You expect a few rough edges in Milan. However much the Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana upholds this city’s credentials as a thriving commercial powerhouse, Milan’s show-season selling point remains slow creativity expressed on a timeless key.

Last week alone Jordanluca, Magliano, and Simon Cracker did a lot with relatively little. But there’s more to the story. The ability to market a meaningful part of Italian tailoring history while mixing it with its younger counterparts is no mean feat; rather, it hits a rather greatly commercial undertone that you often see in Milan, coupled with a chic affinity for heritage offerings.

So many fashion codes filtering through the collections’ obviously Italian lens came at the expense of playfulness; their positioning, no matter how traditional, was unapologetically poised. Slowly through the week, clothes became more graphically grandiose: A pair of Wellipets teamed with bunnies that run across skin-tight toppers at JW Anderson; blanket coats and ponchos swaddle ribbed cashmere track separates at Fendi; hoodies wryly reimagined and printed with bright digital fairies for a touch of practical fantasy at Jordanluca. These were moderately curious moments of note, which bordered on the crazy and the thrilling, making for all the respectable tailoring that went into generously sized, billowing slacks of volumes that conceived an interesting take on menswear. The most appealing ensembles, however, were shrewdly ambiguous: a granny’s check cardigan rather than a sharply-cut male blazer; a maxi turtleneck sweater under looser male suiting. When paired judiciously, volume gained appeal; which is to say, menswear’s style lexicon is in a invigorating state of anarchy, itching to ditch preexisting sartorial conventions for a more buoyant silhouette.

From irreverent numbers to bohemian ensembles, treat yourself to our rundown of the top highlights from Milan Fashion Week men’s Fall/Winter 2023, below…

A gloomy, fast-moving procession of glam warriors filed towards a grotesque-chic runway during Jordanluca’s Fall 2023 show. “The collection explores aesthetic contrast and contradiction to reflect the times we live in,” observed the designers in the notes. “Smartphone technology means that, more than ever, we connect with each other and make meaning through images and iconography. There is barely any meaningful separation between on-and off-screen life.” Bowen and co-designer Luca Marchetto said they meant to “examine the opposites, sameness and disparateness” this time, but they still managed to stir up theatrical flamboyance and otherworldly angst using sharp silhouettes with utmost precision. For all the creepsome sensations conferred by the clothes, the staging was a deliberately strong act to cut out frenzy actions and slow it down so that the audience gaze had to promptly linger on each look—military camouflage in bright pink, turtlenecks in stretchy material, urban sportswear in partnership with Lonsdale—and far beyond. It paid off: despite the many functional outings, the collection felt thrilling and well-edited, elements punctuated by the crisp tailoring (like sober toppers minimally slashed around the edges), as were the pants and sweatshirts. Bowen and Marchetto are a motivated fashion-making company, rather than creators of mere performance spectacles: this particular attention to designing for the body, and not just for a show, has gained them strong ground in the Milanese territory.

An invitation to slow down, reflect and craft better. Massified chairs became an unstable mantra at the Magliano Fall 2023 show, which presented a paradoxical barrier and a limit of other people’s proximity. These are significant elements of conflict on which an event that takes place in consciousness is based: garment missing a piece. Reason why, Magliano’s Fall 2023 is a paradox of sorts, one where the clothes intersect, interweave, tie, and transform themselves, on a continuous note, becoming both hybrid and graphically dynamic. Jackets with buttonholes and modular pockets run through the jaded structure of the brand’s classics. Last season’s staples are revisited with new elements: stormy drapes shelter them from the outside world, tropical jackets protect you from every weather, gloomy pastels colour them.

“Learn to say no is learn to gain freedom,” says Simon Cracker’s note, the Italian designer with a strong penchant for up-cycling and dead-stock fabric-sourcing. “If you’re not angry, it means that you don’t pay attention,” he emphasises. These are the key elements that have inspired the designer for his Fall collection, as he reflects on the tumult of the world—something fashion and the world at large can no longer brush aside. The collection is based on a strong punk ideology in its innermost sense. Nonconformism, freedom and a pursuit of anarchy (a dress sent down the runway had a slogan that punctuated such). What’s more, the definition of one’s unique identity is imbued in this collection, likewise is the distance from common places, provocation and the system’s mockery. All of this is reflected on tailored clothes encrusted with silicone that cracks if worn, while coats are made from handmade blankets and knitwear comes from leftover yarn swatches.

Corneliani’s Paul Surridge brought forth his vision of elevated classics through the key concepts of tailored refinement, timelessness and utter comfort. Aligning with the brand’s previous season, the House’s heritage joins the dots of the present and future of menswear in a curated selection of elements that maintain their poised status, as the designer continues to curate each shape and texture, keeping a striking balance both in colour and detail. Timeless in style, rigorous in craft and sustainable in the use of lower impact materials, the new wardrobe fine-tunes to the different rhythms and scenarios of contemporary living by epitomising the difference between how clothes feel and how they look. Classic fabrics like flannel, tweed, Shetland-inspired wool and brushed cotton reign supreme, along with innovative technical materials which acquire new smoothness and density through a profoundly considered approach to shape.

Masculinity is an ever-changing phenomenon that can’t be summed up in a phrase. It has rightly gained a plurality of sorts, and feelings which have permanently changed the approach to the act of dressing. As a purveyor of beautifully-made-in-Italy garments, CANALI acknowledges such changes and undertakes this new path, an innovative brand approach, ushering instruments for men that they can use to express their masculinity. Thus, the new silhouette is soft and relaxed with a stress on comfort as a facilitator of inner elegance. Outerwear and pants flow smoothly on the body, allowing movement, becoming elements that are both practical and dramatic.

The volume of cleanly-designed products, including cropped bomber jackets, long coats, anoraks, blousons, polo shirts, cardigans, and blazers highlight Zegna’s Fall 2023 menswear mood-boards. New outerwear numbers with sack-inspired sleeves include full trousers and sleeves to match. Corduroy and pleated suedes pair with airbrushed folds and sketched geometric motifs over longline Blousons to give the collection a vertical rhythm. In this collection, where comfort and a keen sense of design coexist, space between the body and the garments is just as significant as texture. 3D jacquards enhance roomy ‘fits and geometric designs are brushed onto puffy outerwear. Jerseys are rendered to look like felt, while felt is made to look like a bendable jersey. A variety of Oasi Cashmere fabrics, such as double-faced jacquard meltons, coated and uncoated bouclès, frisè jacquards, felts, jerseys, and textiles with brushed and needle-punched finishes, thrive in depth by substantial textures. Alpaca, cotton-blend corduroy, and tactile wool twill, which are all made from #UseTheExisting TM sources are also included in the collection as materials with a granite-effect.

With the desire to experiment and keep a sharp edge on hype-driven offerings, 1017 ALYX 9SM merges fabrics development with a know-how for traditional offerings and shapes, ditching limits on volumes as seen in hoodies, pants and shirts that gain a distressing property of wearability. Fall saw a collaboration between the brand and artist Mark Flood, culminating with a show exhibiting a retrospective of the artist’s work. What’s more, this season marked the launch of two further products: the Payton and the Raya bags which add a unisex undertone to the season’s accessories range.

Billionaire took his Fall 2023 collection to the countryside, capturing shades from the shire to the centre of a metropolis with a note of elegance and sharp attitude. Romantic notes of the countryside met the classic BILLIONAIRE attitude, bringing a mature edge in stitching, neutral tonal nuances and textile experimentations of leather and suede. Here, Plein opted for materials such as silk, cashmere and leather which, in turn, added a layer of practicality. The spectrum of earthy tones is combined with luxe fabrics, creating a powerful juxtaposition of proportions. “The collection,” state the notes,”prepares a modern man ready to tackle any adversity and provides an armour to overcome any obstacle.”

According to the brilliant and forward-thinking oeuvre of designer Charles Jeffrey, a murky underworld filled with toxic fumes, haphazard machinery and labyrinthine walkways is a win. Fall 2023 has proven to be a huge one, presented in three parts. The first saw models in warm layers, protective gear and reworked staples, with ensembles that reflect arduous conditions. Part two encompassed the likes of sleek tailoring, oversized ruffles and ornate prints, alongside fearsome, claw-footed footwear. Jeffrey’s hazardous shows have always been more than a one-hit wonder. His prowess stretches beyond just making clothes; rather, he creates statements that have depth and a soulful edge, recurring themes that span from society to cultural phenomena. Finally, a uniform heavily influenced by a desaturated palette provides a base for tailored tweeds and a scribbled star motif, later giving way to stark, soulless white and newsprint accents.