The pleasure of dressing well starts with a good suit — the quintessential symbol of elegance — and a belief strongly held by Italian fashion designer, Brunello Cucinelli. “For us, the value of the blazer has always been very important. Whichever way you choose to wear it, the final look should be refined, elegant, sleek and paired with contemporary details,” he says in a pre-recorded online video to introduce his upcoming spring/summer 2022 collection called Simplicity in Elegance.
In this collection — which he considers his best work yet — Cucinelli gesticulates a desire for joyful reunions and rediscovering a taste for dressing well again (goodbye loungewear). But with this yearning for elegance is a contrasting need for simplicity — one in which style should not overtake one’s identity but rather complement it. A quote by Plato sums up the essence of this collection: Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity.
To Cucinelli, there is no better time than the present to update your personal style and keep up with the times we’re living in, but he insists that buying into seasonal looks is not always necessary. “We often talk about the great value and importance of suits but never underestimate the idea of reusing what you already have in your wardrobe,” he says, advocating sustainability in your choice of apparel.
A good blazer can add layers of richness to your suit, but is also capable of transforming a purely formal element into an elegant and versatile everyday item. For those that are suit-curious but not willing to commit to a whole look, Cucinelli’s blazers are versatile enough to be worn over jeans or joggers, whichever suits your style preference.
The promise of owning a Cucinelli is that you can literally wear the look all day, from your first morning meeting to a night out on the town. To illustrate this point, Cucinelli had a bevy of modelesque male staffers dressed in well-cut blazers and suits from past collections, styled differently to match their own personal identities. The founder himself donned a navy blue pinstripe suit with off-white kicks.
“The underlying idea of the collection should really epitomise contemporary taste and refinement, where colours are combined in a careful manner and shapes are matched in a very important way,” he adds.
Simplicity in elegance
At a glance, the blazer takes the spotlight in this new spring/summer collection but is presented in a more relaxed and contemporary (almost deconstructed) fit, complemented by soft lightweight fabrics and natural fibres, washed in earthy colours covering a wide range of light neutrals right up to muted shades of grey.
Cucinelli demonstrates how his signature elegant double breasted can be worn with casual ease through the use of prints like pin stripes, or making them breathable with linen, silk or wool blends such as Tasmanian wool which allows for high performance without wrinkling.
While blazers anchor the look, the season’s trousers exude the vibrant spirit of spring with slightly softened volumes that are roomier around the thighs with straight-leg or tapered silhouettes and cuffed at the hem.
As with any Cucinelli seasonal collection, there is a good number of comfy knit cardigans and sweaters that pair amazingly well with bermudas and light-coloured trousers, plus other casual jacket options such as denim, bomber or racer jackets and vests.
Completing the season’s quest for elegance is the brand’s supporting collection of classic footwear, from classic Oxfords to Italian-styled loafers and comfy sneakers, all designed to complement both casual and formal wear.
