Alexandre Mattiussi isn’t interested in soul-searching or inspiring tortured artists. His clothes are so relatable, so approachable, so - for want of a better word - ordinary, that they could just as well be on the back of one of fashion week’s stylish male attendees as they could the runway. Ordinary is not a criticism here - of course, an Ami trouser is cut just so (creased at the front with the perfect amount of slouch), a blouson is just retro-enough to feel nonchalant and the denim washed just enough to look intriguing. But look at the Ami guy with just a glance and he’s an everyman not a peacock. That’s the genius of Ami - there’s a real niche that needs to be catered to. There’s too much at either end of the spectrum; cerebral, conceptual and thus just for us fashion folk, or minimal and reserved to the point of being sexless and unapproachable.
This collection was bang on point in the sense that it was an accurate reflection of what everyone is currently wearing. There’s an odd irony at fashion week to the way male attendees wax lyrical about the latest deconstructed piece of Comme tailoring or some new gender-bending antics at J.W. Anderson yet rock up to all the shows in a pair of jeans, some white sneakers and a plain t-shirt. If we, the style crowd, aren’t even wearing high fashion, who is? And more importantly, if we don’t believe in it, how can we convince anyone else to? Well Mattiussi clearly thinks it’s not worth the struggle - he’s unashamedly catering to a man who just wants to look good. So he’s dressing us in what we openly like - great bits of tailoring mashed with natty bits of vintage-look sportswear, some good sneakers, a clean palette of neutrals with one classic primary thrown in for good measure and some easy Breton stripes. But shouldn’t he be trying to challenge us and push things forward, I hear you ask. Well, his knits were just inviting enough and his suits just slouchy enough to make onlookers feel like their current go-to-pieces aren’t good enough and that our lives would be improved by the Ami version - ‘I’ll wear it all the time,’ we’d tell ourselves while parting with our card. In that sense, while this was basic, it was a lot more aspirational than much of what we’ve seen.
