RUNWAY: Berluti FW17

A changing of the guards, per se, happened at Berluti. Gone is Alessandro Sartori (now at Ermenegildo Zegna) and in is Haider Ackermann, who showed his eponymous menswear collection just two days prior. It was a curious choice for Berluti's owners, LVMH, to choose the Colombian-born designer. His tailoring aesthetic is much looser and is almost diametrically different than that of Sartori, who has designed Berluti from its expansion from footwear to ready-to-wear. Sartori's style has defined the Berluti look. As most people know, the menswear industry and male customers are not one for drastic changes. Change must be incremental and minute.

However, Ackermann put any reservations to rest with a very cool and rock n' roll tinged collection featuring sumptuous fabrics, dramatic coats and luxe accessories, including crocodile bags and a plethora of leather boots and shoes. The tailoring was still a little loose but in a cool way that rockers can easily pull off while the embellishment that Ackermann prefers in his namesake label was tame here, if at all present. It was a great debut and one that quickly and easily reset the Berluti man's look without scaring its current customers away with a totally new look and feel.