The preview at Berluti’s store on Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré during Paris fashion week was framed as a seasonal check-in rather than a radical new proposition, but the brand still had plenty of newness to showcase.
To wit: a bold new range of boots. The Rombo, a robust bikerish boot rising midway up the calf, was the bravest of the new footwear offering, alongside a fresh take on the Alessio shoe that had been reimagined into a Chelsea-style ankle boot. The new footwear lent this collection a welcome toughness that spoke to menswear’s military mood, bringing a contemporary dimension to Berluti’s mode of masculine elegance.
The jewel tones of greens, reds and blues that come through in Berluti’s patina leather pieces provide a subtle flair that sets the brand apart. This time they included what the brand called a fiamma (flame) patina, on a mandarin collar jacket, as well as a dash of dusty pink cashmere. Another key piece was a deep brown flight jacket with a surprising weightlessness that had been achieved through an advanced skiving process, as well as a plush shearling blouson in a pleasing shade of rust that won this reviewer over for how preposterously comfortable and flattering it felt to wear.
The most notable newness in the ready-to-wear, however, came in the round-collared Forestière work jacket: reintroduced by the brand two seasons ago, it will now come in a full suit. The ridged suede iteration in a soft blue made for a clear red carpet proposition—celebrity stylists take note. Trousers, in cream corduroy and slate wools, were also noticeably wider in a move away from the slimmer silhouettes that conservative menswear has drifted towards in recent years. It marked a subtle but deliberate shift that speaks to Berluti’s ability to bend to the tastes of the times—you don’t stay in business for 130 years without a knack for reading the room, after all.
