Y-3 by Yamamoto Catwalk Fashion Show New York FW2010

On the most romantic day of the year, Valentine’s day, Yohji Yamamoto showed us a very dark side of love.

It all began so well with models handing out red roses to all people sitting front row. Yet after that it turned dark as the Prisoner of Love theme took over.

On his designs Yamamoto had written text like ’23 Years in prison – 20 = Y3′ and ‘Marriage – Love = Run’. Combined with Paul Simon’s track ’50 ways to leave your lover’ it all made up for a dejected vision of love.

Still, the dark side of love seemed to work for Yamamoto. His unexpected proportions, layering and mix and matching never looked this good. We liked his long coats, loose pants, asymmetric skirts and loose woolly capes. And through his use of black and gray the designer managed to add some refreshing bright red, orange, yellow and blue.

Lots of black and white stripes represented the Prisoner of Love theme and on some shoes, bags, hoodies and belts they stood for Adidas.

It appeared that after a miserable year in which Yamamoto almost went bankrupt the designer was able to show more of himself in the Y-3 collection for Adidas.

The collection appealed to us. Though it didn’t necessarily need the masks, bandit scarfs and the fight at the end in which Yamamoto punched a male model down and got punched by a female model himself.

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.

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: 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 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 fw2010: Junya Watanabe

Junya Watanabe reinterpreted the Jazz Age and made it to a fine collection. He gave the tailoring a twist— double-breasted suits illuminated with red stitching — and then meld formal and casual, which has become the season’s major trend. Watanabe made that mix more than putting a nylon parka over a suit or teaming a tailored jacket with jeans. He showed inserts of leather in suits and made the sportswear as powerful as the more formal pieces. The designer also put in another strong story: the revival of the camel coat.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Dries van Noten

Dries van Noten knows his way with menswear, with just that little touch of eccentricity and panache.

The Belgium designer focused at graphic details, think black (or red) and white stripes, piping, mixing checks and stripes and he took inspiration from the English jockeys. From dressed down sweat-styled trousers and bold electric blue separates to contrasting inserts, Van Noten’s man proved to be confident and stylish.

Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Francisco van Benthum

One of the good things of Dutch designer Francisco van Benthum is that he refuses to give up. He believes in himself and his power as a designer, and that deserves a lot of respect. Especially in these days, where big labels with big money try to blow you away when they can. Francisco presented a collection which showed a more classic side of his signature. His softer, fluid silhouet still exists with a more rounded shoulder for jackets, but he added some British flavor with cropped jackets in a small Higgins-check, slim dinner-jackets and cardigans. He mixed the formal with the casual – and addded also some sportswear. Hopefully he’ll find some clients who appreciate his love for fabrics and design. He deserves it.

Milan Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: John Varvatos

An impression of the stage at John Varvatos: an old church with scattered fresco’s and candlelight in the back. A perfect setting for the collection: rockers turned into businessmen but still sticking to black, their boots, leather and bulky knits.

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