There s been change afoot at Diesel—former Phi designer Andreas Melbostad took over the women s Black Gold collection, and ex-Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti is taking on artistic director duties at Diesel—but the men s Black Gold label is staying its charted course. Its DNA has always been about leather and denim—often distressed, never polite. In that spirit, a thudding blast of Joy Division filled the room at the 9:30 a.m. show, and guys in paint-lacquered brogue boots clomped along to the beat. The jeans come a bit looser and cuffed high for spring, and the jackets offered every way station on the rock n roll spectrum between bomber and moto. Even the tailored jackets looked beaten up and stitched back together. It s a tough world at Diesel. Which made it all the more curious that the unexpected floral trend that s cropped up at Italy s menswear shows, from Kolor at Pitti to Prada and Gucci in Milan, bloomed here, too.
