ETRO: True Cultural Curiosity for Menswear Sprign 2023 MFW

Etro delivered “true cultural curiosity” for its Menswear Spring 2023 show at the Milan Fashion Week runway and here are some highlights! This is the last solo collection of Kean Etro who is passing the flag to Marco De Vincenzo who will take over as creative director starting in September. Photos shot backstage by Sonny Vandevelde.

“Following circadian rhythms, looks were presented in circular chromatic cadence, from morning whites through sun-at-the-zenith brights to velvety darks dotted with starry figments. Archetypal in shape—kimonos, kaftans, djellabas, wrap jackets closed by obis—it was elevated by what the designer called “a florilegium,” that is a plethora of sparse floral images delicately overprinted with the number 432 Hertz. “It’s the number indicating the frequency of the universe’s good vibration,” said Kean. “It’s the frequency of beauty. It’s like when you charge crystals or bio-dynamic particles with energy—I’ve used it to somehow energize the garments.”

The energy-charging ritual may have worked: there was a lively feeling to the collection that propelled it forward, despite the stifling heatwave which made the air feel unnaturally still. Billowy see-through chiffon kaftans and elongated shirts and kimonos in liquid satin were worn open to reveal nude skin, as well as boxing shorts exposing bare legs. The body was perceived through mesh textures, broderie Anglaise inserts, and impalpable silks and linens. The breezy, cultivated Bohemian feel which is the Etro siblings’ signature looked vital and delicate in equal measure. Kean and Veronica took the bow together at the end of the show, an impromptu gesture of arrivederci cheered by the audience with affection.” – Vogue