Difficult situations might result in folie outbursts or a decisive assertion of reason. The latter dominated over the Milan Men's Fashion Week, which ended on Monday: a very pragmatic, very efficient, very product-centered Fall-Winter 2023 season full of absolutely nice but mostly flavorless garments. It was more of an exaltation of rigidity, simplicity, and purity than a celebration of normalcy.
Unfortunately, no fresh discoveries were made this season, but a new formality took hold: a symbolic return to order after years of deconstructing staid ideals of masculinity, dress rules, and wardrobes. And yet, rather than a hardening of the masculine image, there was a feeling of fragility, with fitted pieces landing on bare torsos rather than shirts and ties.
Nowhere was this more clear than at Prada, which presented a collection that appeared both Prada-issima in its modernist and austere aim and Raf-issima in its glorification of slim, hairless youth. There was nothing new going on here, yet everything looked fresh. What struck us was the unwavering attention on clothing archetypes, the mathematical-architectural game of proportions, and the emphasis on cleanliness with a retro-futuristic tinge. But it wasn't all cold precision — this is Prada, after all: a fashion country of contrarian thinking currently led by not one, but two creatives — as evident in the accent on the sternum as an erogenous zone.
Gucci, too, seemed to be focused on lanky youth, with tailoring and cleanliness replacing the departing Alessandro Michele's haute bohemian extravagance with a sort of laid-back California style. In other words, Michele's perspective on fey masculinity remained, but the maximalism he brought to his work was removed.
This was, of course, the most anticipated appearance of the season. The stakes were high, but considering Gucci's present situation — no creative director and compelled to reveal a collection produced by committee — nothing was expected. Hitting the stop button for a season could have been a wiser option, but the collection opened a door to the future to the degree that it was an exercise in cleaning Gucci's diction.
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