Berluti re-enters the high fashion conversation this FW23 season with a new-found appreciation for storied menswear that speaks to the past, present and future with formality, activity and confidence.
“In the modern age, real luxury is increasingly characterised by time, ease, and essentiality.” This is how the press release opens for Berluti’s FW23 presentation, ‘The Great Escape’, signifying a return to Paris Fashion Week backed not only by a sense of contentment but also the confidence to thrive without a creative figurehead.
In its time away from the glare of the fashion spotlight, Berluti stuck to honing meaningful relationships with its clients through made-to-measure and special orders, ditching show-and-tell for a conversation with the Maison that has produced a core collection of clothes that wear with an instinctive and unconstrained approach to living.
In the same patient way that Berluti has come to redefine its identity, this comeback collection is slated to launch in four chapters from July to December, revolving around the theme of activity — exploring movement from the worlds of travel to sports. Aptly titled ‘Summit Icons’, ‘Ascend Play’, ‘Ridge Travel’ and ‘Peak Point’, the Maison’s distinctly alpine palette and active constructions pillared in classic tailoring propose a new kind of contemporary menswear that is steeped in the versatility of weatherproofness and the timelessness of nature’s allure. It’s a good reminder that trends don’t govern all of fashion, and Houses like Berluti are comfortable moving at a pace entirely on their own — which, more than often, is the best fit.
If you are familiar with the Maison’s signature Scritto motif, you will be able to see it appear this season in new renditions, found inspiring bold staples and elevated sportswear pieces, as well as on the new Toile Marbeuf handbags. Framed in shades of brown Venezia leather that evoke the boiserie and club chairs found in the Maison’s storied boutique on rue Marbeuf and lightly coated with refined cotton and linen canvas, the six shapes of this new bag collection feature a version of the motif that is informed by the one forged in the entrance grid of the store and the balustrade of its staircase.
Elsewhere, the 18th-century manuscript motif is embossed on a new interpretation of Berluti’s emblematic Brunico lace-up boot, morphing the codes of hiking and formality in an elegant and artful way. It seems this removal from high fashion’s fast-pace has helped the Maison achieve a kind of nirvana that coincides with the street’s obsession with utilitarian outdoor wear, only measured at the high standards of luxury with a conscious design for the past, present and future, with conviction.
Once you’re done with this review of the Berluti FW23 menswear collection, click here to catch up with our December/January 2023 issue.
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