5 things you may have missed at Milan Fashion Week Men's FW24

Fashion is made up of many things. For those observing from the outside, that is the majority of the audience, a single show or a particular event boil down to an image, a short video, a review. But for those who can view it from within, there are many surprises: whether it's the artist who composed a soundtrack, the celebrity who appeared unexpectedly, some particularly theatrical detail (the brilliant Dsquared2 twin parade doesn't count because everyone talked about it), but also a detail that could only manifest itself live, only from a certain angle not covered by the photos. That's why we decided to list the best Easter eggs that surprised us during the just-concluded Milan Fashion Week.

Here they are.

1. James Blake at Zegna

In addition to a sublime choice of silhouettes and materials, Zegna has a truly insane taste for the soundtracks of its shows. If last summer the rhythm of the show was marked by a remix of Violet Drive by Kerala Dust, the show that closed Milan Fashion Week further raised the bar. Composing a custom-made soundtrack for the show (which was already pharaonic) was the cult musician James Blake, who, by the way, had already enchanted Milanese audiences with a stunning three-hour DJ set on Friday night. The music that accompanied the show was pure Blake: from his voice so cold and vibrant with emotion at the same time, to the frenzied beats that closed the show while a snowfall of foliage-colored cashmere fell in the center of the room like the bottom of an hourglass.

2. Andreas Kroenthaler at Jordanluca

In fashion, there are many "green flags" that testify to the recognized excellence of a designer or the success of a certain collection. One of the "green flags" is when a designer walks for another designer, which testifies not only to a certain level of friendship and professional respect but also the desire, simply put, to put your face out there – in short, the best possible endorsement. This was the case with Jordanluca, a brand whose two founders have gained increasing recognition in recent seasons, and who this season reached a new high point with a very successful collection, an absolutely memorable after-party, but above all with the appearance of Andreas Kroenthaler, the widower and creative director of Vivienne Westwood, who gave his stamp of approval to the most punk collection in Milan.

3. Jeff Bezos at Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana have always been a kind of superpower in fashion, parading for years outside official calendars, cultivating a vast ecosystem of high-profile clients, maintaining the highest quality of their products, and then returning to enrich the Milan calendar in the post-lockdown period. The stars who show up at their shows are always heavyweights, but they are also the faces you would expect to see during a fashion show: Hollywood actresses, pop stars from different countries, even members of royal houses. But at the show last weekend, there was a celebrity who really shocked everyone – Jeff Bezos, present with his future wife Lauren Sanchez in the front row both as a guest of honor and to support the runway debut of her son, Nikko Gonzalez, who was indeed one of the models in the show. However, all attention was on Bezos, who, according to our sources, not only showed up at the show with conscientious advance notice (which is by no means a given in Milan) but was also extremely courteous to everyone he met. Shouldn't they all be like him?

4. JW Anderson's Modular Paintings

Jonathan Anderson has a gift for pleasing people. Probably one of the most beloved designers by the public and critics in recent years, his collections are always stunning, whether it's his eponymous brand or the historic Loewe. And in his shows, there's always something to observe: specifically, for the FW24 collection seen on Sunday night, there were three looks that, when placed side by side, created a modular painting – a kind of keystone of a collection abundant in pictorial details, as also demonstrated by the short film "Who is the painter?" presented after the show at the Cienemino in Milan.

5. Quavo at 1989 Studio

The presentation of 1989 Studio, arriving on Via Piranesi with new shiny showrooms and offices, was among the most popular and brilliant of the fashion week. After presenting two seasons in Paris, Los Angeles designer Chaz A. Jordan returned to Milan with a more mature and layered collection and vision, attracting a large crowd, including a cheerful Jerry Lorenzo. The new showroom filled up to bursting, however, when Quavo performed, singing just a few steps away from the adoring audience. One of those moments when you are so close to a celebrity that their presence doesn't seem real at all. Totally memorable.