The pantsuit’s longevity has been well documented in movies, where it has been celebrated as the distinctive, sometimes rule-breaking uniform of many Hollywood megastars. Who doesn’t remember Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, and Ingrid Bergman looking glamorous in their elegant tailored jackets and fluid trousers? In more recent times, images of Lauren Hutton in Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo, one of the aesthetic-defining films of the ’80s, stay in our fashion memory among the chicest examples of the seductive allure of a masculine-inspired wardrobe. Hutton’s stylish charisma resonated with the creative duo behind Piazza Sempione, Stefano Citron and Federico Piaggi, for Pre-Fall.
Tailoring is making a comeback, pushing streetwear to the fashion sidelines. That puts Piazza Sempione in a rather good spot; trousers and soft tailoring have always been its forte. Working on an updated and expanded offering of blazers and jackets was a sort of no brainer for the designers, who are industry veterans. Riffing on the familiar masculine/feminine dynamic, they played on a variety of new proportions, slightly reducing the oversize fit and making it alternatively boxier or shapelier, or else giving classic tailored shapes a modern twist, as in blazers that morphed into abbreviated peacoats discreetly decorated with contrasting stitched details. Traditional masculine wool fabrications were threaded with Lurex or silk, which gave the textures a supple, smooth finish. Trousers were proposed flared and palazzo-style, or fitted and cropped, while shirts came in many versatile iterations, the best of which was a crisp poplin softened with graceful, cool details.
