To celebrate the close of its fifth decade, Etro brings together 50 years of collected love, with a massive installation in Milan’s Palazzo del Ghiaccio, under the theme Dandy Detour- a deep dive, into the intimate life of the Etro Man.

The Dandy invites you into his home on a journey through his private life and collected memories. The world-wise Dandy is a curious and complicated man. He’s a fervent traveller with a strong connection to his roots: a bubbling mix between David Bowie and Bruce Chatwin with a splash of Epicuro thrown in for good measure. He’s a character that encapsulates the true Etro man: wild, but intellectual; soft-spoken but bold. The Dandy’s home is a monument to his eclectic life – an accumulation of the collections and curiosities picked up on his wanderings across the globe. As you walk along the winding path of his private domain, touch, interact and feel at home as you travel deeper into his environment. You’ll meet Etro’s friends and confidantes who have shaped the brand over the past 5 decades. Sit down, chat and learn their stories. Each room you encounter speaks to a different tenet of the Dandy’s essence. You’ll hear stories, break bread or while away the hours in tranquil repose.

Materials for Fall are characteristically decadent, with an intense focus on the translation of tapestry and carpet-making methods to the garment, resulting in superlatively rich textiles. From this study, a new visual language begins to emerge. Block-like prints can be traced back to Navajo weaving, Persian textiles and Celtic tapestries are reimagined on wool coats or evaporate, dégradé-like on parkas and bomber jackets. Jacquard is used heavily: on graphic wool blazers and long coats adorned with winding foliage. Velvet- lightweight but substantial, and is brightly coloured and printed. Corduroy, too, creates luxuriously thick trousers in a range of bright hues. Gingham shirts are fabricated with sustainable eucalyptus fibres and feel as soft to the touch as pure cotton. Canvas is used on work wear-inspired coats that have been hand worn and degraded to according to the Japanese aesthetic principle of Wabi-sabi.

The symbolic vocabulary of Etro is carried throughout the collection: the iconic paisley print is as present as ever, embroidered wing-like on the back of wool coats, swirling psychedelically on an acid orange velvet bomber, or scarred onto the back of a creamy, caramel-coloured leather jacket. Tenets of classic British tailoring are referenced, then quickly dismantled, like on the edges of Tattersall check trenches, which are left raw and undone. Embroidery and beading are present throughout: on the border of long, wool coats, as well as in mesmerizing displays of sparkling craftsmanship on inky black tuxedo jackets. Patchwork motifs return on boxy canvas coats and soft blazers patterned with squares of velvet, boiled wool and tapestry-like jacquard. Natural imagery is introduced: blazers and turtleneck jumpers are printed like tree bark, cloudy marble or the swirling turquoise rings of the Malachite stone.

Colours move across the spectrum, but remain rich and vibrant: from midnight blues, to royal purples, fuchsia and amethyst. Kelly green sits with lime and turquoise; subtler shades of cream and pale brown alongside vibrant canola yellow, burnt orange and rose.

Silhouettes this season are subtly exaggerated. Wool trousers, cut wide and billowing, sit high on the waist with substantial pleating. The rounded shoulders of velvet and Alpaca blazers softly shrug. The arms of cable knit cashmere sweaters are lengthened slightly to give a lived-in grunge-era feeling, while turtlenecks reach up to the jawline. The ribbed hemlines of cricket-inspired wool V-neck sweaters are elongated; and, in a nod to the 70’s, shirt collars are lengthened at their tips. Long-line cardigans in rich wool reach almost to the floor and feature elaborate jacquard designs or intricately embellished with looping swirls of leather twine. Square-cut jackets that hit at the hip in richly patterned jacquard, worn-in leather, or embroidered wool.

In the typical Dandy style, socks are colourful and perfectly match outfits. Footwear this season includes worn-in leather work boots, embroidered corduroy loafers and calf skin desert boots with wide buckles. Accessories are subtle: rather than ties, metal bolts are threaded through shirt collars to keep them closed. Stones, like marble and malachite- adorn the lapels of blazers and coats, a small but glittering memento of Etro’s Dandy Detour collection.