Zegna Fall 2022

Alessandro Sartori, whom I happen to think is quite talented with one foot firmly planted in reality, has proposed a more au courant vision for Zegna as it will be known from now on. It’s my opinion that Zegna will always be known for its tailored clothes and Sartori is putting out feelers to a new generation of possible Zegna customers.

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The collection is fashion savvy and somewhat trendy and yet the DNA of the brand remains intact. There is a fluidity and softness which is a welcomed sight as well as a variety of pant shapes and of course jackets and outer wear. Sweaters play a large part in the layering process that he puts forth as does his almost renaissance like rich palette. Do I think that this possible newcomer will wear the clothes as shown... well no, but I do think there is a rich young client as well as a tried-and-true Zegna client who will find pieces to wear.

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What I found most distressing was that film which was their 16 minutes of my life I will never get back and as far as I am concerned was a “Hollywood” production in the same vein as Vaccarello for St Laurent except that the latter was far more exciting, and this was tedious.

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At any rate I find it refreshing when a designer designs and understands it is not his name on the label but a label that is revered for its longevity, quality and product. It will be interesting to see how this evolves in the future and if it will return to the more classic approach or proceeds on the more fashion path.

BERLUTI fall 2021

Here’s the thing about Berluti, from the start, it went from somewhat boring business like to slick, chic and excessively rich looking for men who truly appreciated timeless but fashionable clothes. Alessandro Sartori, in my opinion was the one who set the tone and held it tightly but always finding a way for the collection to morph and evolve. Haider’s reign was short and a bit more forgettable, if not a mismatch, but now we have Kris Van Assche who has jolted the collection in a way that is disturbing...at least on first glance!

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The tailoring is there, the fine line between evolution and revolution is there but that seems to happen because of the styling and not the clothes. For instance, look at the shoes, look at the bucket hats, look at the combination of pieces and those fashion nuances such as ankle gripping pants and high-water hems, draping hems and the color palette!

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I see this as a collection of pieces and not a collection to be worn as shown. Despite the blah blah blah, there are some beautiful pieces that retain the original DNA of the brand that can be worn with any of the pieces that came from 9 years of Berluti.

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No, I don’t harbor any illusions that this could ever be a mass appeal brand firstly because of its price and then secondly for all the reasons listed above but it holds my eye and makes me wonder about the direction that Van Assche will take.

Ermenegildo Zegna fall 2021

Alessandro Sartori envisions his new iteration of the heritage brand as what I want to say is conservatively trendy or fashiony. 

is a softness, a fluidity, an ease that runs through out.

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This is not the Zegna you knew 10 years ago as the go to tailored suit brand for the executive, which I’m sure still exists; this is 21^st century Zegna which can be seen in a way that is ageless and so much of what we see here is due to styling trickery rather than how it can and will be worn.

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I’m a fan of full pants, bathrobe   wraps and this easy peasy kind of dressed up but not in a tight ass kind of way. No question, the clothes are expensive but, in many ways, they are timeless, classic and carry on the traditions and DNA of the brand.

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Amazing what you can do without bells and whistles like …stuffed animals, paste on kites and puddling pants yet still present a collection that rates up there with the best of them and while I’m sure it will not get the hype of a Prada or a Dior, I believe these are the kinds of clothes that have evolved during this pandemic era and will evolve even further in the post pandemic era.

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Simple limited palette, exquisite workmanship, beautiful lush fabrics and knits are hallmarks of the collection.

Ermenegildo Zegna fall 2020

Alessandro Sartori is plying his skill as a designer and bringing a new flavor to what once was the home of the staid Italian tailored business suit of choice when Brioni, Oxxford, Kiton and Savile Row were hitting the mark.

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What fascinates me here is that yes, there is an enlarged vocabulary of what constitutes a jacket but what has really been massaged is the DNA of the brand. The evidence is in how it was presented, the fabrications and the palette. Of course, there was a rather large assortment of silhouettes and proportions but much of it might have looked even more modern and less contrived if not so overly accessorized and styled.

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We will forgive Signor Sartori the use of a decades-old Gaultier wrap blazer and possibly the racial over-diversification of models of a very non-diversified age group. Sadly, one might be quite curious to see what these clothes would have looked like on those who were not quite so young and more mature and polished in terms of looks rather than just age.

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The optical patternings might have been a bit overkill but not really detrimental as a whole. As a collection, it should be seen as one that needs to be dissected to find wonderful outerwear, beautiful suits in a variety of shapes and even some wonderful knits. In other words, the collection should really not be reviewed on its face but as the sum of all of its parts that create a collection.

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Without doubt the collection is not over trended or trying to hard, it is merely trying to evolve with the times and Sartori is most definitely essaying to put his imprimatur on this once suits only heritage brand.

Zegna spring 2020

Alessandro Sartori ADDRESSES DIVERSITY! His take is not just about who is wearing the clothes on the runway but what the clothes actually look like. He offers up some trends of his own within the collection and yet there are so many looks that the take away might just be .. you are as old as you feel since these clothes carry no millennial design stigma attached to them.

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Zegna is timeless, ageless and classical without being boring although in comparison to what’s been shown this is one big yawn…. I’ll take the yawning rendition please. The color palette is just sublime, the patternings are from the expected to the unexpected and there are shapes galore whether in pants or jackets or outerwear. It is the classics skillfully, deftly and subtly manipulated and massaged that so few are capable of!

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This what I would call smart marketing by appealing to men who can afford these clothes and even to some who aspire to own such  beautiful pieces. The assortment of fabrications ranges from what you expect to  more than expected.  One can honestly say that Zegna has shed its all business kind of reputation and emerged as a brand that speaks to a customer who exists in bountiful numbers and not to trendoids or those who scour second hand stores to duplicate the runway looks.

 

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Brava to you Alessandro Sartori and to Zegna

Ermenegildo Zegna fall 2019

Berluti’s loss is Zegna’s gain.

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Keep in mind that Zegna will always be classic clothing brand as in suitings but in the past decade or so they have expanded their reach by expanding their vision of how their clientele might dress when not in a suit. Yes, there is Z Zegna but that tends to skew younger than the eponymous brand

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Alessandro Sartori comprehends what it means to massage a trend ... meaning it still is more stylistically forward than the norm but it does not push the envelope to the point of absurdity. Sartori understands nuance and details as well as that massaging of newness can still be achieved while retaining the DNA of the brand… whether it’s the 1/4 top pockets on a blazer or suit jacket or  its asymmetrical closure. You might even notice an inch and a half or two inch cuff on printed pants where it’s barely noticeable, the outerwear and knits are outstanding in their diversity and design even though there may not be all that much that’s new here but it is how the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. 

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Sartori's skillset allows him to offer chic mendwear, he understands sprezzatura and he gets the concept of turned out and while Zegna may not be a monetarily accessible to most, the collection possesses “looks” of distinction. He tweaks the proportions, the layering, the prints, the colors and silhouettes. The clothes are modern and yet classically rooted offering an appeal to some who might never have dared to buy pieces such as these.

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I tip my hat to the powers that be and to Signor Sartori for giving us well designed fresh and appealing clothes that span age categories and will for the most part withstand the test of time

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