Watch & Comment Live... The 2024 Met Gala
Those laminated jersey turtlenecks and allover-sequinned suits honestly look like cheap carnival costumes and in particular on his male models. Honestly, I am not sure either him or the house itself know who they are making the menswear for, it feels very unconvinced.
That being said, he has delivered a few stunning looks on the women's side - Those tunique suits with the beaded necks are a great alternative to his signature gowns, of which there are a few - My favourites being the ones with billowing sleeves.
While this should be satisfying enough, the question remains if anyone at Azzaro has an idea where the whole operation is headed - The collection is still lacking visibility and the brand still did not bother to take down merchandise from Olivier's predecessors as well as all the liscensed goods that have nothing to do with either one of his collections. All of this reads as a house unwilling to make the necessary changes to complement the arrival of a new designer, so I hope he sees his tenure there as a means to keep his own line afloat.
I get the impression the male cast and the menswear is more of an economical, strategic move— both to optimize client/clientele potential, and to stand out as the (only…?) couturier whose offering services for both women/men. The menswear are clearly suited for women, as his own label has shown women in men’s suiting. This dominant proposal has to be a practical one. He’s always been confident in his direction— I can’t imagine he nor the label to be so directionless, and floundering in pushing so many suits unless there is a high demand for them from their clientele.
But more cheap-looking than the sequin suits, the most ugliest of element here are those mountain boots on the men. Sheesh. (The mountain boots with the setting looks utterly depressing. Just looks more like somewhere in the American midwest on a cold, overcast November day, in someone’s backyard than in Paris. A white seamless, a white hall would have done wonders in this case.)