The men’s fashion show held last June in Milan approached formalwear by combining comfort and practicality. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana praised ‘the many uniquenesses’ of Italy (as reads the show note) with their spring/summer 2025 collection named Italian Beauty. Exploring the art of villeggiatura (to take a vacation), the creative duo reimagines the perfect wardrobe in which to spend an endless summer in Capri or Portofino. A wide range of linen suits in shades of dark green, burgundy and brown offer a relaxed yet polished allure while precious coral embroidery embellishes sharp tailoring co-ords in Sicilia black and white.

Elsewhere, tailored mid-tight shorts are paired with loose-fit blousons in open-work natural raffia and woven leather lace-ups. These beautifully handcrafted garments epitomise the traditional artisanal techniques for which Italy is globally renowned. The timeless nonchalance of Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni (as well as Matt Damon and Jude Law in The Talented Mr Ripley) is evoked through rolled-up amphora trousers matched with striped polo shirts designed in different sizes and colours.

At Pal Zileri, pure lines and looser proportions define the spring/summer 2025 collection. The Vicenza-based brand adds a new dimension to its 40-year-plus sartorial heritage, combining a process of simplification with elevated fabric. Blazers and chore jackets are revisited in softer volumes and solid colours in functional, reversible and crease-free materials. A lightweight green moss overshirt comes with matching relaxed trousers and a beautifully knitted perforated polo shirt bringing forth a delicate sense of ease.

At Zegna, the spring/summer 2025 show took place in an industrial space on the outskirts of Milan where the artistic director, Alessandro Sartori, presented the second chapter of Oasi Lino reflecting on the concepts of nature, repetition and individuality.

Made from 100 per cent traceable European-grown flax fibres, the collection was showcased in a field of linen offset by metal blades and mustard-yellow sand. The formal and relaxed fused together organically in Sartori’s layered menswear vocabulary.

Elongated blazers are paired with roomy, wide-leg pants and notchless shirts in grey, navy and terracotta orange.

‘It is the moment to focus on how items are or can be used, on the singular ways they mould to individual personalities,’ says the artistic director. The label’s Il Conte jacket is morphed into a sleeveless vest or layered as an overcoat oozing smart utilitarianism. Meanwhile soft volumes recur through tailored overshirts, linen knits and printed silk sets.

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