Menswear 2023
Drawing inspiration from new style codes, the spring 2023 menswear collections represented a reinforcement of style freedom. Gone are the days of men feeling constricted by stiff apparel and heavy footwear, and welcome style that is ripe for revolution and ready to take on the bright future.
Upon viewing the Menswear Spring collections, I couldn’t help but notice how brands are transitioning into 2023 with no rules and no boundaries attached. More than often, I can’t report on the majority of runway shows and presentations because they are not making clothing that men wear.
But I wonder, what about men who prefer to have style rules and style boundaries? Don’t get me wrong, I am all for the advancements in fabric technology, brand transparency, and style codes. But let’s get real, most American men want to convey a good sense of style during office hours and leisure activities. In short, dressing well lends a great feeling of self-confidence and strength.
As menswear transitions into the era of the new roaring 20s, technical innovation is capitalizing on consumer needs by developing fabrics that have a unique way of blending brand heritage with elevated modern style. For example, shapes are looser and free from the restrictions of the past resulting in a more fluid and effortless style.
The new collections express a harmonious feeling by exhibiting a skillful balance between elements of tailoring expertise with effortless style. I highlighted all the brands below for their excellence in craftsmanship, construction, and modern flair. There are even a couple of edgy styles added for zoomers who plan on making an entrance!
Brunello Cucinelli
Brunello Cucinelli Spring Summer 2023 expresses a laid-back feeling of true modern elegance. The harmonious collection blends a skillful balance of artisan expertise with captivating elements of effortless style. Lightweight fabrics play a key role in ranging in colors from sunflower yellow to light blues, beiges, and greys. A variety of textures is apparent through the use of playful patterns. The use of délavé color enriches the collection by creating a three-dimensional collection.
KITON
Founded by Ciro Paone in Naples in 1968, the company moves forward in the era of the new roaring ’20s, by transitioning style with great innovation. For spring/summer 2023, the brand capitalizes on fusing fine tailoring by injecting the comfort of leisurewear into the spirit of Kiton. On the topic of design, what I find intriguing is that the volumes change by softening and widening the classic silhouette, and in doing so, the result is a fluidity between traditional and modern styles, In fact, the dialogue between the two wardrobes blends well together as mankind prepares for the future of fashion.
Canali:
The Canali Spring-Summer ‘23 presents the Ligurian Summer of a Gentleman by highlighting the picturesque Italian Riviera. Men who vacation here, have a unique way of expressing themselves in a relaxed yet elegant way. The brand developed a new term ‘smartorial’. The term reflects a feeling of elevated casual. The Ligurian color palette races forward throughout the collection by flaunting powdery pink, sand, and sage hues that appear subtly on shirts as well as suitings. On the contrary, the brand creates a summer medley by incorporating colors such as terracotta and ivory trousers that can bring a sense of confidence and strength to the overall look. Elsewhere, suede seam detailing on relaxed open-neck shirts lends freedom of expression feel to the collection.
Overshirts and Shackets play a significant role throughout the collection developed in suede, linen, and denim that pair so well with summer chinos, trousers, and even jeans. But it is the natural fibers enhanced by the technical fabrics that breathe an air of modernity into the spirit of Canali.
ZEGNA
Always looking ahead while maintaining its great heritage, for Spring-Summer ‘23 Zegna maintains a strong focus on societal and environmental consciousness. Envisioned by the founder, Oasi Zegna is a unique way of promoting environmental harmony. And for Artistic Director Alessandro Sartorii, the brand’s message is expressed by a new generation of shapes and new textures equally harmonious. The comparative advantage of Zegna has always been its fine craftsmanship and experimentation and use of materials that accelerate technicality. A feeling of freedom and modernity runs through the whole collection.
Shapes are loose and unstructured. Trousers keep a firm volume and have rounded shapes while tailored blazers are freed from collars of past generations. Interestingly enough, Terry is tailored into suits that result in a fluid, effortless silhouette -highlighted by the use of monochrome or the layering of similar tones. The fabric engineering includes such additives as technical silk, meshes, rubberized nylons, wools, terry, rubberized leather, and lacquered nappa. This is Zegna 2.0. The palette is grounded by earthy colors accented with notes of powder white, buttercup, dusty rose, honey, vicuña, mocha, hickory, charcoal, sulfur, and black.
On the road to a better environment, Oasi Zegna becomes represents the brand’s road to traceability and its values give consistency and tactile materiality to fabrics that have been developed responsibly.
120% LINO
For Spring-Summer 2023 the 120% LINO collection evolves by blending modern shapes with timeless elements reinvented by advanced craftsmanship. While the sartorial details offer a personal touch, the eco-sustainable practices assure men that they are doing their part for the betterment of the global environment.
In 2023, 120 % LINO introduces the idea of special occasion dressing by developing advanced weaving, tie-dye techniques, and exclusive hand-painted prints lending style codes with a subtle tropical feel. It is the blending of style codes that conveys a distinctive sartorial attitude perfect for special occasion dressing.
Harmont & Blaine
The Harmont & Blaine collection expands its vision with materials, shapes, and graphic and color customizations. For The Spring-Summer ‘23 collection, the brand aims to adapt to work & leisure experiences.
The season opens up with the vibrant energy of a social sporting club reserved for Harmont & Blaine athletic customers. Sweatshirts and knitwear are structured on dense, compact fabrics in wool and cotton, combined with eco- down puffers and waterproof nylon jackets with unlined, heat-sealed designs. Whereas the desert Oasis collection adds some spice by introducing a warm, sun-drenched palette of sage green, beige, paprika red, and turmeric orange. Easy-layering shapes become more fluid and lighter by incorporating linen and linen/cotton blends and interpreting these looks with a vintage feel. And the Vintage resort collection brings forth a sophisticated style of Italian summers with shades of white and Mediterranean hues, from light blue to aquamarine. Sailor stripes alternate with color blocks and watercolor gradations. Trousers feature loose, relaxed cuts in cotton and denim. The feeling of comfort is apparent throughout the collection.
Santoni
This season the men’s collection had taken place and was presented at “Parco Santoni”, located inside the Garden Senato. The relaxed atmosphere was a prelude for the sense of the collection. To start off, new contemporary codes of classic styles intermix well with the casual and sporty spirit, that breathes life to a new generation of footwear for Spring-Summer 2023. Verily, there is a sense of freedom. When I refer to freedom, I am referring to consumer individuality cemented by the younger millennial and Gen Z ( zoomers) consumers. Overall, the collection has a relaxed vibe by playing with new codes of shapes, sizes, and volumes.
Men’s product offerings range, and feature sleek lines, fine materials, and flexible constructions that speak volumes about the modern lifestyle. These styles are inspired by the active lifestyle. For example, elegance and lightness express a playful proposal for summer. Loafers – penny, double, and single monk straps, with and without fringes–calfskin with a particular washed-out treatment and suede in pastel and toned down nuances are combined with light outsoles, in buffalo leather as well as in ultralight rubber bottoms.
The color palette is defined by featuring light and toned-down nuances combined with bright and vivid shades, of the collection. For example, calfskin, suede, and nubuck leathers are presented in Menta light green, Profondo light blue, Primavera pink, Burro beige, and Arancio Santoni colors giving a unique personality to each product.
AMIRI:
AMIRI presented a runway show in Paris at the Jardin des Plantes. Spring-Summer ‘23 represents a reinforcement of looking forward without boundaries. The show evoked a futuristic time of indistinguishable freethought in various styles including work and leisure settings. In a sense, the new collection burst forth with a collection free from ritual codes of past traditions. As menswear moves into 2023, Amiri moves into men’s tailoring by translating the familiar to a new stratosphere of sophistication by working with lightweight and stretch-jersey. I was especially moved by the pleated wide-leg trousers and blazers deconstructed and casually cut to liberate younger millennials and Gen Z from traditional shapes. This is tailoring 2.0 – made with the modern man in mind. As Mike Amiri says ‘Engineered in California, inspired by precious memories. For the young and the young at heart.’
Words by Joseph DeAcetis
