Feature: Today's trendy man? Somebody flexible and global: fashion experts in Milan

"This fashion show is my idea of contemporary man. He loves quality, but at the same time pays a lot of attention to details," Canali's creative consultant Andrea Pompilio told Xinhua in an interview at the men's fall-winter 2016-17 fashion week that just came to an end here in Milan.

The new collection of the Italian family-run company founded in 1934 was an exercise in equilibrium and contrasts. Luxurious and studied elements came together for a seemingly minimalist look with shapes, materials and colors combined for a contemporary take on traditional tailoring.

"My man is somebody travelling in the world so that he has a lot of influence from art, food and everything, he is very open-minded," Pompilio went on saying. The designer, who began his career working for different world-famous brands, highlighted that tradition is certainly important for him.

"But though I am designing in Italy and I love the made in Italy, when I am designing I am designing a very global man," he said. In fact, he explained to Xinhua, there is much difference in working for different brands. Some are fashionist, some others more classic or minimal.

"But in the end, I think my man is very international. Everything is now global, and men are also global. They read international magazines and buy international items. I think their minds are not so different in New York, Beijing, Seoul or Milan. I think everybody now knows how to wear a tie, how to have perfect moccasins, what matches and what not," he said.

Pompilio noted that men have fundamental items of clothing such as jackets, coats and pants. "That's why my attention is very strong especially on details, because details can make a lot of difference," he pointed out.

His suggestion for those who do not know from where to start to dress themselves was "think first to the pieces that you absolutely want to wear, a jacket or a coat for example, and then start to build the overall look." "But I have to tell you that my look is very simple. I have always my shirt, my denim, I pay a lot of attention to my shoes and jackets, a lot of attention to outwear pieces," he told Xinhua.

Alan Prada, vice director of L'Uomo Vogue magazine, observed that a focus for the next fall-winter season was put on coats. "We saw a variety of them at this fashion week, including many full of creativity, not the usual single-breasted ones blue or grey color, but also more fanciful shapes, like double-breasted, cashmere and lighter colors, pied de poule or striped," he noted.

There was not a dominant trend, however, as nowadays every designer does what he likes, Prada told Xinhua in an interview. "Then for me simplicity always wins and I suggest to always look carefully at yourself in the mirror and try to be the most objective possible with yourself, because it is useless to try to imitate looks that are not suitable for you," he said. "It is better instead to look for something that fits you and then try to vary it," he added.

It might be easier in Europe, Prada went on saying, where there is a culture of high fashion and you may go to the tailor or enter a shop and ask the salesperson for an advice, and they can help you with what is best for you. "In other situations you may ask a friend... however, it is always very important to be self-critical," he said.

Among the basic things, ties should never be coordinated with suits or shoes, but "should only be a colored or fanciful note which makes the overall look harmonious," he told Xinhua. His suggestion for those who get up in the morning and are in a hurry was "start with the item of clothing that will be the most eye-catching in the end, which in the summer could be a shirt or a t-shirt and in the winter a jacket or a coat, and it will set the direction for all the rest."

And last but not least, "never exaggerate: if you have a fanciful shirt or a printed t-shirt, or colored paints or sneakers, the rest should be quite plain, try to wear just one fanciful item of clothing," Prada highlighted.

When she opened the closet of her boyfriend for the first time and only found white, black and grey shirts, besides jeans of course, Italian fashion influencer Eleonora Carisi, founder of the JouJouVilleroy website, thought that it was a good starting point but certainly not enough.

"I would say that men should have a basic starting point, but a blue or grey suit should never be missing in the closet," she explained to Xinhua. In her view, two types of men or rather two sides of the same man emerged from this fashion week.

A more classic, tailor-made luxury man was presented for example by Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali and Salvatore Ferragamo, Carisi told Xinhua, while from the other side a super eccentric man walked down the runways of Calvin Klein or Versace, the latter a sort of spaceman dressed with oversize down jackets and iridescent jackets.

"This man who somehow wants to travel in the space and may like to wear a silver shirt in the night certainly is an original, eccentric one, but he might be the same one who dresses in a very classic elegant way during the day. Today's man is able to combine different faces together, he is flexible and global," Carisi said. Endit