Brunello Cucinelli’s tried-and-tested fashion recipe continues to yield results; the company, which is publicly listed, posted an 8.1 percent increase of preliminary revenues in 2018. The past year was definitely golden for the Italian entrepreneur, who also feted in lavish manner the label’s 40th anniversary. So there’s no need to change the winning formula; the Fall collection was actually a riff on familiar style territory. Called Gentleman at Ease, it was a Cucinelli-esque ode to the elegance of comfort.
“I do not believe that men today aren’t keen on spending on fashion,” he said, presenting a lineup of his signature tailored suits, styled with relaxed flair and worn with aplomb by his dapper, well groomed posse of young employees. “Instagram’s exposure makes us all much more aware of our appearance.” Ditto the proposal of a neat wardrobe which looked rather photogenic and deceitfully easy, when actually it was meticulously disciplined, down to the last detail. Cucinelli is definitely the detail-obsessed type; to receive his seal of approval, everything must be perfectly in balance. The color of the silk pocket square, perfectly folded and tucked in the pocket of his fitted corduroy blazer, had to be just so; the stripes of the crisp poplin shirts must be exactly the right width. The cashmere turtlenecks, which this season were worn as a leitmotif under the slightly more generously proportioned jackets, passed muster only when their hues obliged to his favorite color chart of neutrals.
Cucinelli, as fond as he is of celebrating traditions, usually doesn’t indulge in vintage references; yet this collection had a distinctive retro flavor, expressed in a few ’50s-inspired style accents. Marlon Brando was assigned the starring role as the collection’s style influencer, with his generously cut, enveloping coats and comfortable suits worn with nonchalance over tees or jumpers tucked into wide-leg pants. These retro-tinged ingredients were translated into a general sense of debonair comfort permeating the lineup, where the fit of blazers and trousers had slightly looser proportions than usual. Corduroy velvet was one of the fabrics of choice, together with moleskin, as in a three-piece tailored suit in a deep shade of burgundy which looked utterly gentlemanly, yet cool enough to appeal to a new breed of young Instagrammable gentlemen-at-ease.
