Costume National

Backstage before his show, designer Ennio Capasa said fashion needs to scale back. "People don’t have a need for excess. We need to re-think the system, the way men dress and the real value of the clothes", he mused. "This season my point of view is timeless and sober". And how. Given wacky punk styling and severe silhouettes in the past, Capasa’s new restraint was startling -and appealing. Romantic and relaxed double-breasted suits and knits in tonal gradients of blues and grays added up to a quietly self-assured collection worn by the current modeling Who's Who of bad boys, as you can see below. Sure thing, color certainly wasn't on the cards for this season's collection, where blacks and grays were most definitely the shades of choice. Capasa very much felt the need for something reassuring, discreetly luxurious in the materials and the quality of the cut, but always with the rock'n'roll soul that's part of him. He called this collection 'effortless tailoring' because he thought this is exactly what men are after today. Nothing over-the-top, the real luxury is to wear a great piece over and over again, combining each garment with each other -depending on the mood and forgetting about trends and status symbols. Ish...