“Elegance and comfort are paramount more than ever today,” said Kiton CEO Antonio De Matteis during the presentation of the label’s Fall collection, displayed with sprawling magnitude in its Milanese headquarters. Updating the Neapolitan house’s classic sartorial excellence without detracting too much from tradition has so far proved a successful move. For Fall, the emphasis was on hyper-malleable versions of the blazer, proposed in a series of knitted iterations made in luxurious 4-ply cashmere yarns, as thick and flexible as a sweater or a cardigan. The same knitted-yarn technique was also applied to deconstructed coats, turning tailored pieces into comfortable, relaxed wardrobe staples. Formalwear, too, was soft and supple.
On the other hand, sportswear was given a chic finish. Padded parkas, hunting jackets and piumini were rendered in luxurious ultra-light cashmere blended with nylon and lined in fur, losing any activewear connotations and amping up the sophistication. It was an interesting swapping of rules, with sartorial dressing exuding ease and versatility while sporty attire embraced elegance.
Kiton has the younger audience covered with the KNT (Kiton New Textures) line, the brainchild of De Mattei’s sons Mariano and Walter. Focusing on a cool take on activewear, for Fall they proposed a new version of the suit, with oversized, unlined and hyper-deconstructed blazers in high-quality fabrics paired with drawstring track pants for a luxurious twist. A new addition was a series of piumini in high-tech, high-performance nylon, which nicely complemented the expanding range of sporty-inspired pieces.
