Emporio Armani Fall 2023 Menswear Collection

Mr. Armani changed things up in the Via Bergognone space today, reconfiguring his runway to an in the round format. On the floor was a map of Milan. We were seated by its northeast, over near Lambrate. Meanwhile, celebrity guests including Roberto Baggio—still sporting “The Divine Ponytail”—and White Lotus tech bro Ethan’s Will Sharpe—were over near Cagnola.

From the first look out the conceit was clear: the goggle-like sunglasses perched on old-fashioned aviator caps signaled we were taking off for an overview of Milanese masculine style. Our captain today needed no introduction. The caps stayed in place while the collection’s theme was established with a series of looks featuring flowing faux-fur lined outerwear, jumpsuits and suiting in a combination of Prince of Wales and houndstooth. In-flight supplies were stashed in handsome leather duffel bags. The models wore chunky ankle boots to which were attached coin wallets. Above these were straight-leg pants, no Oxford bags but wide, hemmed just above that footwear to create the impression of culottes.

Altitude achieved, the models continued to circle above Milan in a more grounded selection of ensembles. The silhouette remained consistent but cashmere bombers and a shaved herringbone tracksuit brought the style dialect forward in time. Some harnessed all-leather looks added a heady touch of turbulence. Following an interesting EA7 interlude, featuring especially excellent sneakers and down jackets and pants in a shiny, distressed burgundy finish, Armani banked towards color. This is probably getting slightly carried away, but its progression was akin to what you’ll see out the window if you’re heading into Linate from London in late afternoon: an autumnal progression of apricot-ish russets burst briefly into pinks and purples before we fell into inky blackness—a long section of eveningwear—sometimes dappled by the starlight flash of sequin and crystal.

As with every real-life flight to Linate, where Emporio has marked its territory with a hugely-signed hangar for decades, this journey ended with a reminder that Milan and Armani are in many respects synonymous: he took his bow in style.