Corneliani (Q2843)
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Italian menswear manufacturer best known for its suits and sport coats
- Corneliani S.p.A.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Corneliani |
Italian menswear manufacturer best known for its suits and sport coats |
|
Statements
Corneliani continued to refine its sustainable practices this season. The centerpiece of today’s presentation was Circle, a project of four total looks produced with a low environmental impact using certified organic materials including a wool-cashmere blend made with no chemical dyes; Lyocell, a cellulose-based biodegradable fabric; technographene, a highly technological material with antibacterial, thermal, and antistatic properties; recycled eco-cashmere; and sustainably grown organic cotton. The looks were rendered in Corneliani’s classic sartorial style, updated with a modern twist for comfort and ease. It was definitely a sensible step in the right direction.Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte, Corneliani’s dapper design director, has a lot on his plate at the moment. Beyond the main line, featuring many iterations of updated but still rather classic suits and coats designed with the sartorial expertise the label is known for, he presented Corneliani Travel Tech. The practical yet elegant line is dedicated to the constant traveler who wants to look stylish but unfussy from the moment he boards a long-haul flight until, arrived at his destination, he is chauffeured to a business meeting in a chic Michelin-starred restaurant. Another addition to the already rather crowded offer was Corneliani Adaptive, a capsule collection of ultra-lightweight, casual blazers made with a high-tech patented exclusive material with high-performance standards and a smooth, cool look.
13 January 2020
Like every sensible clothing manufacturer right now, Corneliani is taking a long, hard look at itself and pivoting to sustainable practice. And like almost every other house in the game, this is based as much upon commercial imperatives as it is upon ecological ones. But as we toured through the brand’s handsome new Circle offer of semi-formal menswear pieces designed to combine the “look good” with the “feel good,” this did not feel like an exercise in greenwashing.Design director Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte had even cut down on the carbon impact of this presentation (and model transportation costs) by quick-changing back and forth garments including a fine 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton white bomber, teamed on the mannequin with some handsome European-tailored pants in flax and a sneaker with a flax upper and recycled polyester-inserted sole. Tramonte conceded that this new Circle initiative—that will see all of the garments on offer presented with a full-disclosure set of information about their provenance—is only a first step, but seemed committed to it. He was also typically engaging about the rest of a non-Circle offer—you can’t rebuild Rome in a day—that featured suits, of course, as well as a lot of highly covetable, volumized hybrid pieces that mixed impeccable fabrication with military or casual design touches.
25 June 2019
The very best piece in an all-around solid Fall collection from Corneliani was a long, just-lighter-than-navy unlined cashmere coat. Simple—albeit beautifully made—and smart, it was one of those rare items where you wish you could make a plea bargain with the designer to take it, then and there, and wear it out the door.“There are over 30 coats in the collection,” said Corneliani’s style director Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte. “The idea, starting with the coats but carrying throughout, was to bridge the casual, streetwear trend of the past few years with what we think is becoming more of a sophisticated look. Times are evolving. Not only for us—I think it’s everywhere. I’m not saying everyone will return to total formality, but at least . . . a balance that has more elegance.”The collection did mostly right by those words. Trousers were proper and dressy, but with younger accents, like cuffed ankles or casual breaks. Knits, too, ranged widely, including as vibrantly hued beanies. Corneliani’s sportive pieces were back, too—this section wasn’t quite as convincing as the rest, but then again, the gist of Tramonte’s intention was more in the middle ground between the street and the boardroom and/or ballroom. There was loads to like.
13 January 2019
“You know with Supreme, Off-White, everything is changing so quickly that you cannot be stiff; you need to move,” said Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte, who is keenly aware that at Corneliani he has inherited a heritage house that must open its doors to cater to shifting tastes. Here, he included a healthy spread of bombers, blousons, track pants, and other non-tailored 21st-century staples in matte metallic or soft pastel silks. Two bags and three jackets, including a navy field coat whose purely cut, tasteful anonymity was tantamount extravagant, came with charging cells attached to wireless charging pads. The idea was that every time you popped your phone back in a certain pocket, it would power up without you thinking about it (although you would then end up having to recharge your jacket overnight).This being Corneliani, there were new versions of the integrated-gilet ID jacket (a pioneering house-created precursor of today’s mind meld between the worlds of sportswear and tailoring) and some silk jersey jackets of outrageous lightness. A large display dedicated to new sneakers was evidence, however, of the path Tramonte is determined to tread.Corneliani’s original business was in raincoats, and here there were two interesting examples that encapsulated the story of this brand. The first, in treated fine-spun wool, came with a rehashed version of Corneliani’s early-1930s ad campaigns printed in the lining and was patterned in a dialed-up heritage check that would pop for sure on Instagram. The second was laser cut in technical bronze nylon and thermal-bonded instead of seamed. You could see both being worn with relish by the constituency whose tastes Corneliani is wisely reshaping itself to reflect.
13 June 2018
This venerable Mantuan menswear label is suddenly in a hurry. It has a new e-commerce platform and a new logo, plans for new stores (with a new concept) in London, Rome, and beyond, and in Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte (formerly of Zegna and Pal Zileri) it has a creative chief determined to reboot.Not that rebooting entails a total denial of the past. There was an ultrafine but downy cashmere and deerskin iteration of Corneliani’s chest piece jacket, plus a raglan-armed cashmere-mix overcoat in a big check drawn from the company’s ’50s archives, that Gaudioso Tramonte was justifiably proud of. Pared-down interpretations of the duffle coat saw the toggles and twine removed. Cashmere bombers were worn above loose double-pleated jersey pants and sneakers. Peacock teal, “a color men can wear without feeling too colorful,” was settled upon as a reasonable platonic ideal between the twin poles of restraint and excess in peacoats and knitwear. And there were suits, naturally, in checks that formed a geometrically harmonic sartorial conversation with ties either horizontally or vertically striped.Much of this perhaps too-darkly shot lookbook looks muted, but there was serious depth to the color, pattern, and texture combinations here at Corneliani for the first time in a decade.
11 January 2018
Corneliani went for a presentation this season, held in one of those not-so-secret Milanese courtyards, where a display of mannequins replaced actual models—a wise choice, since the scorching heat would certainly have melted them, causing a fashionecatombe. Corneliani’s ebullient style director, the grandly named Stefano Gaudioso Tramonte, was trying to literally keep his cool in spite of the unbearable temperatures.Italians have to be credited with the invention of the elevated sportswear-inspired style that makes them so recognizable; you can spot a dapper Italian keeping up appearances in a sweaty crowd or find him perfectly turned out even in the most remote, inhospitable locations. “Corneliani invented the chest piece 10 years ago,” crooned Gaudioso Tramonte. Seeing the perplexed expression of this reviewer, he proceeded to show a few specimens of said jacket, which was actually a formal single-breasted blazer of comfortable fit with a protective detachable insert at the front.Italian men’s sporty attitude is tightly related to comfort and elegant decorum. They like to look immaculate even when sailing in the most averse conditions, or zigzagging on scooters in a traffic jam, skipping puddles on a rainy day. It’s where Corneliani and its chest pieces come to the rescue; they’re like armor protecting jousting urban chevaliers or outdoorsy weekend heroes. It’s no surprise that they’ve become big hits at retail.“Men have at least five passions,” proclaimed Gaudioso Tramonte. “Vintage cars, motorcycles, golf, sailing, and horse riding.” Even if that list might seem a bit incomplete, one had to take it at face value. Corneliani’s chest pieces proved to be the ultimate flexible item, morphing into as many versions as the passions expressed by its classy (and quite affluent) owners. Made of the finest high performance technical fabrics, they were loaded with inventive and practical details: plenty of hidden pockets, concealed zippers, ergonomic inserts, ventilating underarm zips, windproof hoods, waterproof neck covers—they seemed to be very hardworking, efficient jackets. Yet they looked so smart, light, well tailored, and chic, they might be better suited for a gallant candlelight dinner than for a muddy horseback riding weekend.
17 June 2017
The location ofCorneliani’s Fall show was a far cry from the gilded, stuccoed, aristocratic salons of last season’s presentation. A catwalk of actual cobblestones, wet as if after a copious downpour, was framed by a backdrop depicting a nocturnal Milanese street. This set the tone for a collection with a moody, retro feel, in which the brand’s trademark classic style was infused with a touch of nostalgia.The tailoring referenced ’40s proportions: Shoulders were slightly oversize; trousers were high-waisted and fluid in post-WW2 fashion. Yet the inspiration was handled lightly and was not literal, which was testament to the effort of keeping Corneliani firmly in the modern arena—even if its classic Italian tailoring pedigree was on full display. Impeccable execution and painstaking attention to detail were obviously paramount, as was the use of luxe textured fabrics, which gave substance to linear mid-length car coats, one of the collection’s highlights. Suiting was of the slim-cut variety, yet with a touch of soft, rounded ease; sporty elements conveyed the comfort factor for nylon parkas and trenches. The dark, retro palette added to the romantic atmosphere; it was interpreted in a contemporary, classy way.
16 January 2016
The splendor of Palazzo Litta, all silky tapestries, gilded frames, stuccos, and mirrors, acted as the backdrop of Sergio Corneliani's show today. The choice of venue was a smart one: It offered a precious, serene ambiance, with added historical charm and Italian flair. These are all values that relate to what Corneliani stands for—tradition, craft, Italy. Nothing shocking is likely to appear on these fashion shores.Volume and color—pale, dusty, vaguely feminine tones—were the protagonists. It all looked serene, breezy, and decidedly younger than usual. Extra-long and extra-light duster coats set the tone with their nonchalant ease. Suits sported Bermudas instead of trousers, while waists got decidedly high. T-shirts replaced dress shirts.Corneliani worked around an idea of weightless tailoring here. His edit was tight, and the concept clearly expressed. As for originality, that's another story. Pieces felt very familiar: From Dries Van Noten's exoticism to Lemaire's purism, the collection paid lengthy homage to the zeitgeist. It did so in a considered, well-balanced way, though, which is an accomplishment.
20 June 2015
Sergio Corneliani dedicated his collection today to a man who behaves like a prince, said the show notes. However, despite a pervasive solemnity and an abundance of blue, there was actually nothing particularly regal going on in the show, which took place in a misty atmosphere around a contorted tree—a nod to deep, complicated family ties, maybe. Nobleness was hidden in the fabrics: tactile wools, grainy cashmeres, ombré mink. Some of them were given a feeling of greater depth by way of needle punching, brushing, or twisting.A mix of the sartorial with the relaxed is what you generally get at Corneliani, and this collection was no exception. The label has long produced informalized formalwear, something that has been central to the Italian fashion debate for a while. Corneliani proposed a refined take on the topic this season; outerwear, in particular, had an elegant firmness. The long double-breasted coats were the standout pieces, at once protective and aggrandizing, while suit jackets with ribbed shawl collars had an intimate, domestic feel. As a whole, the collection was smooth, if not exactly surprising.The problem with a show like this is certainly not the pieces, per se; fabrications and the level of execution were top-notch. The drawback is precisely the fact that they are clothes and just that: sent onto the catwalk one look after the other without a particular narrative, and sometimes even with little coherence—practically every possible trouser length was shown at some point. Storytelling is the direction Corneliani should pursue in the future if the label really wants to take a step forward from making clothes, which it does extremely well, to making fashion.
17 January 2015
Sergio Corneliani says he looked to the future for Spring 2015, something Italian designers have been forcing themselves to do more and more as of late. For this outing, that meant a little streetwear influence—stated by baggy pants, generous jackets, hooded parkas, and wide-neck leather T-shirts. It wasn't the sportswear-inspired streetwear we've seen iterated on the runways in New York and London for the past few seasons (the pleated trousers and three-button jackets weren't quite downtown ready), but, hey, this is Milan, where hand-stitched lapels are still the rule, not the exception.Corneliani's experiments with fit weren't quite as persuasive as some of the more imaginative casual pieces. The funnel-neck shirt was simple, elegant, and cool. Animal-hide outerwear looked surprisingly summery—both the gray leather bomber and beige suede pullover would pair well with the linen trousers favored by the men of Milan. As for color, powder blue and sage green popped in the middle of a mostly white show that ended with a stark black period.The slightly oversize suiting seemed less like a look toward the well-dressed future and more like a concession to the next generation who hasn't yet learned all the rules. Corneliani's laid-back take on tailoring appears comfortable—the models moved with ease—but does the effort to avoid stodginess come at a cost? You'd like to think there can be a streetwear solution to tailoring that does more than just size up.
20 June 2014
Corneliani is a long-running Mantuan tailoring concern with an eye to letting the stuffing out of its proverbial shirt. Its latest collection aimed to dispel any lingering hints of stodginess. Creative director Sergio Corneliani's "contemporary minimal dandies" are never without a shirt and tie—each and every model had one—but as for anything more formal than that, the Corneliani bet is that easy elegance can carry them as well as any evening suit. So while there were cashmere suits with soft shoulders and flat-front pants worn without breaks, the Corneliani man proved just as likely to wear his white shirt and black tie (on this he is unbending, apparently) with a shaved-mink cardigan, a velvet hoodie, or a croc-skin biker jacket. The abundance of a tartan just shy of Black Watch plaid suggested to more than a few showgoers an over-familiarity with recent collections from Valentino, another seasoned Italian label that has lately become interested in the dandy sector of the men's market. But a classic like tartan is likely durable enough to be shared.
10 January 2014