Men’s fashion weeks always bring innovation and a search for the future, but this was even more true during the last show month. All the menswear seen on the recent catwalks for Spring-Summer 2024 helped define a man who looks ahead without forgetting the past but with a light heart and wardrobe.
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The Valentino the Narratives menswear Spring-Summer 2024 collection by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli © Courtesy Valentino
Short but intense, these fashion weeks achieved their goal: breaking down taboos and stereotypes while redefining the codes of masculinity.
The freedom of thought perfectly summarises what happened over the past month. Mixing relaxed silhouettes and urban accessories, designers played on clichés to make the traditional tailoring of the male closet feel more relaxed.
“Fluid Form,” the Spring-Summer 2024 Prada menswear collection by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proposes an absolute freedom of the body © Courtesy Prada
But let’s delve into the analysis of Milan Men’s Fashion Week for the Spring-Summer 2024 collections and try to answer one simple question: What should every man have in their wardrobe in the coming hot season? The first answer is a suit, again breaking down the idea of old and démodé once. Men love accurate tailoring, but at the same time, it must be creative, as we saw on the catwalk of Valentino by Pierpaolo Piccioli, where delicate floral appliqués peeped out on jackets’ lapels or, as imagined by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, where the upper body becomes the canvas for a couture work of fine draping. Here, the concept of gender neutrality can even apply to classic clothing options.
Dolce&Gabbana presented their Men's Spring-Summer 24 show as statement of craftsmanship and Italian glamour. © Courtesy Dolce&Gabbana
As shown in Milan, Spring-Summer 2024 will be characterised by brand-new techniques and innovative fabrics, and there will be a return of some great classics informed by unexpected and definitely 3.0 ideas. Let’s dig in and draw up a list of the 5 iconic trends that will rule next summer, ideally using the maxi pencil that starred in Giorgio Armani’s fashion show as a major prop.
All that linen
It is the perfect alternative to winter cashmere and immediately brings to mind seaside strolls: what could it be if not linen? Zegna’s latest collection focused on this fibre, featuring 192 bales of raw linen from Normandy on the fashion show set.
"L'Oasi di Lino," the Zegna Summer 2024 show by Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori. © Courtesy Zegna
These will soon be sent to the Zegna factory, made into fabric and become the items for Spring-Summer 2024. Alessandro Sartori, artistic director at Zegna (and Istituto Marangoni alumnus), recreated a perfect circular economy in the Oasi di Lino in the centre of Milan.
"L'Oasi di Lino," the Zegna Summer 2024 show by Artistic Director Alessandro Sartori. © Courtesy Zegna
The collection includes linen polo shirts and trompe l’oeil effects, paying tribute to the concept of second nature. Linen’s lightness makes it a versatile option that can adapt to different body types and demographics, defining a new fluid paradigm.
Let yourself go intricate and detailed while indulging in embroidery
Dolce&Gabbana’s latest menswear show was subtly luxurious in its nuances, yet the same cannot be said for the details directly related to the Italian brand’s heritage, which showed a new idea of masculinity balancing sexy transparencies and sophisticated elegance. Far from the cliché of toxic masculinity, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana fished lace out of their grandmother’s trunk and made it the star of some total outfits.
The Dolce&Gabbana Spring-Summer 2024 men's collection focuses on a new idea of masculinity balancing sexy transparencies and sophisticated elegance. © Courtesy Dolce&Gabbana
Men will have to dare with Valencienne lace pyjamas, Sangallo bermudas and embroidery on completely transparent shirts or cool striped cotton shirts where floral appliqués peep out as the Sicilian duo’s great must-have. Like true pioneers, they reintroduced the classic suit with a variation that may polarise opinions.
The Prada men's Spring-Summer 2024 collection saw Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons take on shirts. © Courtesy Prada
Always a champion at breaking down stereotypes, Miuccia Prada also unveiled a confident man wearing suits with 3D applied details on shirts.
In Milan (and Paris), quiet luxury isn’t over just yet
Once upon a time, there was minimalism, but now the trend that will take men through the 2024 summer season is called Quiet Luxury. Soft, subdued colours and precious materials are the hallmarks of this timeless style. This happened in Milan but also in Paris, where Hermès’ Veronique Nichanian designed clothing for men to feel free to move, with slightly longer jackets and tighter trousers in a mineral palette of sage, steam, desert, and ice; these are the only colours the designer chose, blending them to release a sense of freshness and elegance.
Giorgio Armani paid tribute to his creative process in his latest collection, with an oversized pencil symbolising the beginning of every collection. © Photo: SGP Courtesy Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani also embraced this mood in Italy, reflecting his love of Japan. His Spring-Summer 2024 collection is essential, characterised by a zen spirit and marked by the clean aesthetics typical of Armani’s DNA. This same freedom is also seen in Emporio Armani’s parkas and anoraks, specially designed to create a ‘vacuum’ between the naked body and the garment.
Celebrating 70 years of Gucci’s original Horsebit loafers
Happy birthday to Gucci’s Horsebit loafer! Celebrating its 70th anniversary, it could not fail to enter the Top 5 trends for the coming season. An immersive exhibition called Gucci Horsebeat Society was held in Milan at Spazio Maiocchi to honour the equestrian roots of the iconic accessory and celebrate the seven decades of legendary shoes.
Titled Gucci Horsebeat Society, an immersive exhibit marked 70 years since the creation of the iconic Gucci Horsebit Loafer. © Courtesy Gucci
The event also unveiled the Spring 2024 collection designed by the brand’s team – the last one before the debut of the new creative director Sabato De Sarno in September. Loafers have always played a starring role in summer evenings, a timeless essential as they are elegant but not overly so, functional and comfortable. Next summer, they will be a popular choice, including Santoni’s classic and sophisticated designs that perfectly reflect the brand’s philosophy and Kiton’s styles with visible seams.
More than a jacket
A jacket inspired by a shirt construction was a big highlight at Milan Fashion Week for spring-summer 2024. The creative duo Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showcased innovative fluid tailoring in the latest Prada show.
“Fluid Form,” the Spring-Summer 2024 Prada menswear collection by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proposes an absolute freedom of the body © Courtesy Prada
They incorporated construction methods from shirts and added three-dimensional pockets to jackets, waistcoats and parkas. While sleeves were extended beyond arm’s length in some outfits, multi-pocketed work vests became must-have garments for reporters in others. “How can a cliché idea be different?” asked Raf Simons, as reported by AnOther. “The suit, the shirt. This collection is about questioning conventions of structure and masculinity.” “We start with the white shirt – the simplest of all items,” added Miuccia Prada. “From that base, the most basic and normal, you can do whatever you like. It allows transformation.” We also saw a kind of utility jacket at Boglioli’s with a Saharan cut and at Monedoro’s that went for the Field Jacket inspired by the original designs created by Walter Albini for the eponymous brand during the three years from 1968 to 1971. To please even the man who loves street style, 1017 Alyx 9SM’s Matthew M. Williams has come up with a model in both sleeveless and technical nylon versions.
An exciting Spring-Summer 2024 season awaits, promising a mix of classics and new styles to inspire men’s fashion enthusiasts.
Agnese Pasquinelli
Fashion Business, Digital Communication & Media student, 2nd year, Milan