BEAUTY: Clothing--Etro

I love Kean Etro's collections for the house his father Gimmo Etro started in 1968 because they are always so sumptuous and rich. And his Fall-Winter '14-'15 collection is an absolute feast, an extravaganza. What Thom Browne just did with argyle at Moncler is certainly what Etro is doing here for plaids and checks of all kinds, all in warm, harvest tones perfectly suited for fall and winter. I do love a check and there are a bounty of them on display here, from Shepherd's checks to Glen Plaid/Prince of Wales checks to Windowpane checks to Graph and Tattersall checks. These patterns carry a sense of tradition in men's wear, and can reference a landed gentry or even a hunting milieu. But the color palette for these checks are a little bolder than traditionally presented, and are tempered with the Etro paisley... thankfully, because what would an Etro collection be without a taste of the famous Etro paisley?

But the real point of the collection was summed up in its title: "Magical Tailoring." Kean Etro chose to pay homage to the craftspeople in Puglia, in Southern Italy, who have been the workforce behind Etro's menswear for ten years. His dedication to their artistry showed itself in the images of Southern Italy that played across the screen during the show. The quality and impeccable cut of an Etro suit, and especially the skin-tight trousers in this particular collection, are self-evident. So the last portion of the show was a touching tribute to the talent of these tailors. Each model walking the runway, in a suit covered with chalk marks or rough marking thread, was assigned a tailor whose corresponding suit was striped with yellow tape measures.

Kean Etro's dedication to Italy itself was manifest in his "10 Best of Italy" list that he handed out at the show. Tim Blanks of Style.com said, "Slow food, a favorite publishing house, herbs, bears, and boars were included on a particularly eclectic list, with the implication that most of them were under threat in some way. On today's evidence, Kean is going to change that, one fashion show at a time."

http://www.etro.com/