Top 9 looks from Men’s Fashion Week in Milan

Courtesy Marni

Courtesy Dolce & Gabbana

Courtesy Ferragamo

Courtesy Diesel

Courtesy Dsquared2

Courtesy Etro

Courtesy Armani

Courtesy McQueen

Men’s Fashion Weeks are now in full flow and this week saw Milan parade in all its finery. Here are some of the highlights.

Prada has gone back to "reality" with its latest collection, which is built around leather and corduroy. A step back from Prada's signature clashing prints and overt intellectual references, this display of hipster trousers with patch pockets and sweaters with fuzzy patches was unashamedly retro. With a palette of mustard yellow, burnt orange, brown and lilac, it was the 1970s all over again.

Marni's new designer Francesco Risso (who took over after the abrupt departure of founder Consuelo Castigioni last October) delivered a collection that felt fresh yet familiar. Suits came in tan or mulberry red, and were worn belted over T-shirts, while boxy jackets were crafted from patchwork leather and sheepskin. Sweaters were tucked into paper-bag trousers and topped with oversize beanie hats.

Dolce & Gabbana continued on from last season by focusing on "influencers" over clothes. Insta-celebs such as Cameron Dallas and Marcel Floruss walked in the place of models, in a signature assortment of brocade suiting and printed silk pyjamas.

Another debut collection came from Guillaume Meilland at Salvatore Ferragamo, who delivered a conversation about sports luxe, about which Mr Meilland knows rather a lot. Moving the house in a younger, more relaxed direction with lots of oversize sweaters, soft overcoats and knitted gloves, it felt cosy yet cool.

Diesel Black Gold worked an urban ninja theme, blending traditional Japanese elements with modern-day utilitarianism. Be it a blazer fastened with clips, roomy layers with soft, folded necklines, or low-belted quilted tops, the silhouette was practical yet comfortable.

DSquared2 took to the mountains for its latest collection. Choosing this season to show men and womenswear together for the first time, it delivered clothes fit for hiking in the Rockies. Long shirts hung below XXXL sweatshirts, lumberjack check shirts were knotted around waists, and felted cardigans slouched over jeans. Shearling coats were so oversized they could double up as sleeping bags if needed.

Etro , too, presented a nature-inspired show, entitled The Sky is the Limit. While the show notes spoke of ascending the summit and transcendental spirituality, the show itself was a pleasingly rugged mismatch of quilted jackets with mountaintop designs and swirling paisley velvet trousers. Tartan appeared in the guise of heavy, almost knitted coats, and on hybrid shorts/kilts. Other coats were decked in flowers, while mossy tendrils climbed for the sun on trousers and overcoats. With Etro's trademark palette of rich golds, olive greens and magenta, this was outdoor-wear made glorious.

Giorgio Armani, as always, exuded timeless panache, with a relaxed cut and elegant palette of greys, blues and greens. Suits were worn with cardigans that had their sleeves wrapped around the torso, or overcoats with expansive collars. Embracing the velvet trend, it made the luxurious fabric its own with loose-cut jackets and trousers in shades ranging from teal and emerald to midnight blue.

As ever, Alexander McQueen walked its own path, this time taking inspiration from Oscar Wilde-type dandies and the sartorial style of the typical London gentleman. McQueen pushed this in two distinct directions. Precision-cut suits skimmed the body, crisp Edwardian coats fell to the knee and trousers were chopped through the ankle; or exaggerated volume was rendered so huge, it almost swallowed the body whole, with waistcoats and their floor-length straps layered over shirts that draped loose at the shoulders and wrists.