Formal wear for spring-summer 2012 is aimed at a man who loves the laid-back elegance typical of summer, without giving up the tailoring and perfect cuts that enhance the silhouette. A fashion that looks and always will look to the classic, reinterpreting it not only in style but also in the occasion of use. So the jacket, true strength of the male wardrobe and passpartout garment for all social occasions, becomes an ideal ally in the composition of a relaxed look and creased just enough to give an air of being deliberately relaxed. Starting with the 'feather' jackets by Brioni, made of a light mix of silk and linen which gives a bright and fresh feel, continuing with the unlined linen suits by Trussardi, Cerruti and Dries Van Noten with deconstructed shoulders, to the Z Zegna jackets in glazed silk, coated with a ceramic micro-membrane. Even Dolce & Gabbana and Giorgio Armani choose the path of light and revolutionise the proportions of their suits: collars and lapels become narrower, the crotch gets lower, zips are placed diagonally. The man proposed by Salvatore Ferragamo, however, wears tailored double-breasted jackets and dresses in shirts of the same fabric, crocheted ties and wide '30s-style trousers with pleats and a high waist. On the Paris stage, Roland Mouret, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, opt for a quiet, almost muffled style, where the rigidity of the constructed and calibrated jacket is contrasted with the relaxed style of the soft trousers that float on the legs without exceeding the limit of the ankle. And once again the hem rises, until it becomes a shorts suit, as in the proposals of Louis Vuitton, Mugler, Viktor & Rolf Monsieur.
Colourful flashes of iridescent silks are combined with the flexibility of blue, grey and black, and exotic new colours like light green, Ceylon yellow and brick red, tempered by a wide range of colonial shades ranging from ivory to bamboo. Perhaps bored by plain colours, man rediscovers a taste for hyper-decoration, and so covers himself with all-over prints: reckless Prince of Wales magnified on the catwalk of Gucci, romantic roses and tropical plants flourish on Kenzo and Givenchy jackets, tribal-pop motifs cover the suits by Agnès B.
The evening for him means the tuxedo and the spotlight is on tartan, turning it into a daring, co-ordinating macro-pattern according to Alexander McQueen, or to break out with Las Vegas-style lurex jackets by Moschino and Roberto Cavalli, joined by Carlo Pignatelli Cerimonia sumptuous, pearly suits.