If we could speak on behalf of Alessandro Sartori, the artistic director of Ermenegildo Zegna, we would call his Summer 2022 show his “Greatest Hits Remixed”. It already is a 52-look collection that displays what he does best — the fit, the flou and the finesse — but for the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2022 collection, Sartori has considered a new fluid code.
But this concept of boys-borrowing-from-the-girls-and-vice-versa is not just an insipid cash grab or “show notes” filler as it addresses how all genders like to dress now. We want something practical (a Sartori staple, widely cut pockets) as much as we want to wear something intellectual without pretension (augmented drawstrings on coats are the little detail that counts). We want to reach into our closet and pull something out that does not need guess work, the beauty of the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2022 collection is in how we can already imagine how it’ll fit into whatever we have.
“My aim at Zegna is to create an accord between the essence of tailoring, which is our reason for being, and the rhythm of the modern world. What I have done is a rewiring of luxury crafting, following a flow that frees the man while keeping the distinctiveness, offering pieces that are easy to wear as they are inventive. Effortlessness is the key,” says Alessandro Sartori.
While the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2022 collection is thankfully, a world away from athleisure garments that have somewhat regrettably dominated our wardrobes since last year, this collection, in our humble opinion, are the essential garments for the next season and when the time comes around, our flexible new lives.
Continue scrolling below for our top 10 favourite looks.
Look 4: Sartori already has his eyes on a lilac purple as the key colour of the season. Strangely, it seems to work head to toe.
Look 11: Next season, consider the semi-formal appeal of a stiff boxy t-shirt, a recurring motif you’re going to see a lot in the Ermenegido Zegna XXX Summer 2022 show.
Look 15: The stiffness of a boxy upper sees itself too on a pique-collar shirt, worn tonally with matching shorts, socks and sneakers.
Look 23: When Sartori cuts a coat, he cuts it like a hug from a close friend. When he does trousers, he does it with such fluid tactility that it skims the ankles just nicely.
Look 28: Another trope from the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2022 collection is its celebration of lightness nad here, a two-piece set for urban trails and adventures.
Look 32: Take this look apart and you have some crisp separates to spiff your wardrobe up. Put it together and that is where the magic happens: a pragmatic ensemble that has deep pockets.
Look 35: For any Gen Z-ers out there, this blue is what we industry insiders call the Bill Cunningham blue, a chromatic splash of neon on a nylon-like shirt-jacket and pair of pants.
Look 39: Millenials would wear it with a bum bag, Gen Z-ers would add a pearl necklace. That, is the mix-and-match appeal of the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Summer 2022 collection we’ve been talking about.
Look 40: No Ermenegildo Zegna XXX collection is perfect without a utility jacket and this one has a drawstring on its collar to frame your face perfectly.
Look 44: Lilac on his mind, Sartori once again proves that he has grasped the power of a punchy pastel.
This story first appeared on Men’s Folio.
