It was forecasted that “hot vax summer” in New York — when newly vaccinated young people emerged from more than a year of isolation — would herald a moment of aesthetic excess and opulence in fashion. And while some shoppers — particularly those college-aged and younger — did spring for that kind of frosted-pink-and-sequined Y2K revival, there was another, more minimal current of style that began circulating. Welcome to the unexpected renaissance of Italian tailoring.
Old formfitting suits, wafer-thin trenchcoats, logoed T-shirts, loafers, unique knitwear and hip-slung pleated trousers by labels like Giorgio Armani, Jill Sander, Gianfranco Ferré, Missoni and Moschino are finding a new generation of fans on the secondhand market and are flying out of the hands of some of vintage’s most trend-setting dealers.