Berluti’s spring collection was all about the remix.
Founded in 1895 as a footwear brand, the house continues to revolve around accessories, even if it has built up a robust menswear assortment since the launch of its ready-to-wear line in 2012. As might be expected, leather plays a big part in that wardrobe, but increasingly details lifted from shoes and bags are making their way onto the clothes.
This season, the signature zipped front pocket on its Un Jour briefcase was reprised on safari jackets, pants and sweaters, while summer shirts featured a graphic rendering of shoes and handbags that brought to mind the early illustrations of Andy Warhol, one of Berluti’s most famous clients.
Meanwhile, fabrics and leathers were spliced together for an upscale take on functional dressing. Think a sand-colored cotton and suede military jacket, or a navy workwear-style jacket in technical wool and suede, featuring an inside pocket in brown leather embossed with the Scritto, Berluti’s signature 18th-century manuscript motif.
A longtime brand signifier, the Scritto has navigated the ins and outs of logomania and remains a staple of the brand, whether blown up as an intarsia motif on a short-sleeved sweater, or used all over on a silvery gray parka.
Berluti does not identify as a standard-bearer of the “quiet luxury” trend, having introduced vibrant hues into footwear via its trademark patina technique. Having said that, this lineup provides plenty of options for those who like to wear their wealth lightly.
On closer inspection, a dusty blue suede blouson was so fine, you shuddered to think how it would fare in the rain, while the hardware on the new B Volute loafer and 48-hour bag was inspired by the wrought iron railings on the staircase of the brand’s historic Rue Marbeuf boutique.