Maoist luxury? Don't laugh. Gildo Zegna is a menswear visionary, and he and creative director Alessandro Sartori have seen the future in a paradoxical collision of utilitarian uniformity and idiosyncratic self-indulgence (never mind that the Chinese market is where it's at for the immediate future). How else to explain Z Zegna's latest collection, which seemed to be advocating that the workers of the world unite under the banner of cashmere? During the show, it was easy to imagine the models manning the barricades in their blousons and baggy pants. A jumpsuit here, a swingy hooded coat there—style-conscious revolutionary cells could do worse than don such duds. And the caps sealed the deal.
But step back from the drama of the presentation and there were items here that consolidated Zegna's grasp of What Men Want. A loden-green leather blouson, a leather peacoat, generously cut trousers…all of these efficiently straddled the delicate line between form and function. Coats of shaggy black mountain goat confused the issue a little—too Mötley Crüe glam, perhaps. On the other hand, these guys have their fingers on the pulse, so we bow.
