After a hectic five days in Milan the overall feel of the A/W 09 menswear collections is beginning to take shape. With dark unsettling times ahead, designers have picked up on this mood and the result is harsh industrial silhouettes and a palette of cloudy grey, silver and an abundance of black seem to be the new uniform for the winter season to come. Milan kicked off with Jil Sander; body conscious shapes, slim fitting jackets with strong shoulders, rust dyed woollen suiting collectively forming a rally of male empowerment dressing.

Other highlights of Milan included high Dolce & Gabbana’s checker board weaving technique suiting for their ‘Sicilia’ inspired collection, vibrant acid pink on velvets, plenty of quilting, double breasted jackets and monochromatic eveningwear.

Missoni’s distinctly grunge-inspired collection, opted out of colour this time (except for the red lighting) and instead experimented with a mish mash of prints and patchworks all in monotone with the occasional shock of red.

The Burberry Prorsum show marked the return of the classic Burberry check, perhaps another reference to empowerment and rediscovery of masculinity in menswear, opening with U2's 'Where the streets have no name’. There were Prorsum regulars Danny Beauchamp and Lasse Lindegaard Pedersen amongst other newer faces and model / actor Alex Pettyfer (star of the current S/S 09 campaign and The Beat for Man campaign), walked down the runway in countryside gentry wear, green velvets and corduroy, argyle knits, heavy weight Napoleonic inspired coats and loose white shirts with matching neck bows.