Like Marcello Mastroianni riding through the thick Milan fog in a convertible in Vittoria De Sica’s “Ieri, Oggi e Domani” (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow), the Canali winter man will be everything we dreamed an Italian man is and should be: Impeccably dressed.
While many designers this week focused on sportswear, Andrea Pompilio waved his modernist wand on Canali’s traditional sartorial style. Monochrome soft jackets and coats in double cashmere were paired with pleated pants cuffed at the ankle, and cream-colored casual yet refined double-breasted suits were roomy and graceful.
“I wanted to do 1950’s but the textiles are completely new,” Pompilio, now in his second season with Canali, said backstage.
His starting point, he explained, was in fact the fabrics. Checks and horizontal stripes were the hallmark of the collection. “At Canali we are constantly in touch with fabric makers and mills, and I was able to ask them to modify the ones I liked. They are made exclusively for Canali,” he said.
Pompilio’s affinity for eccentric accents, like bold stripes and quirky collars, was evidenced here and there. For example, there was a lot of layering — blazers over ribbed sweaters and turtlenecks with abstract geometric stitching, funky black and white suede wing tip shoes and iPad bags in burgundy with bold black handles.
