NAME THAT ... BRAND RESORT 2022

One has always been known for exquisitely fabrications with an artisanal boho mood. One was known for its clean wearable slick urbane classics and lastly the one that was known for its incomparable knitwear.

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You mission, should you decide to accept it and decide which pieces belong to which brand and then explain why each  of these distinctive and well-respected brands turn out generic clothes that serve no other purpose than body covering.

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This is what it’s come to ... piles and piles of pedestrian, useless and absurd clothes that scream look at me or just keep walking nothing to see here ... it’s up to you to decide!

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ETRO fall 2021

Well, this season instead of trying to “keep up with the Jonses,” Etro has intentionally decidedly and most of all forcefully shown us that you can take the DNA of a heritage brand and transcend seasonal trickery to create timeless, exquisite pieces that speak to the times and yet will never be looked at as dated .... whoa!

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The clothes speak to the times we live in; they are relaxed, easy to understand and speak   very softly to the brand’s reputation as a pinnacle in the luxury market. Don’t look for beads and shiny sequins and feathers and elaborate sleeved evening wear but instead look at clothes to be worn by women of all ages provided they have the means to afford them.

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No, they are not the clothes to set the world aflame but they are the clothes that speak to a sort of chic sprezzatura that so few collections ever get close to. They are clothes to be worn not ogled. In these precarious times, the luxury customer is searching for clothes to wear whether to visit a friend, take a walk in the city or if you’re lucky enough to sit in a restaurant that is probably less than half full at all times but still enjoying any evening out.

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Let’s just say brava to ETRO for putting their DNA to use in a way that doesn’t prostitute the brand or dilute it in any way

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Etro men’s fall 2021

 What happened to luxurious, adventurist, covetous and classic ETRO? Apparently, this might be a question for the ages as this looks like a collection assembled from the scrap box aimed at those who couldn’t afford these clothes with a month’s salary.

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Where is the wonder of the ETRO mixes and patterns, fabrications and luxe that we have become so accustomed to? ETRO is certainly not a collection with mass appeal but when it starts or actually does look like H&M we are heading in that direction there’s a problem.

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Times being what they are, I do believe that the Etro client would have been more inclined to lust after pieces that they could wear and cherish for years to come but alas that aint what you see here!

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Che peccato!

ETRO FALL 2020 men's

By Etro standards, this collection was rather tame but what this collection offered has been a rarity on the runways for quite some time and that is …. SWAGGER. The wraps, serapes, ponchos, the slickness of each exit was a sight for sore eyes which we have become too accustomed to seeing as a clown parade rather than elegant wearable and sophisticated well designed and well-styled collections for  men of great style and distinction who are clearly in the minority these days.

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Yes, I understand that these looks are not about to be seen on every street corner but hell, what a pleasure it would be to see men dressed in such a way. Okay, so yes, there were a few too many hats and judging by what I’m seeing so far, knee-high boots are a must for the season.

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The traditional Etro patternings are held to a minimum with the addition of plaids and it all works so beautifully as a whole. The palette is fall and there is no mistaking that these clothes are for men who have discerning taste as well as a stylistic posture that most could and would never understand or undertake.

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Aside from all the wraps etc. which I adored, the last grouping of what I supposed equates to formal wear is nothing short of spectacularly low key and just plain old divine.

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Etro fall 2018

It’s ethnic, Mexican, Peruvian, Incan, Aztec, patch worked, bohemian, hippie cool, chic, luxe, riche and fringed. It sort of makes Ralph Lauren's western fantasies more like a wet dream.

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The color palette is excruciatingly wonderful in all the warm tones of fall. My take is simply that this is collection for collectors of fashion and probably not about a single look; from the fringed coats to the serape like throws it’s just heavenly cool. It has no age; no requirements other than you just gotta love it and be able to afford it when the quality is this good and in keeping with the DNA of the brand. 

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Again, this is not universal appeal… but this is incontestably about the art and craft of fashion and for fashion aficionados and not the dabblers. I’ll take this over 10 Pradas, 20 Moschinos and surely over 1000 Guccis.

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BRAVA!

Etro MFW spring 2017

It is again one of those glorious moments when a brand seemingly goes off on some unrelated tangent but then you realize it remains in its comfort zone as well as speaks in its own particular language with its own vocabulary

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Etro has never been a brand you associate with white… very white … blizzard like white and yet that is exactly how this eye popping presentation began. Again it is massaging the DNA and evolving and just doing what you do. 

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Just when you think they had given those madder prints, about half way through the collection takes a right and goes directly to Raj! The glorious richness and luxe that they are famous for... the silhouettes speak to the mood and colorations just dazzle as do the prints and fabrications. The accessories as over the top as appropriate. 

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No, this is not about appealing to everyone but hell, give me this kind of narrow appeal against the supposedly earth shattering appeal of a Gucci’ in my opinion  Etro makes Gucci look like what it is... a less than talented designer’s harping on the same theme season after season after season .. now it is officially beating that dead horse into submission.

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Brava Etro!