The grave, gravel voice of Johnny Cash was on the soundtrack at MSGM. "What is truth?" his refrain went. It was heavy weather for a young Milanese label known for its cheerfully potent cocktail of color and print. But for designer Massimo Giorgetti's first official show on the Milan calendar following last season's presentation at Pitti Uomo, he wanted to state his principles. "MSGM is this," he emphasized. As if the point weren't underlined enough, Giorgetti sent out sweaters and long-sleeve tees emblazoned with "truth," and sweatshirts on which he'd hand-painted Cash's lyrics.
The truth of MSGM is that it is happily, unabashedly contemporary: contemporary in affect, which is to say, mixed-media to an eye-crossing fault; and contemporary in price, which is to say salable (hence the literally hundreds of retailers that carry it around the globe). The looks Giorgetti showed were unafraid to pile it on—plaids overprinted with camouflage or mixed with floral, gold foil on paint splatter. The shapes themselves were more familiar: crewneck gym sweatshirts and varsity jackets, straight-leg jeans and oversize parkas. Dolled up, yes, but standard school-issue all. The line's early success may be due to a certain kind of empathy. The clothes are that rare thing in fashion (especially Milanese fashion): by a young guy, for a young guy. Which doesn't sound much like mid-career Cash. When "What Is Truth" dissolved into the zingy strains of Vampire Weekend, that sounded true.
