There was a reason that Alessandro Sartori, Ermenegildo Zegna Artistic Director, held his latest show in Milano Centrale, after all there aren’t many places in the world that can contain so many different nationalities, cultures and social backgrounds than a railway station.
The buzzing hub of diversity is what is at the core of the Fall 2019 line. A sense of formality comes to the fore, attuned to the industrial drum of the concrete jungle to match the needs of fast, connected lives.
“Borders keep being narrowed throughout the world,” said Sartori. “I felt the urge to advocate the power of openness and multiplicity through my own means as a fashion designer, expressing awareness and responsibility at every step of the creative process, from textile-making to devising new categories of clothing to the staging of the fashion show in such a meaningful place. In doing so, I keep perfecting my vision of the contemporary metropolitan wardrobe: an idea of tailoring for a cross-generation of global customers”
Categories are mixed and hybridized: jackets have outerwear pockets; shirts become jackets in boxy, functional volumes; blousons sport tailored collars; cargo pants are sartorially inclined. Even the quilted puffer jackets are constructed in the tailoring atelier, gaining an elevated touch.
Outerwear, either long or cropped, is dramatic and voluminous, with bubbly bombers, quilted parkas with detachable collars and knit overcoats; jackets have lean, longer volumes, concealed closures and geometric pockets; full trousers narrow towards the elasticated bottom. Knit is a building block that offers further textural stimulation.
A youthful element comes from the mix of patterns: jacquards singularly adapted to each garment; textural weaves of cashmere, paper and leather; slogans and metropolitan scenes turned into bold visual abstractions either as prints or jacquards.
As for accessories, expect bold-soled zippered boots and multi-material sneakers, with the iconic Cesare that are available for complete customization. Launched on the night of the show, #MyCesare offers personalisation in-store, at selected Ermenegildo Zegna boutiques worldwide, and online om Farfetch. In keeping with the assertive functional mood, bags are roomy and geometric, with modular solutions.
