Traveling was a stylish affair in bygone eras and Etro knows that first-hand. The company restated its more-than half a century of globetrotting nature at a presentation that recreated a retro train station, replete with plenty of trunks and luggage in its signature Arnica pattern piled up down the two platforms that made up the staging.
The brand’s fancy travelers were — not surprisingly — decked out in lots of paisley, stripes, prints and pops of color. It was the in-house design studio’s way of reiterating the Etro codes with immediacy after the exit of creative director Marco De Vincenzo earlier this year.
After a preview offered in the women’s resort 2027 collection, the inspiration of trips from India to Italy — and everywhere in between — took full form for the spring men’s collection, which expressed the nomadic spirit of the house by mixing rich jacquard suits, double-faced silk dusters, breezy bowling shirts splashed with opulent prints, crafty sweaters, madras separates and embroidered embellishments.
At the forefront of most looks were the many renditions of the brand’s striped shirt, resulting in different effects according to fabrication and proportions, and often blending with the ever-present paisley motif that was also used on denim pants and tonal jacquard knits, or popped up on details such as shirt collars.
Highlights included embroidered or laser-cut suede shirt jackets rendered in vibrant colors, such as canary yellow and plum, which added to tangerine, magenta and teal accents in spicing up the lineup.
Accessories nodded to souvenirs found and collected during travels and encompassed braided scarves, pendants, bracelets and paper airplane- or boat-shaped charms hanging from pants and roomy bags.
Just like the models, this collection felt in transit. If the lineup was effective in reminding one where the brand came from, it will be more interesting to learn where it’s headed next. A new journey awaits.
