That fabrics and relaxed elegance play a key role here — in a collection celebrating both the house’s 50th anniversary show and relaunch — was a given. For the event also paid homage to the legacy of house founder Nino Cerruti, who, even still, is arguably one of the best dressed men in fashion. When he launched the brand back in 1967, he chose to name it after his grandfather’s textile mill, founded in Biella, Italy, in 1881 — Lanificio Fratelli Cerriti — which he still oversees.
Cerruti’s chief creative officer Jason Basmajian, in the collection’s sprawling 50 looks, sought to bring some of that elegance back through a mix of tailoring and sportswear — “very much in the spirit of Nino,” but also “the modern way for a man to dress,” he said.
(Sadly Cerruti wasn’t able to make it to the show in person, but his voice featured on an ambient soundtrack made up of excerpts of interviews where he talked about the importance of fabric; of relaxed, tailored elegance, and of using the past to go forward.)
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The anniversary collection had a big outerwear focus incorporating archive-inspired Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti fabrics developed with the mill, blowing up the dimension of a houndstooth check mixed with a herringbone on a double-breasted swing coat with a kimono sleeve, say, or in an interpretation of a raglan trench mixing a herringbone and striped fabric.
The opening drop-shoulder coat was based on a Cerruti design, only made lighter and more drapey, with tweaked proportions. The suiting silhouette centered on a softer, rounder shoulder and longer jacket and a super high-waist pant.
But things really came alive in the sportswear section — particularly the dark denim tailored coats, parkas and cabanas, which were terrific. As Basmajian steers the brand forward, it would be nice to see the designer build on this direction.