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Armani – Finding the Inner Peace through Zen

The runway feels like an early evening stroll through a Japanese garden – the Zen aesthetics.

The garment’s silhouette strongly resembles Kimono.

• Deep navy and bluish-gray tones – common in men’s Kimono

• Flowing, oversized silhouettes

• Sandals, especially thong-style ones, evoke zori

• A deep V neckline – looks like the overlapping collar

• Repeating geometric motifs with a refined touch

• Damask – the subtle, tone-on-tone woven patterns

What reinforces that impression is the company ID card hanging on the neck – a symbol of Japan’s high-power-distance workplace culture

Then the runway set design. It calls to mind Reynisfjara beach, the Iceland’s black coast. But the aesthetic language highly aligns with Japan’s Karesansui, or Zen rock gardens – white gravel, rockeries and black stones.

Then the background music. The soundtrack, while not explicitly Japanese, shared the same pacing and meditative tone found in instruments like the Shakuhach (bamboo flute) or Shamisen (three-stringed lute).

Prada – Western Psychotherapy

The overall presentation evokes a sense of “dreamcore” aesthetics

Many are shocked by the ultra-short shorts – as if the models weren’t wearing pants at all.

But, have you ever had a dream where you’re walking down a street without pants on? Such dream is said to reveal vulnerability deep in your subconscious.

Then looking at the set design. The endless repeating huge flowers and titled windows resembling scenes from a surrealist painting – an art deeply interwined with Freud’s psychoanalytic theories, especially those exploring the unconsciousness and dream logic.

The background soundtrack incorporated real-life ambient noises – conversation, airplane engines and animal sounds. The music reminds the audio used in the therapeutic or meditative soundtracks.

Slightly off-topic, but if you’ve heard Juice WRLD’s Lucid Dreams, the intro also features this kind of real-life ambient sound 😉

Dunhill – Stoic Masculinity in Action

What Dunhill wants to show us is a man fully engaged in a high-pressure world, yet internally unshaken and at ease. Life moves fast, but his mind isn’t in a hurry.

The whole scene evokes the lifestyle of 1950s – 1960s upper-middle-class men in western countries, like figures drawn by J.C. Leyendecker: young, ambitious, strong yet composed.

The background music isn’t “Slow that Down”, rather, it’s fast-paced, almost like a battle hymn. These men aren’t at leisure, they move fast, briefcases in hand, dogs on leashes – busy with work but still walk their dog. They wear formal clothes informally – candy-striped ties, popped collars, rolled-up sleeves -suggesting a deep inner ease.

Dolce & Gabbana – IDGAF Attitude

Dolce & Gabbana wear pajamas – literally. Pajama is a symbol of relaxation. The design infuses lots of street wear energy: baggy pants, oversized layering, chain necklaces, and statement sunglasses. The models are generally young. Styled with haircuts you’d seen on teenagers – that’s a generational stance.

In the final, these “young boys” burst out of the runway and into the street – a parade of youth in pajamas.

That reminds me of the “lying flat” movement among young people in China. When we’re exhausted by endless competition and social pressure – what we call “Social Internal Friction” (内卷) – we choose to lie flat as a way to resist.