Zegna: Remake, remodel and reshape

The most inventive new sartorial silhouette and most far-reaching new fabrics combined together in an excellent collection by Zegna that closed with panache the Milan menswear season on Monday afternoon.

The choice of location was perfect, Allianz MiCo, Europe’s largest conference center that includes huge new series of exhibition halls, and looks out on curvilinear apartment buildings, City Life luxury mall and a trio of faintly distorted new skyscrapers. Mirroring the novel forms and shapes of the latest collection designed by Zegna’s creative director Alessandro Sartori.

Popular local media would suggest that the Italian economy is struggling. One has little sense of that in this new booming corner of Milan, the country’s richest city. Or in this collection, which felt very much like a clever tutorial in a new fashion vocabulary.

Staged in a vast space, at the center of which stood an immense safran pile of cashmere wool, added to by falling flocks throughout the show. A brilliant symbol of the brand’s concept Oasi Zegna.

Zegna used to be all about classic and modern suits for busy guys – and you still find impeccable tailoring at the house. But with the tidal change of men demanding haute gamme casual luxury, Sartori has achieved an impressive transformation in the brand’s whole aesthetic.

His standout idea this Monday were the work jackets and outer shirts – all cut with patch pockets, wide sleeves and generous proportions. Sartori offered many looks with detachable collars, or collar choices, in either rawhide or stiff felt, giving a sharp finish to the jawline. Taking away the collar the jacket then became a gilet to be worn under a coat.

And his trousers were simply the best in Italy. Wide pants ingeniously sewn and double pin-tucked at the front and back, creating extra seams so the trousers kept their shape beautifully.

Collectively made in a striking color palette: ice, butter, burnt orange, asphalt and the inkiest of blues. The last hue seen in several great coats – from a sweeping Raglan sleeved town coat to a padded cashmere coat with an almost suede-like hand, whose interior was made of cashmere flocks.

“I wanted everything in natural materials: washed cashmere, treated cashmere, quilted cashmere, beaver cashmere and upcycled cashmere,” explained Sartori in a pre-show preview.

Featuring all sorts of layering – like the ribbed sweater over a light peacoat on top a Henley. All worn on a great casting – with several girls and veteran male stars – many sporting the new minimalist bridgeless eyewear from the license with Marcolin.

Even the music was spot-on, a custom-made soundtrack by British producer James Blake, revolving around his track Friends That Break Your Heart.

A rousing ovation greeted Sartori’s bow led by Zegna’s ambassador Mads Mikkelsen and backed up by the latest fan of the brand, Michael Fassbender. The Germano-Irish thespian looking uber cool in a volume coat in the pale cement hue designer Ale loves.

Two decades ago, Sartori leapt to prominence almost with his revolutionary cutting which turned the runway collection Z Zegna into a cult show. He set the fashion agenda then, and he is doing so again with Oasi Zegna.

And, now, we are off to Paris.

Zegna: Remake, remodel and reshape

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