed jersey, leather, marled knits, textured overprinted knits
Print & pattern: Abstract prints on knit

Details & trims: Vividly coloured inserts on tailored jackets and tab details on sporty separates, knitted backs on tailoring, crisp white collars on knitwear

Footwear: Black slip-on boots with a neon sports sole made in conjunction with Puma

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Moncler Gamme Bleu

             

While other designers are simply flirting with Olympic themes this season, for Moncler sport is at the core of the brand. For spring/summer 2012 designer Thom Browne's sport of choice was fencing – working the brand's padded outerwear into protective vests and guards.

The look: Protective uniform

Silhouette: Sporty tight with abbreviated lengths

Key items: Snug-fit shorts cut above the knee and straight-leg pants provide the key bottom weights, while off-centre buttoned jackets and cropped gilets are padded in horizontal bands. Boldly patterned suits are paired with coordinated outerwear, while box-pleated tennis skirts add a quirky layer to long shorts. Nautical inspirations give rise to a couple of double-breasted pea coats, while other outerwear highlights include lightweight nylon parkas, a four-pocket utility jacket and a pair of structured trench coats

Colour: Signature red, white and navy

Fabric & knit: Superlight nylon, signature plaid, quilted sports fabrics including shiny ciré, cotton, pique knits, mesh

Print & pattern: Breton stripes in varying widths

Details & trims: Rubber or mirrored panels, press studs, zipped trouser cuffs with mesh inserts, reflective strips, horizontal quilting, double waistbands, protective over layers, brass buttons, off-centre buttoning, contrast tape trims

Footwear: Slip-on pumps

Accessories: Sweatbands, quilted shin guards, vests and cod pieces

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 2

Trussardi 1911

             

A smart move by Trussardi to capture the designer du jour, Umit Benan, in a bid to revamp the house. The designer, who presented his eponymous collection on Saturday, stayed true to his preoccupation with all things 80s for his debut.

The look: 80s flash

Silhouette: Relaxed and louche but with plenty of shoulder action and nipped-waist tailoring

Key items: The sharp shouldered 4DB is a must-have for 80s looks, and here it comes in ultramarine or oxblood. Other key 80s looks include a white boiler suit and soft cotton blouson, leather trousers and a 4-pocket safari jacket with a half belt at the back. Blazer-striped suiting adds a touch of pattern play along with striped straight-legged pants and a shirt print emblazoned with capital T motifs. One standout number is a pair of unstructured suede duster coats in washed terracotta and indigo with an alligator collar

Colour: Oxblood, ultramarine, white, indigo, burnt orange, washed terracotta, palest apricot
Fabric & knit: Fluid suitweights, suede, leather, perforated leather, denim, fine cotton shirtings, striped suiting, washed cotton, polished cotton sateen, silk twill

Print & pattern: Logo T print, blazer stripes

Details & trims: Alligator trim

Footwear: Fringed loafers, sporty hi-tops, classic loafers, strappy sandals

Accessories: X-body bags, zipped pouch bags in perforated leather, luggage, mirrored eyewear, silk scarves and cravats

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Burberry Prorsum

             

Christopher Bailey confidently strode out in a new direction for spring/summer, leaving far behind his recent preccupation with military looks in a collection celebrating handcrafted artisanal detailing. It was one of his best to date, as quirky homespun individuality replaced the homogenised face of the global fashion industry.

The look: Artisan at work

Silhouette: Oversized and relaxed

Key items: Bailey's lean military jackets are left behind in favour of easy oversized parkas, DB trench coats, cropped boxy anoraks and wide-cut duffels – all featuring some sort of quirky detailing, like handcrafted wooden toggles and natural horn buttons. Tailored jackets come with casual patch pockets and trouser shapes err on the soft and relaxed, with high-waisted belted silhouettes and pleated carrot-leg effects. Knits and shirtings lend themselves to the designer's preoccupation with all things artisanal, with beaded Fair Isles, DB Aran knit cardigans, blanket stitch or raffia-trimmed cropped knits and boxy shirts with appliquéd felt bird trims, as well as a raft of colourful African-style ikat prints. And watch the impact on the high street of the relaxed-neck patterned tees. Expect to see crochet and beadng replace conventional T-shirt graphics any day soon

Colour: A rich palette that combines low-key brights with vegetable-dye styled darks. Think mossy greens, conker browns, clove, beetroot reds, garnet, indigo and dark peacock undercut with emerald, chrome yellow, violet, clementine, bright Oxford blue and amber

Fabric & knit: Classic gaberdine, broken twill, chambray linen, compact cotton poplins and compact double-wool linen blends sit side by side with coated nylon canvas, bonded leather, waxed printed cotton, denim, garment-washed linen raffia, striped jacquard and beaded Fair Isle knits

Print & pattern: Ikat patterns, bold naive abstract prints with a handcrafted ethnic feel

Details & trims: The whole collection is based on detailing, with simple homespun techniques like hand-crochet wooden beads worked as collars and trims, hand-shredded raffia, crochet raffia detachable collars, crochet trims on tees, felted appliqué and hand-crafted wooden buttons or toggles along with more functional utility details like drawcord hems, button guards, storm hoods and press studs

Footwear: Bailey brings artisanal looks into play with his cork-soled moccasins and loafers, trimed with tapestry

Accessories: A raft of woven and plaited leathers for tote bags, linen crested totes, crochet raffia caps, acetate sunglasses

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Dolce & Gabbana

             

Dolce & Gabbana likes to take a theme and run with it, exploring every avenue to get the season's message across loud and clear. For spring/summer 2012, the theme was the Net – or to be precise, net or mesh effects, worked every which way for a cool and, literally, breezy collection.

The look: Mesh attack

Silhouette: Relaxed and unstructured

Key items: The suit is always a key item for this label, and it gets updated with new proportions for spring/summer 2012 through new lengths and rescaled lapel details. The main message is for mesh and its variations, worked as layered tees, Bermuda shorts, cagoules with cotton panel details,  boiler suits, unstructured mesh leather jackets, sweaters and fisherman tops, sometimes worked over a matching solid underlayer, sometimes worn as a see-through item. Variations on the theme include soft peg-top rolled-hem pant shapes and crisp whits shirts

Colour: A concise colour palette of of summer darks with rich burgundy, deep bottle, espresso, tones of grey, and graphic black and white

Fabric & knit: The crux of the collection revolves around contrasting scales of mesh or woven net effects and perforated mesh leather, layered over silk/wool mohair blended suitings, washed cotton poplin, white shirtings

Details & trims: Strap waist details on slouchy pleat-front pants

Footwear: Classic Oxfords reworked in punched leather to create an aereated mesh effect

Accessories: Woven belts, hand-held overscaled bags, mirrored sunglasses, soft unstructured caps, slim ties

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Jil Sander

             

Raf Simons looked to youth tribes to inspire his spring/summer collection, playing with boyish silhouettes and reworked proportions in a fusion of retro and futurism that didn't always hit the mark.

The look: Retro-futurism

Silhouette: Boyish mismatched proportions

Key items: Tailored shorts – with flared legs from a narrow high waist -- are the mainstay of this collection, worked as a component to SB suitings in 2 and 3SB combinations. They are also teamed with chunky pebbled or crocheted sweaters with a handcrafted feel, layered under the futuristic contrast of clear plastic tops or jackets. Elsewhere the silhouette is cut lean and mean, with second-skin fit suede and leather coats and jackets worked with the contrast of full-legged pants

Colour: Muted and low-key greys, black and indigo with saxe blue, moss, amber and violet

Fabric & knit: Silk blend suitings, silk/wool mohair, pinstripes, leeather, suede, eelskin, clear plastic, melanged pebble knits, crochet, jersey

Print & pattern: Exaggerated snakeskin print

Footwear: 80s-style heavy round-toed rubber sole oxfords and Dr Marten boots

Accessories: Snakeskin shoppers, flat document pouches worn as body bags

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Roberto Cavalli

             

The Riviera was cited as the inspiration for Roberto Cavalli's spring/summer showing. This was mirrored in the vivid colour palette and uber-luxe fabrications, perfectly constructed for the lifestyle of the jet-setting playboy.

The look: Mediterranean playboy

Silhouette: Lean, sharp shouldered and nipped waist

Key items: Sharp tailoring comes in an array of vivid brights, with narrow-waisted SB and DB jackets teamed with multicoloured striped shirts and white jeans for a casual laidback feel. Tuxedos feature embroidered detailing; a feature also picked up for casual shirts and sash details. The Cavalli man likes to mix his immaculate white tux with a chambray shirt, or to create a touch of joie de vivre, with clashing striped jeans and shirts and for him, going casual means an ultraviolet suede blouson trimmed with alligator or python, or a white polo neck layered under his vivid fuchsia DB suit

Colour: Fuchsia, ultramarine blue, ultraviolet, sunshine yellow, poppy, rose, terracotta, denim blue, black and white

Fabric & knit: Silk mohair suitings, grain de poudre, linen/silk blends, self jacquard, python, alligator, suede, leather

Print & pattern: Stripes

Details & trims: Embroidered lapels, embroidered shirt fronts, python panels

Footwear: Footwear had a 70s slant with ostrich, python and suede worked into casual loafers or moccasins and correspondent oxfords

Accessories: Striped canvas/leather holdalls, plaited leather belts, python belts

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Costume National Homme 

             

The roots of rock n’roll struck a cord with Ennio Capasa for his spring/summer Costume National Homme collection, marching to a rockabilly beat that riffed on subtle 50s infuences.

The look: 50s rock 'n' roll

Silhouette: Easy draped tailoring and 50s-style casual pieces

Key items: Tailoring mirrored the easy swaggered drape of the original Teddy Boy jacket, with easy longer-line 2SBs teamed with a straight-cut rolled-cuff pant. Elsewhere proportions are truncated with Capasa's riff on the shirt, which here comes as a fly-fronted short-sleeved jacket hybrid, cut to the waist and with raglan sleeve details, it is perfectly matched to tapered pleat-front relaxed fit pants, while a super-short cropped biker continues the look. Other key items include throw-on trench coats, collarles boxy jackets, classic fine-gauge knits and micro-collared shirts, all worked with a 50s vintage aesthetic

Colour: A muted level of tonal greys, warm taupes, black and conker punctuated with a single shot of vivid vermilion red

Fabric & knit: Micro check suitings, window-pane checks, washed linen blends, super-fine knits, leather, cottons, jersey

Print & pattern: Spots for ties, a bi-olour optical pattern on tees

Details & trims: Contrast top collars on suiting, piped breast pocket, red buttonholes on tailoring, raglan sleeves, subtle colour-blocking

Footwear: Classic brothel creepers in black and white or red and black with plaited uppers

Accessories: Contrast belts in vermilion or white, canvas holdalls

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

Ermenegildo Zegna

             

The mood was for cool summer luxury at Ermenegildo Zegna, where lightweight tailoring and relaxed casualwear were played out in a light-diffused palette of barely there neutrals and milky pales worn in soft tonal combinations.

The look: Summer in the city

Silhouette: Softly structured tailoring meets relaxed casualwear

Key items: 1 and 2SB tailoring takes on a lightweight feel, with unstructured shoulderlines and slim straight-legged pants, teamed with toning shirts and ties. DBs are slightly cropped and worn with subtly toning pleat-front pants, that tonal look translating to colour-blocked hooded Harringtons and casual poplin shirts. Lightweight nylon jackets and easy commuter macs are the outerwear options, teamed with relaxed cotton/linen knits, soft Bermuda shorts and polo shirts

Colour: Soft alabaster pales and pampas neutrals combine together - think stone, string and putty, palest celadon and shell pink, mercury and maize, palm green and cigarillo

Fabric & knit: Mohair and two-tone linen suitings, papery cotton, ciré, linen blends, washed crumpled suiting, striped shirtweights, summer suede, tonal windowpane checks, jersey, silk

Details & trims: Contrast facings on knitwear, back vents on tailoring, colour-blocking

Footwear: Rubbed-toe oxfords, suede oxfords, X-strap sandals

Accessories: Hand-held shoppers, silk ties, pocket handkerchiefs, soft silk scarves

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Live From... Milan Fashion Week, Day 1

John Varvatos

            

The 70s were alive and rocking at John Varvatos, where rock legends like Jimmy Page and Robert Plant inspired a romantically louche look built round soft layering perfect for modern-day troubadours.

“Inspiration came from the Rolling Stones movie about exile on Main Street. In this period a number of British rock bands went to the country to record new music – rock 'n' roll style was countrified."
- John Varvatos

The look: Rock aristos

Silhouette: Languid and louche with a romantically sexy appeal

Key items: The poet's shirt is the key layering piece, worn billowing under lean buttoned waistcoats ( Vests:USA) and languid unlined tailoring, or peeping from the hem of a washed military jacket and curved frockcoat. Easy duster coats and asymmetric buttoned fencing jackets top pant shapes which address the 70s mood, with soft flares, or slim cargos, while knits are suitably rock-star skinny, offering a sexy sinuous look

Colour: A muted palette of white, soft pearl grey, stone, and steel layered in mismatched combinations with accents of washed olive and black

Fabric & knit: Fabrics are weightless and lived in, with washed cold-dyed finishes for wool/ linen blends, silk, soft satin, leather and suede

Print & pattern: A hand-painted rose pattern scrolling over jackets

Details & trims: Lacing details replacing buttons, pin and stud closures, rouleaux ties, collarless details on shirts

Footwear: Hand-dyed buttoned boots and shoes

Accessories: Cold-dyed flag scarves, soft crinkle scarves, braided bracelets and lariats, overdyed canvas bags

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