Etro Autumn/Winter 2009/2010: For The Love Of Coats

"Ours is a man in red, dressed in Merlot, Barolo and Brunello, part king, part jester. He wears the color of life, of ardor, of beauty and of Eros. But red is also the color that embodies the power of the nobility and the virtues of the warrior - the color of Emperors, Spartans and Druids. The man in red creates an individual mosaic of memories and emotions, in stark contrast to the monochrome of the standard uniform." Kean Etro

If you think red,its an automatic impulse to think love,passion and fire. Red conjures images of the devil and the colour is quite regal. With the case of the Etro:A/W 2009/2010 they went with the regal aspect of the colour. Here the colour conjures up images of Roman emperors and Spartans. Its quite ironic,in that Romans were Italian and Etro is an italian fashion house. It's staying close to its roots even if they are centuries old. The collection focuses on the richness of colour and texture. My favourite peices from the collection as you can see are the coats. They come in different shapes from cape,poncho to cloaks. Variety seems to be key in terms of the coats. They can used for a multitude of styles and silhouettes. I can see City boys in Canary Wharf rocking a patterned cape over their suits or maybe opting for for a a jacquard patterned long length coat. Feeling royal and powerful is the feeling you get wearing these coats. The coats were constructed with a range of fabrics. Here,you had fur,wool,tweed and herringbone all in one collection. The patterning on the coats gave a sense of geometry, as the shapes seemed to work harminously with each other. The use of prints and patterns is something Etro are known, giving it a sense of diversity. Hopefully if the funds allow,one day I would buy one of their cloaks,especially the two above. Their A/W2009/10 collection for women is something to look for playing with volume,texture and print. I commend their consistency in terms of both their women's and menswear collection. And the tailoring on the suits for this is immaculate and defined.