Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Dior Homme
January 23, 2010 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
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 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.
Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: John Galliano
January 23, 2010 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
The invites for John Galliano’s fashion show were folded into Chinese take out boxes. Yet Chinese influences were not the only influences Galliano chose for his fw2010 show.
According to the show notes with this collection Galliano evoked the multi-faceted personality and lifestyle of Sherlock Holmes. This lead to four different types of men appearing on the runway.
At first Galliano’s moustached detective men wore several layers of large trenchcoats. The coats had leather and fur accents and a checked pattern.
Than the classic, dandy boys came by, wearing tight suits, ties, corsets(!) and bowler hats.
Next we saw several warrior types in multi-colored satin outfits showing a great deal of their bronzed bodies. Again we saw bruises and blood on these models.
At the end Chinese-looking men strolled the runway in (floral printed) silk, transparent and embellished garments.
The finale was the perfect ending of a spectaculair show. Flames were thrown high in the air as John Galliano himself appeared.
Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Yves Saint Laurent
January 23, 2010 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
For his fall/winter collection Yves Saint Laurent decided to make a movie. The brand hired Bruce Weber to produce a short film called Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing. The film, which contained footage of the male YSL models posing and dancing, quickly made it’s way around the web, shortly after it’s release.
Unfortunately in the film Stefano Pilati’s new designs for YSL couldn’t be seen. Therefor he held a show. He designed perfect trenchcoats with buttons at the back and checked blazers. In several looks he used a scarf as a belt on top of a coat. And some long tunic shirts were visible from under the jackets.
Yet Pilati’s jumpsuits and drop-crotch pants (popular in women’s fashion at the moment) were most impressive. The jumpsuits had a wide rounded neckline and all had a matching belt in the same fabric. The models wore them with T-shirts and jackets.
Gray and black were the main shades in this collection. And although Pilati used some female items, he managed to turn them into real menswear for next winter.
Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Givenchy
What would Jesus wear nowadays? If he shopped at Givenchy, he’d wear sandals, black stockings, a kilt, shorts and a gold crown of thorns necklace. The models at Givenchy looked like modern monks in their black and white clothes, black sandals (sometimes with, ugh, black shiny stockings), high collars and long coats. No laughs, no fun – this was serious man! But without all the fuzz, the basic collection is about a suit, a puffy jacket, a kilt, a white shirt and a long coat. Enough to mix endlessly.
Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Rick Owens
January 22, 2010 by Jetty
Filed under Fashion, Featured Items, Menswear, Paris
Rick Owens continued to search the depths of the dark side with a fall-winter 2010 menswear collection of gender-bending, space age-y designs ready for the apocalypse. Androgynous models with enviable cheekbones skulked down the catwalk in bulky, tie-waisted trenches in lacquered microfiber or wrinkly microfiber with stiff, standup necklines and drop-crotched harem pants. Some wore ribbed turtlenecks with knee-length flaps in the front and back, while others sported leather tank tops that left their backs bare.
Overall, the collection, with its asymmetrical hemlines and great floppy flaps of fabric, strayed away from his usual somber palette, regarding some looks in light gray or shiny off-white.
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: Jean Paul Gaultier
The Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show opened with two girls fighting against each other in a boxing ring that stood in the centre of the stage. Then beaten up models in JPG designs and boxing accessories came on stage. They wore face protection, boxing gloves, belts with the JPG logo and carried towels around their necks. They had bleeding noses and band-aids all over their faces, as if they had just been beaten up.
JPG’s designs varied from sporty to chique. We could see lots of leather: belts, pants, jackets and details. Some knitwear (long scarfs and warm sweaters) was introduced as well. Sporty hoodies in several different shades were worn underneath the models’ neat coats and jackets.
On his T-shirts JPG had printed pictures of muscular male torso’s. And with a few skirts and some sparkling tops the French designer showed his feminine side.
Singer Chris Brown, familiar with beating up, attended the JPG show.
Paris Catwalk Fashion Show fw2010: Louis Vuitton
Dutch designer Paul Helbers presented a very wearable Louis Vuitton menswear collection. His decent-looking models wore items you could easily imagine on men passing by on the street.
The clothes came in masculine shades like dark gray, black and brown. Paul Helbers designed knitted cardigans and double-breasted, long, woolly coats. As seen in other f/w menswear collections the LV-jackets – as well as his bags – often had leather details. The leather used for some coats almost looked fake, while it had no creases, tears or what-so-ever.
A lot of big bags were shows. Christian Schoeler had painted some Vienna-inspired ones in white with fading colors, representing winter landscapes. Most models wore leather gloves and walked on boot-clogs in which they’ d tucked their legs.
At the end of the show both Paul Helbers and Marc Jacobs appeared on the runway, while Marc Jacobs applauded for his Dutch colleague.
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.
