The luxury brand’s Summer 2022 film imagines the dinner party of your dreams.

Ermenegildo Zegna titled its Summer 2022 collection The (New) Set based on a singular conviction: that formalwear no longer has a monopoly over modern fashion. The luxury house is famous for its finely tailored men’s suits—a category of clothing where excellence is synonymous with timelessness, and as a result, one that hasn’t evolved much from generation to generation.

But we live in a world that’s increasingly staying at home—and questioning how men and women can and should dress while doing so. Zegna has answered with a collection that combines masterful design with contemporary needs and wants.

Says Alessandro Sartori, the brand’s artistic director: “My aim at Zegna is to create an accord between the essence of tailoring, which is our reason for being, and the rhythm of the modern world.” Sartori presented the season’s garments in a mini film, which alternates between shots in a garden maze and among urban structures: amphitheatres, bridges, and roofed outdoor walkways. Quick cuts and dreamy lighting give the show a surreal quality, which reaches a head in its final scene. Zegna’s models wade through shallow water to sit at a partially-submerged, mirrored dinner table. They sip from wine glasses—each drink is a different, vibrant color—and pick at glass bowls of jello while the sun lowers in the sky.

The film’s conclusion is light, lovely, and unserious. It corresponds intimately to the nature of Zegna’s clothing itself. Sartori has a fondness for certain styles and silhouettes: oversized knitwear, collarless kimono shapes. He draws heavily from the pragmatism of workwear, emphasizing pocket flaps and drawstrings, finding beauty in function. The collection’s palette is neutral, with some pale pinks, olive greens, and faded blues.

“What I have done is a rewiring of luxury crafting, following a flow that frees the man while keeping the distinctiveness, offering pieces that are easy to wear as they are inventive,” says Sartori. Menswear isn’t just suits any longer—Zegna plans to stay ahead of the time.

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