In Milan, the men’s wardrobe takes off

Who better than the Italians to celebrate dolce vita and the freedom it conveys? The spring-summer 2025 men’s collection week, held in Milan (Italy) from June 14 to 18, was the perfect demonstration of this.

At Gucci, the highly anticipated second men’s collection from Sabato de Sarno fits perfectly with the idea of ​​lightness. “She talks about encounters between the city and the beach. In reality, she talks about freedom”, details the creator in his note of intent. On the city side, shouldered jackets and fitted suits are accompanied by polo shirts worn close to the body, while long overcoats with vertical pockets open wide at the back.

But it is on the beach side that freedom is expressed frankly: the bowling shirts with their large collars are printed with dolphin, surfer or palm tree motifs, and the colors become more luminous as you go – wide sky blue shirt, shorts fuchsia pink, anise green jacket. Everything creates a commercially desirable wardrobe, carried by the accessories. Sunglasses that swing at the back of the neck held by a strap, flat shoes reminiscent of those of divers and soft bags in shiny leather should indeed easily find their audience.

At Dolce & Gabbana, the designer duo proposed a return to the 1950s. A carefree post-war period, where chic and nonchalance set their pace. Here, the jackets, shoes and loose shirts are in raffia – hand-woven by Italian artisans – and accompany linen pants worn wide and rolled up at the ankle.

Belted shorts are worn with short-sleeved blouses and woven derby shoes, while slant-striped polo shirts, open linen shirts and white suits evoke the seductive allure of a young Marcello Mastroianni. A concentrate of retro summer Italianness, perfectly executed.

Silvia Fendi is preparing to celebrate in 2025 the 100th anniversary of the brand created by her grandparents, Adele and Edoardo Fendi. The opportunity to delve into the archives, and extract treasures that have been little exploited until now, like the squirrel found on blazer badges. Ties feature the Pequin logo designed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1983 – wide stripes on which the Fendi name is diluted.

Ease is expressed through shorts, obliquely buttoned polo shirts or even soft suits, all in sea green, beige or yellow. “I wanted very light fabrics – there is a lot of cotton silk – and slightly loose volumes. It’s important that men are comfortable”adds the designer.

Relaxation is also Giorgio Armani’s approach to his Emporio Armani line. The designer, who will celebrate his 90th birthday in July, named his collection “Freedom in nature”. And to express this idea, he designed an airy locker room. Light, belted jackets with dropped shoulders, harem-style or very wide pants, or even linen blouses, available in beige, brown or gray. The impression of lightness continues in the main line, Giorgio Armani, which offers a succession of fluid silhouettes, wide linen pants, soft jackets and even airy blouses, in very summery tones of blue.

Colorful and wrinkled

At Prada, Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada dedicated their wardrobe to youth. “We need loopholes. The current period is not simple, and the young generation needs to dream”, they detail. The casting is also more juvenile than usual. These boys wear short knitted sweaters with colorful, wrinkled blouses peeking out from them, low-waisted pants with integrated leather belts or even jumpsuits that reveal t-shirts reproducing Bernard Buffet paintings.

But at Prada, rigor is never far away. It nestles here on thick leather hooded sweatshirts or pants that seem, wrongly, heavy. “They are actually made from very light cotton. The idea was to have fun with trompe-l’oeil! »explains Raf Simons.

Lightness comes through the confusion of the senses at Moschino, where the Argentinian Adrian Appiolaza signs his first men’s collection. Here, it is in particular the trappings of the businessman that he attacks, with trompe-l’oeil suits on long t-shirts, or garnished with office supplies (paper clips, etc.). There are also nods to Italy, with jackets in the colors of the flag and a football print, or even smiley or fried egg logos, gimmicks inseparable from the brand, on sweaters in fine mesh or pins.

Jonathan Anderson is also used to playing with the codes of surrealism. This season, for his JW Anderson label, he has diverted the Guinness beer logo onto cotton sweaters. “I’ve been asking them to use it for years. I’ve always been a fan of their commercials. Between the Irish, we ended up finding an agreement”he laughs.

An iconography that he associates with childhood, the central theme of the collection: deflated balloons as pussy-bow collars on shirts, dollhouse-style patterns on jackets or even T-shirts with very Barbapapa puffed sleeves. Relaxation here comes through extremely enlarged volumes on bomber jackets, a giant tie or even extra-large leather hooded jackets. A highly acclaimed collection.

Finally, Alessandro Sartori at Zegna explores linen for his summer line – after cashmere in winter – with blends of silk and cotton. The silhouette is even more airy, structured around wide pants, shorts or flowing suits. The beautiful earth colors – ocher, sand, beige… – make it all the more attractive. “This collection has something typically Italian, especially in the carefree way in which it is worn”, concludes the designer. The sun and the 27 degrees ideally reflected this philosophy on the streets of Milan.