In a WWD preview, Brioni’s creative director Norbert Stumpfl said the presentation of the brand’s fall collection this season would be “more animated.” To be sure, the designer orchestrated brief performances of male and female dancers, twirling lightly in the frescoed salons of Milan’s Palazzo Serbelloni. Choreographed by Julie Bruyère, the dancers contributed to showing the lightness of the garments flowing on their bodies.
Lightness is indeed a key word in the designer’s vocabulary. “Our man is always on the move and we want to make sure that the clothes never weigh him down, that the look is really working for him,” Stumpfl said during the preview. “I think that’s why our clients always come back, because they like the lightness of the garments. Sure, they look super sophisticated, but it’s always the lightness they feel when they wear the clothes that has added value. I hate stiff fabrics.”
The designer succeeded in achieving this objective, showing airy knits and deconstructed suits in cashmere, silk and linen – even his favored, modernized double-breasted models were super-light. While staying true to Brioni’s identity, the designer has rendered the tailoring modern, softer in weight and volumes and even more casual.
Cue the sophisticated vicuña parka worn over a hooded blouson or the cashmere bomber with suede sleeves and leather inserts – all sewn by hand, stitch by stitch, said Stumpfl. Ditto for the softest shirt in handwoven cashmere and the double-splittable trench coats, as well as the evening jacket with the tiniest Japanese beads forming a delicate graphic pattern.
