The latest collection from Italian house Zegna brings infinite wearability in a range of luxe fabric options, distressed for a sense of intimacy and earthy allure.
Showcased at Dubai Opera in an ambitious presentation that transformed the Emirates landmark into the founder’s Trivero mansion, Villa Zegna, the pieces represent the marriage of Oasi Zegna with the desert landscape.
Pieces have undergone intense washing and crinkling, molding their volumes to the body and fading their colours as if the scorching sun and heat of Dubai had left a permanent mark. The nonchalance of the jackets tied at the waist and loafers worn as slippers equally suggests a way to freely adapt to the rough poetry of the everyday.
The silhouette is loose and deconstructed. Jackets are as light as shirts, and even the iconic Il Conte comes in a boxy, roomier version. Double-layer Nehru shirts and long shirts that double as outerwear set the easy, flowing tone, as do the tailored shorts worn under tailored summer coats or body-hugging blousons. Mattress and pajama stripes run on weightless shirting suits. Leather jackets and coats are light as a breeze. Deconstructed blazers have low, two-button closures. Field jackets, cardigan jackets and blazers with low pockets expand the library of shapes. Matching prints on shirts and shorts add charm. Accessories are soft Moccasin slippers, wraparound sunglasses and capacious bags.
The palette is an earthy tonal mix of off-whites, sandy beiges, rusts through to brown, olives, smoky greys and dusty raspberries. Textures are pleasantly intense to the touch with summer Shetland in wool/silk/linen, ultralight poplin in pure silk and cotton/silk, jacquard linen/wool, second skin suede, compact sail canvas poplin, rustic hand-spun silk, linen silk/ wool mat, three-ply canvas in Oasi Lino and more.
“There is an immediacy and a liveliness to the earthy allure of this collection that belies the layered thought process behind it,” says Zegna Creative Director Alessandro Sartori. “While researching, we came across an image that felt illuminating, and that perfectly summed up my intentions. It depicts a chair, upon which items of clothing are piled up after being taken off, probably ready to be picked up the day after. The stratigraphy and the casualness suggest a life lived intensely, which is what we are after. As designers, we do half of the work: the rest happens when clients interpret pieces day by day.”