Milan Menswear Fall 2010

It's all about the men this week. Milan Menswear Autumn/Winter collections commenced on Saturday and the results so far are interesting to say the least.
I'm always waiting patiently to see what Raf Simons at Jil Sander will do next. This collection showed glimmers of the original Jil Sander approach to design, with the closures and pockets faultlessly transformed into technical closures and surface design. The rest of the collection expressed nothing new though. Plain blazers and knitted sweaters are ideas that have been around for decades and the slight disappointment I felt for the future of mens fashion left as quickly as it came. It's a thought though, I know these garments look great on the hangers and Jil Sander clients the world over are asking for exactly this kind of collection, they expect nothing more, nothing less, but for me, I wanted the excitement of fresh new approaches to mens design and frankly, there wasn't quite enough to sustain.
Have a little giggle at the Salvatore Ferragamo collection. This is in the completely opposite direction to which I was just referring to, and showcasing mens fashion with all the pattern, texture, layering and colours imaginable. There were, of course, the very sophisticated Italian looks sporadically included for good measure, but this collection has no boundaries in terms of the word subtle, and at least it keeps things interesting.
The well known fact that Muicca Prada thinks of something she considers ugly before approaching a new season is not hidden in this Prada AW10 Menswear collection. Little, tight, mid-drift baring sweaters and tight flared pants immediately made me think of The Beatles, before I sifted through the following looks to find fantastic trousers and shoes with tassels. I like to think of Prada's designs as the Ugly Duckling syndrome.
Over at Emporio Armani, sport, action and colour were the key elements. He's applied his flawless tailoring ability to sporty performance fabrics and the results are a fresh and modern approach. This is one of his diffusion lines, and proves that each collection for each season that he creates, he knows and understands the client who will be wearing it impeccably.
Finally, Dolce & Gabbana displayed the effortless story from cockney chimney sweep to the well suited man of 2010 and back again. It was seamless. Their womenswear collections generally feature vast amounts of corset inspired looks, why shouldn't they showcase the varying degrees of mens under garments too?