Philipp Plein packed out the bar at the Principe di Savoia hotel for his fall Billionaire show, compelling some guests to sit on speakers or stand in front of the live, five-piece rock band, Alessandro Ristori & The Portofinos, whose mesmerizing frontman swings his hips like Elvis once did.
The retro music and the swanky, formal setting did not foreshadow the first look that strolled out: a handsome puffer jacket in brown corduroy, a baseball cap pulled over the model’s head because maybe, just maybe, he didn’t wash his hair today.
Given the almost cinematic setting, you could imagine some exits as characters in luxed-up productions of “Brokeback Mountain” or “The Sicilian Clan” — or Gunter Sachs that time he wore loden.
But Plein’s collection is very much targeted at the jet-setting crypto kings of today: for strolling around St. Moritz, or out-pizzazz-ing other men at Oscar-night parties. Some of the opening looks brought to mind how a Brooklyn barista might dress if he suddenly came into a fortune.
“Modern dandy” is how Plein described the fashion attitude in the show notes. Sprinkled in among the 21 exits were Billionaire’s first designs for women, including cashmere coats and three-piece suits. The menswear far outshone these four teaser looks.
Apart from the glossy exotic leather capping the shoulders of some puffers, the clothes did not scream their luxurious and costly nature, positioning Billionaire as one of those “if you know you know” kind of brands.
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