Milan Mens Fashion Week Continued: Gazzarrini and Enrico Coveri

As I have experienced while on this trip, one thing that is consistent in this industry is change.    Besides the obvious change of this industry, which is the fashion (trends fade and new styles develop), schedules are also part of this change. Things do not always go as planned for good or bad, and even though you plan your entire day, it is not always promised  that it will go that way, and it is never written in stone.  For me and the rest of the 21 students and professors, our plans changed for the better.  Instead of visiting a museum and having class time, we were invited last minute to attend 2 other fashion shows; Gazzarrini and Enrico Coveri.  Two very different designers in terms of style and aesthetic, but very similar designers when it comes to wowing the audience and producing an amazing collection.    

 After yesterday, I knew to have my camera ready outside and expect to snap some interesting photos at both of these shows of the unique and elaborate attire I expected to see.  Pictured below are just a few photos of outfits that I was able to snap pictures of:

Gazzarrini was the first show for the day that we attended. The collection was a contemporary recreation of the 1940s era, with  brown plaid, higher waisted pants, a soft scarf tucked into the shirt, and an overall palette of duller colors such as navy blue and camel color beige (which was seen on the linen pants and a color for some of the blazers).  The contemporary recreation was incorporated through the subtle splashes of color which were different shades of mint green (as pants, blazer and socks, and shades of a vibrant red).  Geometric patterns such as the one pictured below was another accent that made this a modernized 1940’s look .  In this collection there was also windbreaker jackets that were synched at the waist and had many pockets that exuded a modern look. 

With very little time in between shows, we hustled over to the Enrico Coveri show.  Of the three shows, all of which I enjoyed and was amazed by, the Enrico Coveri show was my favorite.  Besides the fact the designer  is a color genius, the atmosphere, pace and liveliness of the show immediately grabbed my attention and made me extra enthused about the collection.  Before the show started, I made conversation with a man from South Africa named Niel, who worked for MensHealth South Africa.  He was telling me all of the shows he attended while at men’s fashion week in Milan.  Unlike myself, this was not his first time at an Enrico Coveri show.  He explained that Enrico Coveri designs are always very colorful and that the shows are always upbeat and fun.  The second the show started and the first model walked down the runway, I knew he was a trustworthy man.  There were 5 colors that I noticed as a part of his collection, purple, pink (hot pink), green, turquoise and yellow, and ended the show with black.  The show began with funky, retro patterns with purple as the dominant color and touches of pink, on the women dresses, mens blazer and swimsuits.  The patterns were geometric and very 60’s inspired, it reminded me very much of an Emilio Pucci print, who happens to be my favorite designer.  There was jewelry that was paired with the purple pieces from the collection, of big plastic circle shapes, giving an extra flair to the retro style and worn as a statement piece. Plaid was also seen a lot in this collection, primarily in the menswear like a blazer and pant.  After the funky retro patterns and pastel color plaid, I noticed there was a lot of sequins incorporated in the collection, for the women designs, in hot pink and in all of the colors that were in the fashion show.  I thought the evening wear of sequin gowns with the all white tuxedos (with a splash of color on the lapel and bow tie), was the perfect way to end a fashion show because of its obvious wow factor.