Emporio Armani | Menswear Fall 2011

                          

 

 

     

The fashion week in Milan, Emporio Armani latest show was opened with Golf parade. The gray and taupe colours where the main features of the Fall 2011 collection. The main factor was the coat, replacing Armani's signature jacket as the foundation for Fall. Unstructured, slim-line, occasionally paired with a waistcoat, it looked very well in a mid-calf length, like the camel topper that casually closed with a single button. Also the soft cardigans, leather harness-cum-waistcoat, which was actually a pretty effective—even sexy—way to define the male form.

            

                         

        

         

         

        

         

         

        

Valentino | Pre-fall 2011

I must admit, I am the biggest fan of  Valentino. He is the king of evening dresses and feminine clothes. Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri launched a capsule collection called Techno Couture that reimagines some of the house signatures—the roses, the ruffles, the ruching—in easy-to-wear stretch wool. The resulting black and white dresses are still plenty feminine, but you don't have to wait for a big night to pull them off. As in the duo's recent runway collections, the look was younger and hipper. Nylon trenches in foundation colours topped knee-length lace frocks, some of which came with simple T-shirt-like bodices. Hanging on racks in the studio were flaring seventies-style trousers and elongated cardigans, the most covetable with a black mink front and a knit back. A stripy turtleneck sweater fused with lace and shown with a leopard-spot A-line skirt looks destined for the front row at fashion shows next month—who will be the lucky insider to score those samples? A trio of puffer coats drove home the designers' message: Valentino isn't just a red-carpet brand, but it’s a timeless elegance. I just adore Valentino’s clothes!