Boys just wanna have fun

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I know, Cindy Lauper used to sing that “GIRLS just wanna have fun”: we girlies sure have our fair share of fun, between parties, and after-parties, and aperitivo-s, and shopping sessions and women-only night outs and trips. But, if the Milan Men ‘23FW Fashion Week that just ended has thought us something, I think, is that the boys will have a good time next season, in and out of the office and uni classes.

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As Federica Salto said on Vogue, what distinguished this fashion week from the previous one is the change of the trend from streetstyle to high fashion, from the elegant lines to the research of fabrics.

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The breaking of toxic masculinity was there too. Along with the corsets of D&G, the real protagonists of this gender-neutral codes, playing with them to create a new idea of fashion, are for sure Dean&Dan from DSquared2: the two created a new cowboy man that doesn’t care about “masculine” and “feminine” colors, wears crop tops and lace thanks, skinny jeans, fur bags and the camperos boots that women so much love to wear on summer nights with mini dresses.

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But if I’m to find a word to describe what I got from this fashion week, that word is FUN. Under the tailoring and neutral tones, the patterns and fabrics and bops of color and playful garments were there too, to remind us that the storm of the past years might have passed, and life is too short to not try and find the bright side of things.

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JW ANDERSON

When life rains on you, wear frogs rubber boots!, better if they are designed by amazing Jonathan Anderson. Memories went back to the ones the little princes William and Harry used to wear on strolls with their mum, Princess Diana. But the frog boots are not the only highlight of the runaway presented by Anderson on Saturday 15^th: tomato tattoos, leather boots in pop colors, big fluffy shearlings, leather and fur trenches, pillows and fabric stocks as purses. Extravaganza in a simple form!

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ETRO

Warm colors and simple but stylish patterns are once again the highlight at Etro - under the expert hands and mind of Marco De Vincenzo - along with research for high quality fabrics (like the ones from the archive we could see in the back of the runaway, like a little behind the scenes sneak pic). Long, relaxed cachemire or teddy jumpers, cozy tartan pants and long skirts, warm scarfs and felt studded clogs: nothing cozier than that. But what caught my eyes most were the silk pajamas sets worn under long coats: the Etro man for me looked like a modern Carrie Bradshaw, seizing the day to get coffee and newspapers and maybe hitting the office (better if they work for a creative agency)!

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PRADA & FENDI

Prada this year, as their classic DNA designed by Raf Simon and Nostra Signora Miuccia, have been presenting sartorial lines and simple cutting, neutral tones and the looks of a man that just came out of the office, with gloomy faces and fast feet. But what I loved about this collection where the pops of colour here and there, along with the fluffy cardigans and pillow puffers: in a dark, speeding world, we can add a touch of brightness with mohair pink and light blue collar and loafers neon soles, with the puffer jacket that looks like a pillow and is screaming “Look at my undereye bags, I want to sleep!” and the soft cardigans that hug your body in the days you don’t feel like leaving the house.

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Fendi too added the fun touch to a collection of greys and beiges: amazing pieces, long coats and one shoulder tops, but most of all the baguette bag - designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi in 1990 and living her best revival this year with the comeback of all the iconic interpretations – in teddy versions, even with the shape of an actual baguette, and as funny packs.

What both these brands thought us is that details matter: in a chic and formal outfit, be a rebel with a touch of unexpectedness!

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RE GIORGIO ARMANI

Out of every possible interpretation of the timeless elegance par excellence of Emporio Armani, what I saw here was a modern little prince. Armani emphasized the figure of the aviator, “the idea of a human in flight reinventing a figure that has always been central to the Armani imagination” the Maison says on Instagram, and I like to think that they wanted to transmit freedom: to fly, to imagine, to live, with relaxed but structured fits and big boots to cross every path.

Re Giorgio made his appearance at the end of the show carrying a fallen bag from a model, smiling and thanking the people who came: no matter your old career and prestige, always smile and never take yourself too seriously!

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