Magliano
Italy

Italy is known for storied fashion houses but emerging designers such as Bologna-born Luca Magliano are bringing new energy to its menswear scene. After winning lvmh‘s Karl Lagerfeld Prize last year, Magliano presented his new collection in Florence at Pitti Uomo.

Offering a take on classic dressing updated with subtle draping, he also collaborated with some Pitti Uomo heavyweights. One was Kiton, creating a suit cut in a Neapolitan silhouette. “Kiton’s drastic hand-sewn approach allows it to reach the highest standards,” he says.
magliano.website

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Drôle de Monsieur
Paris

“It’s hard to launch a brand when you’re not in a major city but we wanted to show that it’s possible,” says Dany Dos Santos, who co-founded Drôle de Monsieur with Maxime Schwab in Dijon in 2014. Embracing their outsider status, the duo made a name for themselves with casualwear bearing slogans such as “Not from Paris Madame”, a phrase that became a rallying cry for entrepreneurs in second-tier cities across the country. In 2023, however, Drôle de Monsieur finally opened its first bricks-and-mortar shop in the heart of the French capital.

The boutique evokes an elegant 1970s hotel lounge, with art deco-style walls and a till that resembles a bar counter. “Hospitality and fashion have a lot in common,” says Dos Santos. “Both aim to make clients feel at home.” Alongside casual items bearing playful graphics, you’ll find a range of more formal designs: we recommend the elegant trench coats and shearling jackets.
droledemonsieur.com

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Brioni
Italy

Under design director Norbert Stumpfl, Brioni has been quietly evolving into one of the key premium menswear labels in the market, offering meticulously crafted garments made using featherlight, natural materials and rare couture techniques. Stumpfl tends to favour minimal designs and neutral colours, letting the quality of his clothing do most of the talking. But when it comes to evening wear, he also makes a point to sprinkle the right amount of glamour on his designs. A firm believer in the power of a sharply tailored jacket, his latest evening wear creations, presented in Milan’s Circolo Filologico, included tuxedos and dinner jackets featuring elongated lapels and earthy colours, nodding to the work of Spanish artist and designer Mariano Fortuny.

You’ll also find jackets in the brand’s signature herringbone cloth that feature a layer of barely visible glass beads. Then there are one-of-a-kind pieces including a silk tuxedo jacket (pictured) with glitter embroidered underneath the fabric to add a faint sheen: a testament to the Brioni artisans’ impressive skills and Stumpfl’s commitment to “the culture of the human touch”.
brioni.com

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The Elder Statesman
Los Angeles

At Pitti Uomo, popular looks usually make themselves clear as soon as you start approaching the Fortezza da Basso, where the event takes place. This year, there was a colourful mood when it came to attendees’ accessories. The buyers, editors and stylists still wore the tweed coats and monochrome suits they are known for but also added woollen beanies in an array of bold colours.

On the runways of Milan and Paris later in the month, show guests kept their hats on to stand out and break up all-black winter uniforms. The accessory also made its way into brand showrooms – the luxurious styles by LA-based label The Elder Statesman, in mood-boosting yellow and green hues, were among our highlights.
elder-statesman.com

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Celine X Master & Dynamic
Global

Fashion brands are now aspiring to connect with customers when they are eating, drinking and listening to music, not just when they are getting dressed. The result is a host of cross-sector collaborations, from Valextra’s tie-in with Bar Basso’s baristas to Bottega Veneta’s partnership with Korean kite artisans. This season, headphones were regularly spotted in brands’ showrooms, displayed next to hats or footwear. We have our eye on a pair by Celine in tan leather or black calfskin, made in collaboration with Master & Dynamic.
celine.com; masterdynamic.com

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Acaba
Paris

Leather gloves have become designers’ accessory of choice this season. Silvia Fendi added elegant pairs in saffron, burgundy, all-grey and khaki for Fendi – inspired by countryside living and hunting outfits worn by the UK’s Princess Anne. Giorgio Armani played with textures, juxtaposing velvet coats with padded leather gloves.

This is an easy styling trick: pick an eye-catching shade, from deep red to green or yellow, pair them with wardrobe staples like denim or monochrome suits – and if you get too warm, fold them over the belt of your coat. We like stocking up at Paris-based Acaba, a storied glove-maker whose shop at the Palais Royale is filled with handmade gloves in every shade.
acaba.fr

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Looks promising
Natalie Theodosi

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For the menswear industry, the year starts with a medley of shows, presentations and social gatherings in Florence, Milan and Paris. The fast-paced schedule offers an opportunity to gather inspiration and take the temperature of the market. This year the mood was cautionary, with brands and retailers forecasting that, after three years of explosive growth, the luxury sector might finally find that its clients are bulging less.

However, challenging economic times encourage creativity and necessary course corrections. In this case, brands are slowing down, returning to their founding values and thinking about new ways to connect with customers. Some are doing so by raising quality standards, sourcing premium materials and partnering with artisanal manufacturers. Others are increasingly thinking beyond fashion: to keep customers interested there’s a need to create richer experiences.

For Gucci, for instance, success has become equated as much to people singing along to its remix of the 1970s Italian classic “Ancora, Ancora, Ancora” as buying into its new minimal aesthetic. In the same spirit, fellow Italian label Valextra joined forces with Milanese institution Bar Basso on a leather case and a pair of cocktail glasses, while in Paris, Louis Vuitton used its runway show to debut new music, including a collaboration between its creative director Pharrell Williams and folk band Mumford & Sons. This marks a new era for branding – expect to see fashion brands pursuing more partnerships with chefs, architects, musicians and hoteliers this year.

How will these shifting dynamics translate into the way we dress? Given the higher stakes, designers are suggesting that we too need to raise our standards and start dressing the part. There was a collective celebration of formality and the power of dressing up: smart brogues replaced trainers, sporty parkas were swapped with tailored coats and neck ties made a firm comeback, particularly at Prada, where the catwalk was transformed into a series of chic cobalt-blue office cubicles. We round up our highlights on these pages.

Theodosi is Monocle’s fashion director