At Malibu Pier, Alessandro Sartori staged Zegna’s SS27 show against one of California’s most recognisable coastal backdrops. The location framed his idea of La Villeggiatura – the Italian tradition of relocating life for the summer, taking daily rituals, wardrobes and habits elsewhere without abandoning a sense of elegance.
That attitude ran through a collection built on ease rather than escape. Sartori’s silhouette was vertical and fluid, cut close to the body in places and looser in others, but always relaxed. Striped tailoring was a recurring motif, often paired with matching striped shirts to create elongated blocks of colour. Elsewhere, boxy and fluid shirts arrived in silk and leather, worn with tailored shorts that reinforced the collection’s leisurely mood.
The strongest looks came through texture and fabrication. Washed hemp, raw silk, linen jacquards, stripe seersuckers and bouclé towelling gave familiar shapes a rich surface interest. Knitted jackets were supple and precise, while fluid overshirts and leather anoraks added light structure. A belted safari jacket emerged as a key piece, joined by short-sleeved overshirt versions and duster coats worn over shorts. Smocked funnel necks, braided suede bombers and knitted suede pullovers added further depth.
Stripes threaded throughout, not only in tailoring but across fabrics and accessories, appearing in irregular arrangements and different scales. The palette moved through aquatic greens and blues, softened neutrals and touches of warmer colour. Accessories followed suit: soft leather slippers and moccasins, striped nubuck bags, silk foulards and knitted silk scarves.
Rather than proposing a radical shift, Sartori refined Zegna’s language of relaxed luxury, making clothes designed to move easily between occasions, climates and moods.
Photography courtesy of Zegna.
