Backstage at Lanvin Menswear fw2010

Peter Stigter went backstage at Lanvin this morning to capture the vibe. He spotted Lucas Ossendrijver – the designer of Lanvin menswear – and Alber Elbaz – creative director of Lanvin – backstage styling the models and giving interviews to journalists like Suzy Menkes (who was lyric about the collection: “Loving Lanvin has become the leitmotif of the 21st century. But there was a good reason why the menswear show Sunday was cheered so fervently. This is a rare historic house where the clothes seem to live in the moment, yet embrace a traditional masculine  only culture.”)

Take a close look at the accessories – those rings and snakeskin bags ! – and the clothes. This is menswear from today – never aggressive or conservative, but self-assured and loving.  And, most important: it brings back the fun in men’s fashion.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Paul Smith

Looking at the diverse types of models that walked in Paul Smith’s fashion show, you’d think he must have wanted to reach a large audience. The models were as different as they could be:  young, old, pale, bold, long, bearded, red-haired etc.

The clothes were just as diverse. Shirts with floral prints, checked jackets, colorful trousers and bowler hats were easily combined in one look. And while some clothes were appropriate for punky students other seemed perfect for late night dinners.

In this collection Paul Smith mixed natural colors like brown, gray and beige with bright ones like pink, blue, red and purple.

A few jackets had decorated safety pins attached and we saw sunglasses in some of the breast pockets.

Items that really caught our eye were a black poncho, a long cobalt blue overcoat and a turquoise colored suit. The show ended with some slick black dinner jackets.

Then Paul Smith and all his models came on to the runway in a chaotic manner that matched the fashion show’s overall vibe.

Streetfashion Paris fw2010

What are you wearing during the Menswear Fashionweek? Your Burberry-boots, your latest D&G-vest or that vintage YSL? Maybe we’ll spot you in Paris, Milan, New York or Amsterdam. During the fashion-weeks we refresh our streetwear-category regularly. We don’t judge, we’re not the fashion-police, we just enjoy fashion and your own personal style. Next stop: Paris.

Pictures by Muriel Schouten

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Lanvin

If I were a man I would wear Lanvin. The clothes are modern yet friendly, soft but tough enough and extremely normal. It’s not only the quality of the fabrics, first of all it’s the quality of design. And Lucas Ossendrijver has a great talent.

This season Lanvin looks tougher and more out-in-the-world with dark wools, raw-edge seams, some belted coats that lent a military feeling. The strappy backpack added a contemporary, city-warrior touch.

Ossendrijver went away from the too soft and poetic style, but still he was able to put emotion (a certain awareness of vulnerability) into the clothes. All this season’s trends were in the collection, done in a Lanvin-way: beautiful shoes that seem boots, the layering, the leather coats, the fluid silhouette, the grays and blacks.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Raf Simons

After two seasons of modern suits with that typical Belgian edge, Raf Simons pushed again the boundaries of menswear. He already played the game of closures at his collection for Jil Sander (with mixed results), but it worked out much better for his own fall collection. Still suits form the center part (but as the designer said earlier: he and his clients are grown up men now), Raf still favors dark colors, but he replaced the buttons with metallic magnetic closures and velcro strips which made a pretty tight silhouette and clean image.  Simons also re-made the traditional trench by separating the coat into halfs and using the lower half as a skirt or protective shield. Besides that he played an interesting graphic game with red, white and blue.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Hermès

For next winter Veronique Nichanian designed a qualitative and diversified menswear collection for Hermès. Just like many desigers Veronique opted for gray as the main color. Though she added some red, blue, green and black.

The Hermès models were well-dressed and much attention was paid to every little detail. From the floral scarfs to the handkerchiefs in the breast-pockets and the chains attached to the trousers.

The collection had velours jackets, turtle necks, woolly cardigans, leather pants and jackets with zippers that were only zipped in the middle.

Over a few coats the models wore a sophisticated leather belt and their large scarfs were tied in a particular way. Two snake leather jackets were real showpieces.

Altogether it was a solid collection with very wearable designs.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Kenzo

With the fw2010 fashion show Antonio Marras proved that after forty years of fashion Kenzo is still on top of the game.

The show started off with models dressed in warm-colored clothes, perfect for fall. A lot of woolly designs were shown. We also saw many checks, long overcoats, sunglasses, hats and some floral prints.

Then the clothes turned gray. At first the gray was combined with leopard printed gloves, shoes and bags. A leopard printed coat definitely stood out, yet not necessarily in a good way.
Other eye-catching pieces were a denim overall and a shiny hounds-tooth coat.

Marras designed many loose-fitting clothes. Especially his pants were much wider than the pants we saw at other fashion shows.

Towards the end all models headed outside for the show’s finale. There Place des Victoires was transformed into a film set, inspired by the movie Traffic (1971). Thirty vintage Citroën cars were driving around in the same direction as the models were walking. An old bus was picking them up.

What a great finale!

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Dior Homme

Sisters of Mercy’s ‘Temple of Love’  reverberated through the dark, cavernous hall where the Dior Homme-show took place. The set was spread with chunks of coal — a reminder of the kind of warm, smoldering color designer Kris van Assche  had in mind while designing the collection.

Floor sweeping trenchcoats,  hooded robes and cropped suits with boots dominated the collection. Innovative variations on the classic suit, which van Assche slashed and distorted, giving it new proportions and a faux Amish Country silhouette. Luxury, creativity and comfort were the guiding principles of this fall-winter 2010 menswear collection.
Working in a reduced palette of black, charcoal and oatmeal, the Belgian designer served up oversized jackets with long, fluttering front panels that tapered into dangly V-shapes, pairing them with generously cut cropped pants. Some of the jackets were fitted with trompe l’oeil flaps on one side, while others had lapels that morphed into scarves.

Paris Menswear fw2010 Impressions: bow-ties

Alexis Mabille just started his own fashion-label, but he’s not a complete stranger to the fashion-world. After he graduated from the Paris’ Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in 1997 he worked for Nina Ricci, Christian Dior and Dior Homme. In 2005 he launched Alexis Mabille, a collection of unisex ready-to-wear clothing and Treizeor – an imaginatively revisited line of bow-ties. His style is frivolous and dynamic, and always sophisticated.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Ann Demeulemeester

It was an almost poetic show at Ann Demeulemeester, also thanks to the building – the Couvent des Cordeliers. Is it a coincidence a lot of collections have that classic, mysterious Sherlock Holmes feeling, with all the capes, keys & chians ?

Black, white and beige were the main colors and Demeulemeester wrapped her men in belted (fur) coats, jackets and loose trousers. All mixed in that familiar nonchalant way we know from the designer. The chest and neckpieces of irridescent black feathers were stunning and added a special, dark but glamourous touch to the collection.

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