In the countdown to the show, guests gathered in the foyer of a convention center on the outskirts of Milan, where they were served peach and prosecco bellinis. A DJ played old school classics like Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” But, disturbing the jazz club ambiance, every so often a disconcerting deep rumbling noise could be heard emanating from behind a nearby wall. As curious showgoers pushed through a curtain into the space, it all suddenly made sense: A Billionaire-branded gold helicopter was parked in the middle of the floor, with sound effects filling the air and footage of moving clouds on the walls.
So did Philipp Plein arrive by helicopter? “It’s not my helicopter — if it were mine, I wouldn’t bring it in here. I don’t have a gold helicopter yet, but I’m working on it,” said the designer. “Actually, we wanted to bring something bigger in, but it didn’t fit. What is important to remember is that men will always be boys. They love all these kinds of toys — cars, planes and helicopters…”
As the lights dimmed, the clouds were replaced by swirling images of a helicopter coming into land. The sound effects dramatically intensified before abruptly cutting to the “Dallas” theme tune as a cast of bearded, squinty-eyed Marlboro Man types — mainly mature models of the now like Aiden Shaw and Gelati — strode out. Clearly these were deep-pocketed cowboys, with a wardrobe that moved from jackets, hats and boots worked in exotic leathers in shades of black, navy, tobacco and plum to tonal, sartorial silhouettes. Manly furs were thrown over certain looks. Cuts moved between the classic, with a slightly looser pant, and the slim fit. (A three-piece suit in a deep midnight blue was particularly elegant.)
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The evening section for that night off from the ranch rocked a wilder side with a deep purple croc coat with fur collar and a run of dinner jackets in a variety of finishes, including a shimmering jacquard tiger print. One ivory number had a dusting of fine gold glitter.
For Plein, it all sparked memories of a bygone era. “I remember when my mother — who is here today — used to watch ‘Dallas’ and ‘Dynasty.’ I was quite young, but whenever I hear the music, I still remember….The whole family would watch it together and it was completely different from today, because now, whenever you want to see something you go online and you download it or whatever. Back then, people would stay in until something started, it was a completely different time,” reminisced the designer, before snapping back into focus. “What is important about these TV shows is that it’s all about empires, it was about how they lived, the way they dressed. So we decided to bring a little bit of ‘Dallas’ back on the catwalk.”
Modern-day J.R. Ewings, eat your heart out.