The body at the center of menswear: for Autumn/Winter 2023-24, men are playing with the dualism of masculinity/genderfluidity, and along the Milan-Paris axis, there is a rediscovered desire for minimalism: less is glamour and chic.
The fashion industry is observing Generation Z with a different perspective compared to the past, finding an authentic interpretation in the resurgence of new clothing needs. Tailoring, pure cuts, comfort: men are becoming more corporeal, masculine, and more at ease in the clothes they wear. There is a life cycle in trends as well, and this season of fashion shows becomes a display of the new wave. Streetwear, tailoring, outdoor, urban-chic: what will the new normal be?
In Milan, the new Gucci is revealed after Alessandro Michele’s departure from the creative direction of the Florentine brand.
After 7 years as creative director, Michele leaves it to Gucci’s internal team to design the upcoming winter collection. This marks the first chapter of Gucci's new era, which seems to want to turn the page on the vintage signature of the Roman designer by showcasing the maison’s evergreens: the carabiner and the piston closure. In this light, the 1970s and 1980s are being promoted. A collection that makes spontaneity its strength, where the styling plays a leading role, offering an experimental image. The creative team takes inspiration from the cornerstones of Gucci’s golden era with a certain minimalism that allows us to observe the glam simplicity of Tom Ford. The creative team’s project alternates between skinny and oversized, awaiting Bizzarri’s announcement of Alessandro's successor.
Prada, where politics is a manifesto to be displayed on the runway. If there is one designer who applies the rule of subtraction, her name is Miuccia Prada, who, together with Raf Simons, designs a conceptual Fall/Winter 2023-24 collection. The clothes are bourgeois slogans to wear; they become a tool of power because they embody not only aesthetics but also communication. "We always talk about reality and, as designers, we are very attentive to what is happening in the world, to the problems and difficulties: this collection is our reaction to a complicated historical moment. We worked honestly to create useful clothes for people, representing our idea of today’s reality. We want to create fashion with meaning and purpose. And this is the value of fashion today," says the designer backstage. The essential tailoring of the Milanese brand is a balanced play of shapes, volumes, and prints; the coats display a linear silhouette, while the bombers, on the other hand, have a perfectly circular shape. Interesting pieces include the sleeveless sheath dress and the duffle coat to protect against the cold. For Silvia Venturini Fendi, this is "a collection inspired by ourselves, by Fendi, where, as always, we play on two fronts: a reflection on the classic but with more nocturnal effects."
Relaxation and classicism: these are the key words of the Autumn/Winter 2023-24 collection of the Roman maison. The designer introduces into the contemporary world the garments of the Roman era with the tunic, focusing on exterior elements: a toga (Romanos rerum dominos, gentemque togatam) that today spreads among Generation Z as a large, tone-on-tone scarf to drape over a men’s suit. For Fendi as well, the 1970s disco club becomes the mood of the next winter season, where tailored pieces that nod to urban chic are paired with a relaxing color palette such as mauve, taupe, and mocha, alternating with metallic shades of silver, indigo, and purple.
January 30, 1958. Yves Saint Laurent designs, for the very first time, a genderless collection for a maison that was considered the most authoritative and autarchic of the time. Today, Kim Jones revives that scandalous runway show, bringing forth a renewed Dior man. In white, Jones draws a virtuous parallel between past and future in what he defines as a flow of change. An aesthetic vision that observes the Asian market and plays invisible games between West and East. Cherry blossoms bloom on sweaters, the shorts are wide and reminiscent of the hanfu: the traditional Chinese Han garment. "The sense of movement, modernity, practicality, and ease is infused into every garment, a simplification of formal and casual. The silhouettes are softened, shaped, and malleable, while the clothes are hybrids, transformed in original ways to adapt to the wearer. The idea of simplicity is felt everywhere, behind the precision and complexity of these creations," the designer will say at the end of the show.
Continuing with Yves Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello composes a rock melody around his creative project for the Autumn/Winter 2023-24 collection. The French maison firmly roots itself in tradition, offering a rock and unisex collection. And, to the notes of the grand piano played by Charlotte Gainsbourg, Saint Laurent sends models down the runway dressed in streamlined silhouettes, clearly inspired by the 1980s. Pure colors such as black, purple, white, and silver create a genderfluid palette that maximizes the beauty of the project. The dark man loves to wear bow shirts, black coats of exaggerated length, sequined tops, and maxi tube sweaters worn over tailored pants, sometimes offered in an elegant velvet version. Vaccarello also pays tribute to the brand's founder, who was deeply connected to Morocco, with the Hijab, which becomes a very sensual transparent shirt to pair with tailored-cut trousers.
Matthew M. Williams, for Givenchy, identifies the different faces of the contemporary man by envisioning a streetwear collection. Drawing on early 2000s trends, the designer, who has led the creative direction of the French brand since 2020, offers a layering game featuring hoodies, skirts, and pants. Matthew channels his conception of streetwear (the same he applies to his brand 1017 Alyx 9SM) into a runway show that redefines a new idea of street style, decidedly more commercial. The tailored jacket extends over the hips, resembling a redingote, the military jacket becomes the cult piece for Autumn/Winter 2023-24; also seen on the runway are denim skirts and fleece shorts.
Louis Vuitton, the men's collection is an adolescent game. The Autumn/Winter 2023-24 man is a visionary who plays with not only retrieving memories of the past but also with discarded clothes, giving them a second life. "The Men's Fall-Winter 2023 collection is inspired by a creative collective. Designed by the Louis Vuitton Men's Ready-to-Wear Studio, the collection draws inspiration from the ideas and concepts of American designer Colm Dillane," reads a formal statement from the brand. "Previous seasons do not exist as single entities but come together in a canon dedicated to the principle that no season is an old season – the statement continues. In a fast and fleeting time, repetition equals documentation: gestures made and lessons learned. The collection exercises the three approaches of the Upcycling Ideology through fabrications, techniques, and themes."
All of Virgil Abloh's masterpieces, who served as creative director of the brand until his death on November 28, 2021, are present: street style is narrated through over trousers with pleats in the style of Charlie Chaplin, vests, hoodies and après-ski pants, quilted bombers, optical-effect tailored coats, and waxed pants.