CANALI SS13 - MILAN COLLECTION

Tailoring for the easy life,
a new line and - unfailingly - the iconic Canali Kei jacket
Huge spaces that shatter the traditional concept of the metropolis; boulevards and long palm- lined avenues set against immense crystal-clear skies, sunsets tinged by tropical colours, the open-air life and poolside cocktails. An atmosphere which immediately conjures up a sensation of freedom...
This feeling permeates the new collection, with its remarkable ability to mix genres and styles, sacred and profane, tailored and casual, to produce the sensation of an eternal holiday, good humor and a positive approach to life.
It is no coincidence that first up in the runway show and one of its key sources of inspiration is a group of garments in super light cotton and silk, with sharp lines but impalpable colours: what seem at first to be whites are in fact yellows, sky blues, water, rose pink and wisteria, featured in loosely flowing t-shirts.
As far from the office suit concept as is possible, because tailoring, for once, is at the service of the easy life.
If at times the picture seems reminiscent of the typical mood inspired by Los Angeles, the reference to Hollywood is inevitable.
And the season’s true novelty is a new line which harks back, with ironic references, to the dress style of so many classic and film noir movies that wrote the history of American cinema in the 1950s and ‘60s.
From that period, for its unlined or semi-lined jackets, the collection borrows rounded peak lapels, constructed but soft shoulders, rounded breast pockets in pure tailor made style, and a contoured cut with fitted waist, presented in both single-breasted models with peak lapels and six-button double-breasted versions.


Classic graphical pinstripes have become light linen fabrics, accessories are light and understated, and the trenches have been transformed into dust coats.
Also making a runway appearance is Canali’s signature Kei jacket, which demonstrates its versatility again and again, playfully choosing strong colours, striking colour combinations and an elegance that is always somewhat outspoken to faithfully reproduce the style of a city that seems like one big stage.
The play on references is just that, a game, and the overall effect is one of pronounced modernity, representing yet another tile in the mosaic which better illustrates Canali’s multiple interpretations of masculine elegance with each runway show.