With Neil Barrett, MSGM, men’s fashion jettisons streetwear in Milan

On day two of Milan Fashion Week, designers have definitively laid streetwear to rest. Men are enjoying dressing up again, resurrecting the great menswear classics from their wardrobes. Formal wear is back with a vengeance, as shown by the Spring/Summer 2024 collections unveiled this week-end, albeit with a more carefree, easy-going attitude. In one word, contemporary. Dolce & Gabbana set the tone, and Neil Barrett followed suit with gusto, as did MSGM, exemplifying a young, fun kind of fashion, transitioning towards a more mature wardrobe.

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 Neil Barrett’s soft minimalism

 
Back on the Milanese runways after the long hiatus caused by the pandemic, the British designer, who has been based in Italy for more than 30 years, presented an impeccable collection on Saturday, blending soft-spoken elegance with a fresh, laid-back mood, rejuvenating the subtly functional minimalism that made his label a hit in the 1990s. The models sported sturdy leather boots, a reference to the very first Neil Barrett collection, and wore jacket-and-pleated-shorts sets, sometimes substituting the jacket with a lightweight sport top or a practical jersey cardigan, a chic upgrade on the sweater with frontal pocket.

Garment construction is key, as is attention to details and a carefully curated choice of materials, like the high-tech Japanese fabric replacing nylon in a sport jacket, or the widely used blended fibres. “I’m working on a uniform concept, this season it’s an architect’s uniform, or a graphic designer’s, and I’m looking for solutions to allow my customers to dress well and stylishly, but effortlessly so,” Barrett told FashionNetwork.com. He has fashioned several very clever ‘two-in-one’ items in which a white t-shirt peeks out from under a sweater, gilet, jacket or shirt, the plus being that there is only one layer.
 
Raincoats came with a zip, and a gabardine overcoat featured satin lapels. Some cropped trousers looked like they were floating. The collection was infused with a lightweight, natural elegance, its blueish grey palette enlivened by the occasional flash of yellow. “There is a lot of tailoring, but reinterpreted with a softer touch. Overall, I’ve slightly widened all the cuts,” said Barrett, who has followed two main templates: one is small and slim, the other boxier, for heftier, more strapping men. “Slightly more generous cuts are a good fit for both types. They feel modern in younger men, and comfy in more mature ones,” said Barrett.
 
“I wanted to go back to my style fundamentals, the minimalism I first introduced in the 1990s and which still inspires many designers nowadays. Of course, the garments have evolved, but I’ve kept the same identity and approach. There has been too much streetwear in recent years. And men who have dressed the same way for five years or so, they too have changed. They want something more adult, but by no means boring,” concluded Barrett, who set up his own label in 1999, after working at Gucci and launching menswear at Prada. His collections are entirely made in Italy, and include also various accessories, like footwear and small leather goods. They are distributed via 220 multibrand retailers and 20 monobrand stores, chiefly in Asia, China and South Korea primarily.

The two designers of Dsquared2, Dean and Dan Caten, were among the guests, having come to watch their neighbour’s show, since the Neil Barrett headquarters are close to theirs.
 

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MSGM, a new day is dawning

 
MSGM’s men appeared out of the mist, holding a torch and looking classy in raincoats and dark suits, with darted trousers and flowing two-button jackets. Their light cotton shirts were either striped or white with an offset collar, blouse-style. A new day was dawning. The first light caressed the clothes, lending a reddish glow to the hem of a pair of trousers and daubing the collar and sleeves of a sweater in orange-black smears. The sun shone like a fireball in the images printed on some tank tops and other items from the collection.
 
“I tried to capture in pictures the precise moment when one wakes up and stops dreaming. When you realise you must grow up. The collection illustrates this transition from youth to adulthood, while staying true to the label’s freshness,” said Massimo Giorgetti, designer and founder of MSGM, who drew his inspiration from a recent trip to Tanzania to illustrate this transition with his collection for next summer. His choice of models too was different, as the show featured men from 16 to 52 years of age.
 
No more sweatshirts and garish colours, as MSGM muted its colour palette, introducing many dark looks and an array of beiges and browns, as well as a few outfits in washed-out pastel pink and mauve. Sportswear looks with a workwear element were still present, but the outfits were dressier, like the jacket and shorts sets, cargo trousers and a few smart long-sleeved polos. 
 
“MSGM remains a young, contemporary label. But it doesn’t dress 20-year-olds only. It has grown up. I also really wanted garments that were made in Italy. I believe in nice, well-tailored products,” said Giorgetti, who has worked hard with dyes to obtain unique shades, like jeans that look sun-scorched, or the speckled and splattered effects also featured on moccasins. Emphasis was placed on materials too, as shown by the sophisticated jacquard suits and the special techniques used to obtain, for example, a textural effect with frayed thread.