Milan Men's Fashion Week Day 3

Gucci for AW15 transitioned into a new gender-shared aesthetic, sending models down the runway clad in chiffon shirts and pussy bows. The show notes read nonconformist, romantic, intellectual, and the collection seemed a clear message to distance itself from former creative director Frida Giannini's handwriting, who left the company just a fortnight ago. Gucci's studio designed the new collection in just 5 days, and the presentation seemed an ode to Mick Jagger with a 60s & 70s vibe inspired by rock n roll chic. There was poetry and melancholy in the way a bow-tied shirt was worn with a relaxed trouser and sandal, it was a far cry from the heady jet-set chic collections in the past. It will be interesting to see how Gucci will build on this new look in seasons to come.

Diesel Black Gold saw its boys wear school jumpers with ripped, zipped and patched up denim worn with traditional striped and crested school blazers with safety pins, tartan and bondage trousers that zipped up the back leg. These were clothes for the rebellious kind. Diesel Black Gold's designer Andreas Melbostad sent a message of preppy punks down his runway, and it's a look that will no doubt work well on a commercial level for the Italian-owned fashion house.

Emporio Armani sent models in pairs down his runway, wearing slouchy yet structured silhouettes, layers of knitwear and funnel collars. Zip details edged and sliced through garments, and the show was rounded off with a final procession of sleek eveningwear. Accessories included subtly platformed boots and thick soled lace up brogues in clashing textures of pony hair, smooth and scaly leather.

Fendi may best be known as as luxury furrier and accessories company, but its menswear deserves as much attention. Creative Director Silvia Venturini Fendi knows her fabrics, bringing luxurious texture to shearling which resembled corduroy and fur that appeared to be brushed and spiked on hooded jackets. This was a show celebrating the fine craftsmanship of the house, like a shearling coat edged in suede or a Harris tweed suit in patchwork wool. This is Italian fashion at its most luxurious.

Images: Fendi, Emporio Armani, Gucci, Diesel Black Gold