Msgm goes to school on elegance

Elegance has taken to the street at MSGM, the strongly streetwear label founded by Massimo Giorgetti.

Milan university students served as both models and inspiration for the collection. Taking their cue, Giorgetti found himself making an unexpected turn toward the dapper with hints of classic Milanese styling.

"I studied the attitude of these guys, and it is less streetwear than usual without losing modernity," Giorgetti said. "Some are very, very elegant. The concept of elegant Milan, Italy, needs to be restudied also by a brand like mine. There's an evolution going on."

The silhouette veered toward the everyday, neither too slim nor oversized. Looks included snazzy suits with zip - up jackets in pink or red worn with ties, as well as plaid trousers paired with cardigans and jumpsuits. Giorgetti collaborated with Eastpak on a series of graphic printed backpacks and travel bags.

The designer emblazoned the collection with phrases of graffiti he collected from the desks, tables and restrooms of Milan's universities. They included Tempo per cambiare, Italian for "Time for Change", along with the Italian phonetic rendering of "I love you" as "hailoveiu."

Here, "Time for Change" clearly meant honoring roots and not looking abroad for validation.

"They are very serious, very clever and very positive," the designer said of the Milan students he worked with. "And they love their country."