Designer Kris Van Assche decided to take Dior Homme back to its roots in sharp tailoring. In fact, he stretched back to the founder’s defining New Look of 1947 for women — hinged on that wasp-waisted jacket known as the Bar — for his fall collection. He wasn’t shy about the nipped midsection, demarcating the horizontal seam cut into the sides of some jackets with white piping.
They looked handsome rather than feminine, vaguely recalling the neatness of military uniforms, though the designer said backstage he was careful to avoid that reference. As the show progressed Van Assche loosened things up, blending in Nineties sportswear hinged on tribal tattoo prints, wide-legged jeans and layers of striped knits. Untied laces, on dress shoes and canvas sneakers alike, also telegraphed that point.
January 21, 2018