FIVE MUST-BUY TRENDS FOR MADE IN ITALY WEEK

It’s day three of MR’s Made in Italy week, sponsored by the Italian Trade Association (ITA), and today we’re spotting the trends that menswear aficionados will be wearing for fall/winter 2023. Italian brands have an innate skill for producing sophisticated apparel and accessories that are on-trend, without sacrificing quality or tradition. As manufacturers, they know it’s important to harness technology, but always in service to the long-standing practices that result in clothes with that elegant Italian flair. Here are some of the leading concepts that we think will be breakthrough hits for 2023. Look for them all from Italian brands at the ITA section of this weekend’s Chicago Collective.

 

The (always elegant) great outdoors

We’ve discovered that spending time with nature is good for the mind and calming to the soul, so now we need clothes that can take us from city streets to mountain trails, without leaving good taste behind. Today’s styles are subtly influenced by the outdoor market — from mountaineering to camping to apres-ski — but are couched in luxurious fabrics and finishes that have been imbued with performance capabilities.

I feel the earth (tones) under my feet

It’s almost a return to the heady days of the 1980s when big-name Italian designers brought a rich, earthy brown palette to the fore, paired with their unstructured, relaxed silhouettes. The colors feel warm and inviting, from rich rusts and siennas to alluring olives, deep aqua, and pale, misty, turquoise; always balanced by charcoals, anthracites, and, of course, soft beiges, sepia, and dark nut browns.

Everlasting elegance

Tailored clothing is seeing a resurgence, but men are wearing it with newfound confidence, mixing new, softly structured garments with comfort engineered into the fit with subtly casual options for a versatile, informal style. These new combinations travel effortlessly, while always projecting an image of command and nonchalance.

The balance of minimalism

Functioning almost as a palate cleanser to the otherwise lovely textures and rich hues of the fall season, dressing as a minimalist has become some men’s go-to style. Hues are iconic: black, white, ivory, or gray provide contrast and drama like a black-and-white movie. Clean, almost severe silhouettes: cleanly structured suits, trousers, and dark raw denim — devoid of decoration or fuss — are paired with severe white collared shirts, perfectly configured T-shirts, perhaps with minimal graphics, and luxurious knits in the finest fibers. The only color is provided by the wearer’s own sparkling personality.

 

Indigo blues

Denim has become a constant in today’s masculine wardrobe, but the fabric has gone far beyond its workwear roots, now produced for maximum comfort with soft finishes, stretch capabilities and sustainably sourced materials. Dark rinses with minimal to no aging or washing are providing the fashion consumer with an elegant counterpoint that looks almost formal. Its signature rich indigo hue — which complements just about everyone’s skin tone — has also leaped into tailored clothing, knitwear, and more, retaining the original fabric’s counter-cultural verve.

 

 

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Images, top to bottom, left to right: Ricardo Esquivel, cottonbro studio, Gianluca Grisenti, cmonphotography, Skylar Kang, Vladimir Kudin, Martin Péchy, Tetyana Kovyrina, Mikhail Nilov, Karolina Grabowska, and Nextvoyage.