ETRO FW2014/15 @ Menswear Happy Tailoring Collection

ETRO FW2014/15 Menswear Collection designed by Kean Etro with the theme of <Happy Tailoring> pays tribute to Italian craftsmen. All drawn and sewn from the local traditions of Italy’s southern region, this collection is not only an homage to our past, but a commitment to preserve our future.

<Happy Tailoring>

From the sunny South of Italy, where the locals eat well, breathe well, swim well, sleep well, and sew even better, the craft of Happy Tailoring has pleasantly and abundantly brewed for decades. Kean Etro now pays homage to these sartorial magicians, specifically an exclusive group of men and women in Puglia who have lent their expertise to Etro’s menswear for many years, in a new collection rooted in the principles of impeccable tailoring. Devoted to handcraft, brimming with originality and clever twists, this an exercise in and an ode to the very best that Etro and Italy have to offer.

<Silhouette>

Traditional suiting is a rigorous pursuit unmarred by sportswear or outerwear. The lines are slim and sleek, cut from what can only be the quick blade of a finely trained artisan. The shoulders of coats, and single or double-breasted jackets are sharply and narrowly drawn. Pants adhere to the legs. Every silhouette, layered with dandifying waistcoats and subtle jacquard shirts, is studiously compact, drawn along the male body in order to exalt it.

<Pattern>

The motifs are classic but their concentration is combustive: each look is a consciously built composition of contrasting pattern. In multiple layers, classic checks, houndstooths, ginghams, plaids and panes are twisted from tradition, wringing out the old and pulsing with something new.

A micro paisley, taken from the first ties Etro produced in the 1980s, is reborn on velvet suiting or cotton shirting. Chevron or digitized houndstooth create new graphic prints for shirting. Tie print lapels contrast on super fine wool paisley print jackets.

<Materials>

This would not be Etro, nor Italy, if the finest fabrics were not fastidiously researched and developed exclusively for the collection. Suits crafted from a rainbow of virgin wools, from cream, beige and buttercup to blinding orange and muted mud, come with an ultra fine or blatantly bubbly surface.

Other in-progress wool suits bare the track marks of basting stitches, showing the garment’s threaded scaffolding at work. Velvet devoré evening jackets, stenciled with paisley imprints, are lined in printed crepe de chine, while wool plaid vests all feature patterned knit backs, creating the new sleeveless jacket.

Fine cotton or satin jacquards are used in an endless offering of subtly, yet intricately patterned classic blue shirts.

<Accessories>

The layered depth of each look is finished with accessories that build on their intricacy. Hardcase 1950s briefcases, overnight bags and lace up shoes are covered in wool plaid and trimmed in leather, adding to the mass-pattern impact. Belts and gloves in matching checks disappear into their patterned canvases, while cuff links and tie clips add a refined air.