COVID-19 bites but fashion keeps men warm in Milan

COVID-19 bites but fashion keeps men warm in Milan

Armani has cancelled but Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada have opted for live shows at Men’s Fashion Week in Milan, which kicks off Friday amid a fresh wave of coronavirus. Despite hopes of a return to normal after two years of the pandemic, the northern Italian city has been forced to adopt a “phygital” program this weekend, with some houses showing off their collections in person and others going digital. Giant Giorgio Armani’s decision last week to cancel its shows in Milan and Paris sparked gloom.

But 16 brands including some of the biggest will have live shows – with guests wearing an FFP2 mask and showing proof of vaccination – while 18 others are keeping it virtual. The rest will present their fall-winter 2022-2023 collections by appointment only. Instead of the lazy clothes loved in the pandemic, when millions worked from home, designers are focusing on the return to the outdoors world, according to trends watcher Federica Trotta Mureau.

For many fashion houses “the new elegant look is ‘overshirts’, very loose and flowing sweaters that perfectly replace shirts”, the editor-in-chief of the Italian fashion magazine Mia Le Journal told AFP. “The stars of the new collections are oversized down jackets