In its 70th year, Brioni returns to the runway with a modernist spin on the equestrian world.
In its 70th year, Brioni returns to the runway with a modernist spin on the equestrian world.
It might come as a surprise that Brioni, a brand synonymous with timeless suits, was the first men’s label to hold a fashion show, but that’s exactly what happened in 1952, when Brioni co-founder Gaetano Savini hired a model to parade a series of suits. In the year of Brioni’s 70th anniversary, its creative director Brendan Mullane takes the show back onto the runway, after years of static presentations in which models stand still while wearing a brand’s latest designs in a quieter, more intimate showcase.
Since his debut collection for Brioni two years ago, Mullane has confidently demonstrated his ability to expand the Brioni universe beyond the suit without wandering too far from the house’s refined DNA. For fall, he took creative cues from two Viennese institutions – the famed Spanish Riding School and 1900s’ visual arts alliance the Wiener Werkstatte – to put together a collection that tastefully blends refined equestrian style and graphic prints.
Quilted blousons and cashmere belted coats provide chic cover in chilly year-end weather, paired with softly pleated, tapered trousers that subtly reference jodhpurs. Horse riding also informed the colour palette of this fall collection, with dominant hues like Palomino beige and chestnut brown juxtaposed with various shades of blues and greys. Geometric patterns, embroidered or needle-punched on cashmere, wool and silk, were key motifs alongside a variety of checks. Winning looks, steed not required.
