ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA COUTURE CREATES SNOWY WONDERLAND FOR FALL SHOW

Inspired by a collection of photographs of frozen landscapes created by artist Thomas Flechtner called “Snow”, Ermenegildo Zegna transformed the Università Bocconi into a whimsical, snowy landscape for its fall/winter 2018 show in Milan.

Artistic director Alessandro Sartori builds on the path he has defined for the luxury Italian menswear label this season, devising a modular wardrobe that fuses both sports and tailoring as well as the indoors and outdoors.

For his newest Zegna Couture collection, Sartori shows geometric necklines with carved and curved lapels to accentuate the upper body. The brand’s new ‘one 1/2 breasted’ construction, a jacket halfway between and single and double-breasted model, carries over from the spring ‘18 collection.

Tradition categories are mixed up and reshuffled. Knitwear doubles as outerwear, while matching blousons and trousers are rapidly substituting the suit. Neckties make an unexpected appearance, worn as double-knot scarves. Throughout, adjustable hems give trousers decisive practicality, underlined by the sturdy mountain boots. Fabrics are precious and supple: cashmere jacquard, compact mohair, brushed alpaca, wool, and cotton corduroy.

For the first time, even the brighter tones are present on the new Oasi cashmere, which features an innovative sustainable dyeing process exclusively developed by Lanificio Zegna, where colors are obtained only from natural elements such as flowers, herbs, wood, leaves, and roots, reflecting the principles and values of the Oasi Zegna. Also, the color palette is inspired by the oasis’s environment: a mix of neutral tones of Edelweiss white, pebble grey, birch beige with notes of vicuña, bulb red, pine green and dashes of crocus purple, chanterelle yellow, and azalea orange.

In keeping with the morphing of categories, “XXX”, a symbol of the manual craft of Ermenegildo Zegna Couture, is used extensively as a jacquard or a logo on clothing and accessories such as technical leather bags, backpacks and shoes, while Pelle Tessutatm – the exclusive Zegna woven leather fabric – comes for the first time in herringbone patterns on briefcases and bags.

“I am interested in expanding traditional techniques, creating hybrid shapes that are apt for new uses, getting contemporary function out of the traditional craft,” said Sartori. “We work around sartorial neologisms, which this season I have labeled with another neologism: Snowriting. Formal merges with informal in a sublime snowy scenario.”