“I’d rather prefer not using the word ‘tailoring.’ It seems worn-out, almost overused these days,” said Massimo Giorgetti. “ ‘Classic’ sounds like a better option.” From a designer who has based his success on sportswear-inspired, heavily logo-ed sweatshirts sold by the thousands to a community of young, hip fashionistas, it seemed quite the statement. But growing up is inevitable and MSGM cannot escape the universal destiny.
Despite his dislike for the word, there was actually quite a lot of great tailoring in this pre-collection. Masculine double-breasted coats or elongated blazers in herringbone tweeds were cut sharp and straight, while sleek ’70s coats were energized by the label’s signature bold colors—flame red, mimosa yellow, clover green, cyclamen. You won’t find washed-out pastels or muted, melancholic tones chez MSGM. Its vibe resonates on a higher frequency.
Yet Giorgetti has considerably pared down his once rather loud aesthetic, trading first-degree enthusiasm into a more nuanced approach, working on more layered visual references and embracing a certain precision of execution—or at least that was what one could perceive in this offering. Even if the ode to Milano, which has been a recurring theme in his recent work, felt a bit clichéd and formulaic, it was rendered with some restraint—a word that hasn’t really belonged to MSGM’s vocabulary up until this point. Inspired by Gio Ponti’s chic ’70s Milanese interiors with their modernist ceramic floor tiles, a series of shirts were printed in geometric motifs. Elsewhere the elegant classicism of bourgeois drawing rooms was translated in a colorful print of blooming roses on silk cloqué, gracing well-cut coats and blazers.
Giorgetti has so far approached the sustainability conversation with caution; he’s serious about it, but it’s not his style to openly boast. He’s working on sourcing the right certified fabrics and eco-conscious production techniques, like replacing prints on polyester, which are highly polluting, with prints on recycled viscose, and all the leather he uses is vegan. It’s obviously an ongoing process. To find creative alternatives to real furs, he worked with an independent Italian furrier who has converted to a fur-free practice. He came up with textures mimicking shearling and goat woven from certified organic wool, patch-working them together into super-soft voluminous coats. In upbeat tones of egg-yolk yellow and cerulean blue, they looked pretty great.