Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana see red -- and a plethora of pockets

 

At Dolce & Gabbana, the show notes were labeled "eccentric tailoring" and that wasn't a reference to the choice of Bryan Ferry as inspiration (the British singer's album artwork appeared on T-shirts in the show, his songs "Shameless" and "One Night" accompanied the runway presentation and Ferry himself was front row).

It meant the shrunken jackets, the lower trouser rise, the mix-and-match patchwork of gray fabrics and and what seemed to be an exercise in pocket science -- cramming an inordinate number of zippered and buttoned pockets onto a single pair of pants.

The fall-winter 2011 collection was based in the black and gray color palette, with a heavy splash of red throughout, including in a red-and-black floral brocade suit, red-and-black horizontal striped sweaters, red military-inspired flight jackets and a handful of red-painted denim. There was also a colorful punch of purple -- most memorably in a glittery disco ball of a tuxedo jacket -- that added to the relaxed, informal feel of the collection.

That vibe was underscored by the tuxedos that hit the runway for the finale. Instead of traditional tuxedo pants, the jackets and bow ties were paired with faded, distressed denim. Call it California casual through the Dolce & Gabbana filter.

-- Adam Tschorn, reporting from Milan, Italy

Photos: Looks from the Dolce & Gabbana fall-winter 2011 men's runway collection shown during Milan Fashion Week on Jan. 15, 2011. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.