Zegna Men Fall 2023

Entry to the Zegna show gave a hint of where the brand is headed this season, with an installation where cashmere flakes swirl and swirl in an air chamber protected by floor-to-ceiling windows. The intention was to show guests a key phase in the production of Oasi Cashmere fabrics at the company's factory in Trivero.

The second clue was the name of the collection: The Oasi of Cashmere.

Certainly, 70% of the collection was made with the precious fabric and 20% with the cashmere blend with other fabrics.

"Innovation comes from the fibers and the way they are woven and processed", said artistic director Alessandro Sartori during a preview of the collection, emphasizing the importance of materials and textures in the development of his vision. "Style and technicality go hand in hand," he said.

Actually, there's always something to be said for the impact and excitement of a fashion show, but in Zegna's case, the opportunity to touch the fabrics and listen to Sartori's description of the treatments and research behind the garments is an experience in itself.

Zegna's techniques are so special it seems like it would be quite a feat to replicate the looks without the help of corporate "hybrid technologies", as Sartori called them.

Nothing is as it appears in the hands of Sartori and the skilled artisans of Zegna. The brand's signature Oasi cashmere has been treated to resemble looped wool, the jerseys have a felted appearance or are presented with brushed and needle-punched finishes.

The cashmere has been hand scraped and treated to look like fleece, while another technique made it look like Casentino wool.

All that aside, the collection stood out as Sartori evolved its soft tailoring , emphasizing the absence of construction, which allowed him to play with his signature layering and tonal hues. He gradually shifted the focus on the color palette from the first group of gray suits - introducing a short-sleeved jacket - through earthy tones and a series of canary yellow and mustard looks - all opaque, not a shimmer in view.

While there were bag-inspired jackets, the silhouette was long and vertical seen, for example, in the beautiful 3D jacquard coats above the knee with geometric patterns. These have also been brushed onto puffy outerwear. Collarless coats and blazers were worn over wide trousers. A baby calfskin down jacket has been treated to look like it's been folded and sprayed where creases appeared.

The knitwear was beautiful, with exquisite honeycomb patterns or intarsia.

Several models wore lightweight turtlenecks under their jackets, a trend that Sartori is obviously pushing and which has d was first adopted by Chairman and CEO Gildo Zegna, who welcomed guests to the show.

The collection included Zegna's UsetheExisting fabrics made from alpaca, cotton blend corduroy and wool twill.

Sartori also sent a plethora of props down the track - studded with black pebbles - along with a series coveted bags and the new Vetta Triple Stich boot.

The show was an opportunity to teaser the partnership with Los Angeles-based brand The Elder Statesman , revealing, for example, a cashmere tweed coat in a beautiful bacca red. The collection will be fully unveiled at the end of February during Paris Fashion Week.

The show was one of the highlights of a strong menswear week in Milan , that is, until the end , when the main exit was closed, resulting in complete confusion as to how guests could exit.