This was a much-awaited moment for these two designers. Ever since their Chinese communications disaster in late 2018, they have been keeping a low profile. As their first reactions to handle the social media storm were anything but convincing, today’s men’s show really mattered. And Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana showed a more than appropriate reaction. They put their ateliers and tailors on stage as the show’s backdrop – meaning they were willing to share the spotlight with their workers. An unexpected gesture which set the right tone from the beginning. Plus they made the show about the one thing that made them famous in the first place – before the flirt with millenials and drones or fights on social media: Italian tailoring at its very best. While the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria for men’s is the best luxury masculine product out there, they decided to put this spirit on their men’s catwalk today. After a few seasons of more street-inspired main line shows, this was a good decision. There was tongue-in-cheek Italian-English MC Derek Allen who read out the looks, fabrics and inspirations which made for a fun and festive mood.

The best looks?

Showing their signature black tailoring to open the show was smart. The opening look harked back to the ultra masculine Dolce & Gabbana man of their beginnings: A big double-breasted coat with skinny pants and patent leather shoes and elaborate scarf with pins and the model held a pair of leather gloves and a book which was probably the bible. Sicilian aristocratic looking dudes whose high armholes, waists and shoulders looked measured by the millimeter and cut with laser scissors.

Fireworks of fashion?

We bet no other house in the world uses as many sequins for their men’s design department as Dolce & Gabbana. To mimic Italian pyrotechnics there was a cascade of colored sequins on the clothes highlighted in a robe de chambre worn by a regal model of color closing the show.

Only problem?

Boys, we know you’re good but this show was way too long. Considering there is a new trend out there to bring back the 100 plus look show, we feel these designers do not need to double up on looks to get their message out. As often, less is more.

Versace Men’s F/W 2019

Channeling the spirit of a Friday night out in New York City’s Supper Club when drag queen RuPaul was the host of festivities into a men’s show can only be done by one blonde in fashion. Yes, Donatella Versace. She probably went there to dance with RuPaul just like she went to Sound Factory and Twilo for legendary DJ Junior Vasquez who often made the show music for the house. So her soundtrack of 90’s house classics and her line-up of male models with long hair, parted in the middle, which looked like they walked out of a Bruce Weber Versus campaign shoot in Miami gelled well. To her credit only the attitude, grooming and soundtrack were 90’s, the fashion was solidly modern hybrid street tailoring with lots of classic Versace silks in the house’s signature wild print some reading “Kiss my Versace”. Let’s not forget, Versace is also the woman who pulled off the business deal of the year 2018 by selling her company for $2.1 Billion to Michael Kors. This was her first show since the mega deal and naturally Versace is now here to propel her house forward.

The rave factor?

Looking around the audience where scores of men and women were dressed in colorful Versace silk shirts and bombers and looking on the runway to see the same made clear, a lot of Versace clothes are made for a night out on the dance floor and to have fun meaning lots of safety pin details, see-through plastic pants and bondage-printed silk shirts.

The right balance?

The Versace Man now combines a healthy dose of heritage tailoring, archive prints, modern street wear influences and exuberance like in a yellow feather boa.