COUNTY OF MILAN by MARCELO BURLON – Fall Winter 2017/18

TWITTER: @FashionInsider1 / INSTAGRAM: TheFi_Mag

January 16, 2017

By Marcellous L. Jones

Images Courtesy of County of Milan

Milan, Italy – County of Milan has been making quite a bit of noise on the catwalks of Milan men’s fashion week calendar. It’s new collection for Fall Winter 2017/18 embodies the evolution that Milan is forced to take in order to remain relevant over the years to come.

Menswear in Italy has the reputation of having the finest in the world as its champions. The designers and fashion houses chosen for the calendar are generally known for their exquisite choice of luxury fabrics and unparalleled tailoring skills. This generally translates into SUITS, formal wear and the equally luxury pieces such as fine knitwear and bags that go along with them. The luxury casual wear for city dwellers must also be included in that notion. Only a few over the years have tried to innovate Milan with the growing reality of what men need. Among them names such as Dirk Bikkembergs, Philipp Plein and Andrea Lazzari for his Plus-Qu-Ma-Vie brand. County of Milan entered the fray a couple of seasons ago. This house has a streetwear credibility that is poised and needed for modernizing the menswear scene in Milan.

Marcelo Burlon, artistic director at the house of County of Milan, produces collections for the house that are in line with the bigger reality of men. His work is created for young, active urbanites with a penchant for streetwear. This is something that has been long overlooked by the great powers that be in Italy’s massive menswear. As County of Milan is one of the rare Italian fashion houses to true streetwear, the possibilities for growth are extremely wide.

The Fall Winter 2017/18 collection does not feature a single suit or formal wear. Rather the house does serve up exciting total looks. When a guy dresses in them, he is set for a very different night on the town, but with the caveat that he wants to look good for “his kind of people”. The looks feature lots of large jersey tops, baggy trousers with wide, vertical pleating, long pleated skirts, hooded tops, jackets, long coats. He creates them in cotton, leather, jersey, technical materials, etc. And Marcelo Burlon completes the County of Milan wardrobe with accessories such as caps with logos, neckerchiefs, backpacks, socks with logos, etc. And of course there are the now indispensable oversized hats.

A sleeve in one of the looks at County of Milan by Marcelo Burlon clearly states, “NEW ORDER”. Based on what the designer presented for Fall Winter 2017/18, that is exactly what he is bringing to Italy. He is right to do so because traditionally in Europe, only Paris and now more recently London have made room for such designers on their calendar.