It's safe to say that Dolce&Gabbana doesn't do bare-minimum. But watching the brand's entire autumn/winter 2022 menswear runway show—one of the in-person shows this season during Milan Fashion Week Men's—it made me question if 107 very diverse looks in one collection, made sense anymore.
But before I get into the pomp and circumstance that was the Dolce&Gabbana autumn/winter 2022 menswear collection, let's first get into Machine Gun Kelly. The man-of-the-moment (pop culture followers would know of Kelly's recent engagement to actress Megan Fox) played quite a big role in the staging of the show. Kelly both (somewhat awkwardly) opened and closed the show, in two separate custom Dolce&Gabbana looks, and performed 'My Ex's Best Friend' in the middle section of the show (in another Dolce&Gabbana fit).
Kelly's involvement proves that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are keeping close tabs on pop culture and the sort of new movers and shakers that are getting the attention of a much younger crowd. And perhaps that's the result of the autumn/winter 2022 menswear collection—one where there wasn't a singular idea running throughout. Instead, the collection was a cacophony of different energies and vibes. It was almost like a representation of Gen Z's penchant for borrowing and mixing together a multitude of references to create 'individualistic' looks.
Between Kelly's clunky appearance and the wait for all 107 looks to walk down the runway, there was a lot going on for Dolce&Gabbana's autumn/winter 2022 menswear show. Could the collection have been pared down into something more cohesive? Yes. But were there definite standouts in the collection? Also yes. If the brand is serious about appealing to a younger audience, especially one that's increasingly conscious of unnecessary consumption, perhaps editing wouldn't be the worst thing to do.
Look and feel: As a whole, the Dolce&Gabbana autumn/winter 2022 menswear collection was an attempt at showing the coexistence of what's already known and the future. Graphic prints and graffiti were aplenty, and they were handmade by artists and then translated onto the collection's ready-to-wear pieces as well as a selection of bags and accessories. Fur too made quite an impact but in line with the brand's decision to discontinue the use of real fur, they were all eco-fur.
Favourite looks: What stood out were the tailoring in the collection. Lest we forget, Dolce&Gabbana's main expertise has always been its tailoring. The autumn/winter 2022 menswear collection offered some manner of traditional Italian tailoring, but it's in the more outré pieces that showcased designers Dolce and Gabbana's skilled flair for the dramatics.
Look 39's expertly matched pairing of a lapel-less double-breasted suit and a turtleneck—both done in a silver foil jacquard fabric—was a beautiful sight to behold. The same could be said of the more traditional iteration in look 100 but completely reworked in red sequins. Both featured decidedly strong shoulders that extended slightly beyond the shoulder line and then tapered to a cinched waist, creating a visually appealing V-shaped silhouette.
That same emphasis on the shoulders were also apparent in look 38's monogrammed coat as well as the incredibly structured leather coat in look 89.
Favourite accessories: The only accessory that mattered on the runway was a pair of gloves embellished with crystals that were seen on look 3. They may be a tad impractical (Kelly was wearing a variation as part of his final look and had trouble unbuttoning his blazer with them) but I'm willing to forgo the practicality for aesthetics just this once.
More Milan Fashion Week Men's AW22 reviews:
Day One: Zegna AW22
Day Two: Fendi AW22
Day Three: Tod's AW22
Day Three: Prada AW22
