Milano round 1: fur is manly and shearling stays

In case you haven't heard, fashion week is upon us. As it usually does, it opened at Pitti a few days ago, which gave way to Milan yesterday. I was lucky (not) enough to miss the streaming of Ermenegildo Zegna in the morning and Dolce & Gabbana's later on. Which was very upsetting because I was looking forward to a streaming-loaded day. I did have a chance to watch Burberry (incredible) but I'll post about that tomorrow.
Ermenegildo Zegna has done an admirable job re-establishing itself as one of Italy's power houses. They have done so in only a few seasons' time. For FW11 they have done what I like to call "an Armani". If you look at the collection you'll find very traditional Italian tailoring of slimmer silhouettes and lower waist lines. The Armani reference came in through a window to the Orient, which was more evident in the formal night attire. Shiny materials in bright reds and off-golds were mixed with velvet reminiscing of the ancient oriental empires. Otherwise, it was a very textured collection. It was also styled in a way that enhanced this making the looks more homogenous rather than the usual mix of textures, which is usually more common in menswear.

Trussardi celebrated its 100th anniversary this year at Pitti. Its main attraction was leather, which made up anything from jackets and parkas (my favourite) to trousers, coats and shirts. They also showed a considerable amount of suede, which often looked like corduroy, lined with shearling very much á la Burberry. We also saw quite a bit of fur (a trend followed by Ermenegildo and Burberry), which also lined suede blazers and leather long coats.

I'm off.

[Pictures: CouteQueCoute.blogspot.com, Style.com]