Constructing a Look for Wintertime: Reviews of the Emporio Armani and Costume National menswear shows

Perhaps it is the constant construction of his global empire that turned Giorgio Armani’s eye toward the graphic world of scaffolding, skyscrapers and urban development for his latest Emporio Armani menswear collection.

The designer showed grid-patterned knitwear, long and lean column overcoats and harness-like leather vests in tones of stone, slate, and concrete with a dash of plume or burgundy for next fall. Boxy tote bags in stiff felt wool, outlined in silver rivets, and patent leather boots cemented the cityscape style.

The well-rounded collection was filled with viable options for the modern man. But it was the variations, particularly Mr. Armani’s experimentation with collars that wrapped, snapped or zipped up the neck that gave this show its energy.

And when Mr. Armani’s urban warriors start to feel like they need a break from city life, well, the designer has just the thing: a game of golf. Of course it is one in which the brand’s EA7 golf collection will be sure to come in handy.

The title of Ennio Capasa’s autumn/winter 2011 show for Costume National was “Rebel Tailoring” and, yes, there were the familiar New Wave/post-Punk/Underground New York images on his mood board backstage. But it is the designer himself that is the real rebel of this collection.

Like a shark that would die if it stops swimming, Mr. Capasa is forever searching for new technology and innovative fabrics to challenge and inspire his creative process.

This season, that meant a less classical collection than in the past, replacing the shirt and tie with stripy skinny mohair sweaters and slim suits. But it was with the outerwear and jackets that the designer really let his imagination fly.

By deftly fusing quilted biker sleeves onto a knee-length jacket, bonding silk and wool on a blazer or welding layers of fabric on a trench coat and then laser cutting them to expose a central blaze of red, Mr. Capasa showed how well he has mastered his morphing style.

The final black knit tuxedo jacket, worn by the designer’s son, Anton, tricked out with zippers and leather lapels, sealed the Costume National show in style.

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