Dolce & Gabbana's Kings of Fashion

Milan has not brought the flurry of changes to menswear as anticipated almost every year, with most designers managing to keep their signature aesthetic but struggling to progress. Maybe the toll of 2013's undoubtably spectacular collections has come down on the designers, and they have nothing to prove except the quality of their garments rather than displaying the flashiness that can be achieved in men's fashion design, who knows. But of course, a few have emerged as victorious in pushing their label forward whilst sticking to their famed focus on quality, ethos and aesthetic.

Calvin Klein is now on board for the logo-mania trend

Predictably, most of the trends shown during London Collections: Men have flowed right into the collections of Italian designers, including a heavy accentuation on scarves, the re-emergence of plaid — likely to be a bouncing off of the gingham trend within womenswear thanks to Céline, beatnik turtlenecks and statement sweaters, particularly Calvin Klein, all featuring names of popular perfumery within their brand.

Salvatore Ferragamo finale

The colour selections of various Italian designers seemed mundanely uniform, all splashing shades of blue, woody browns and shocking reds throughout their collections, with Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci achieving this without desperation to bring attention to their collection, unlike a few designers. Black is obviously an essential within the Winter wardrobe, and hints of gold, both shiny and matte, were seen in MSGM and Vivienne Westwood, and more so in the garments of the Kings of Style of Milan; Dolce & Gabbana.

Backstage at the Gucci show

Themes amongst the collections are a given, and for this season the most prominent was old country western and royalty. The wild, wild west was apparent in the collections of Versace — baring more than the eye could handle, Missoni, Philipp Plein and subtly throughout John Varvatos's clothing. But even despite this, no clear relevance can be disseminated — is it just spectacle for the sake of spectacle? Or is this theme simply an honour to the recent Chanel Métiers d'Art show? I hardly think crotchless leather chaps will make a comeback. Maybe Missoni's ponchos will emerge as the only trend to be taken on from this theme, as fashion consumers focus on wearability and lifetime nowadays. Besides, cowboys were outshone by the Norman Kings of Italy, who made a seemingly resurrected appearance in Dolce & Gabbana's collection, and was no doubt the show and collection that emerged as the best during the week.

Missoni's ponchos presented during the finale

To view all the looks from the fashion shows, head to www.style.com
Images courtesy of This Hearts On Fire, Senatus and Fashionising