A time comes when the ideal world cannot be an escape anymore. The moment when reality calls, with all its exciting flaws and enthralling imperfections, one needs to be ready. Gentle dudes, too. And dreamers. It’s not about forsaking the dream, but keeping the dreamer’s spirit awake while being resolute.

Gaetano Colucci feels ready to face the harshness of reality. The new Ardusse collection brings his idyllic spirit and romantic sensibility on tougher, sexier ground. Still, the Ardusse dude is a gentle one, whose evolved wardrobe reflects this new outlook on life.

Autobiography is the way Gaetano Colucci approaches the project of each collection. His experiences as a young man in the making inform the outcome of Ardusse, landing authenticity to it. A trip to Iceland led to the idea of putting romance, so to speak, in confrontation with the elements.

Out is the wild and on the verge of sexual awakening, the Ardusse dudes discover both sensuality and awareness. The frills and the flaps they favor turn into subtle calligraphy on crisp shirts. Even lace on a shirt looks muddy and grungy rather than languid. Stitches run sinuously on sturdy jeans, or straight on compact shirt jackets. The silhouette is elongated, played up in a counterpoint of roomy coats, boxy jackets, cropped blazers and tops. The Ardusse crest is the imprint that marks the rethought varsity jacket, or the cocooning overcoat. The cozyness of knitwear provides the softness of texture and spirit that is quintessentially Ardusse: mohair jumpers with bell sleeves, cardigans, light shirts and polos.

Conscious and seductive, a new take on gentle masculinity materializes in a palette of solid, muddy tones – black, brown, grey, cream – with accents of mauve. Arcadia finally becomes a real place for gentle dudes to live, take risks, wander and finally be in the moment.

All images courtesy of Ardusse

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