Philipp Plein Spring 2017 Collection: Milan Men’s Fashion Week

Philipp Plein may be a lot of things — fun, a great entertainer, a master maximalist — but a serious designer he is, frankly, not.

Philipp Plein Men's Spring 2017 Collection — Philipp Plein men’s spring ’17 collection on the runway at Milan Men’s Fashion Week.

CREDIT: REX Shutterstock.

His spring ’17 men’s collection chose to go balls-out with its sports theme. Shown at a mock sports stadium — popcorn, cheerleaders and foam fingers and all — the presentation was so wildly over the top that one could barely take in the clothes. Throw an impromptu Busta Rhymes performance into the mix, and we’ve got ourselves a show where fashion is just the afterthought.

Luckily, Plein’s light-up sneaker soles drew the eye immediately. The childish throwback style at least fell in line with the show’s fun, flashy theme. Other shoes in the collection included printed sneakers with oversized tongues, worn with sporty looks that ranged from motorcycle jackets and pants to baseball jackets embellished with crystal skulls — his signature.

Watch on FN

Though lightheartedness is appreciated in the jam-packed, intense calendar that is fashion week, we wish the designer would focus more time on, well, designing. The collection relied heavily on its styling choices — sweaters tied around the waist, models holding basketballs as accessories — but didn’t focus on creating memorable individual pieces. And yet, there were some his fans in the crowd, wearing his heavy studded jackets and throwing their foam fingers in the air.