January 16, 2006

There's an innate languor to knitwear that explains a lot of its sensuous appeal. The program notes for Luca Missoni's latest collection for the family business opted to link that mood to the style of Edward VIII, more commonly known as the Duke of Windsor, the lost soul who surrendered his throne for love. The dandyism of the duke was indirectly reflected in notions as borderline effete as male twinsets, a clingy, elongated, electric-blue jersey top, and a floor-length robe de chambre in a knitted ikat weave.

Missoni's own gutsy spirit was more obvious in imaginative knit re-creations of an aviator jacket, a leather-buttoned blazer, and a belted car coat. Devolve the multilayered catwalk looks into single items, and the shawl-collared sweaters and cardigans become desirable. There were also pleasant surprises outside the knitwear—the footwear, for instance, or the trousers in pinstripe, plaid, or herringbone, or the bags in classic Missoni patterns. These touches suggested that, in menswear as much as womenswear, the label is effectively feeling its way into new territory.

— Tim Blanks