The message from Milan men’s week seems to be that there are many ways to be a man and express masculinity. At Hed Mayner, Soshiotsuki, and Prada, construction was used to alter the way the body is carried, but the overarching movement was towards traditional attire. This tendency carried over to accessories where the hat, once de rigueur for any man but now mostly preferred by cowboys and sports bros, made a comeback. A similar trend is happening in womenswear, but it has special significance here, because the word milliner is derived from one meaning a person from Milan, which was a Middle Ages textile center.
Different hats give different vibes. The warmth-providing knit beanie has hipster connotations, while the flat cap is more debonair. It’s a challenge to look at a bowler, seen at Uma Wang, and not think of the Little Tramp; in light of recent events, fedoras conjured “the mysterious Louvre detective” Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux, although at Dunhill the stated reference was to Lord Snowden. Dan and Dean Caten, working on a winter sports theme, exaggerated trapper hats to comical proportions, whereas Paul Smith’s not-quite-sailor cap had a winsome boyish quality.
