John Galliano's show was a three-parter, but we'll carefully pass over the first homeless-inspired section of the triptych. In the second part, Galliano showed off some rarely-seen tailoring skills. We knew he could fashion beautiful shapes out of womenswear, but his men's clothes are often not so refined as this. It was like stepping into the set of Sherlock Holmes, The Movie. Bowler hats, tweed suits, long coats, pocket watches!, and canes galore. I love the subtle subversion like the frilly ties above, or the cape below. Now, where have we seen capes before this season...
The third part hop, skipped, and jumped over to the Orient, where the underwear models posed in Chinese silk pajamas, and hats perfect for toiling in the paddy fields. These look so gorgeous, it would almost be a shame just to wear them in bed:
Kris van Assche brought us sleek shapes in black and white, with perfect suit jackets and loose trousers tucked into leather boots. There was also some asymmetry going on, with zips and sheer knitwear. We'll forgive the beanie-hats.
Big surprise of the week was Lanvin, which avoided the besuited, bow-tied look of yore, and instead yielded a modern post-apocalyptic view of the future. Above, our timely eco-warriors donned loose draped knits, oversized scarves, and woolen headbands, all in a palette of grey, stone, teal and black. Some of the knitwear was just gorgeous, like the, dare I say it, roll-neck below left. But Alber managed to inject just a hint of dandy, with tux jackets and almost-hidden bow-ties.
Raf Simons also showed some different, but almost perfect, looks. For example, I think the tartan suit above left, with the double-breasting all to one side as it were, is amazing, and would go well with a suitably contrasting Ralph Lauren tartan tie I have. Above right, I don't know where to start. The kilt/skirt? Brilliant! More, please. And the collar on the top looks like some crazy experiment in origami, or those weird plastic geometric toys we used to play with in primary school (they were a bit like Meccano, except they didn't make anything that moved...know what I'm talking about??) to learn about 3-D shapes. Whatever, I think the experiment was a success.
Below left, the clean lines and asymmetry of this camel jacket leaves me speechless. Below right, a knitted skirt/kilt/dress??! I say no more.
And if it couldn't get any better, he combined the tartan suiting with the kilt-shapes :)
I've read a lot of stuff about the Rick Owens collection showing a real progression, but I'm not really sure I get what everyone's on about. It's not all black? Yes. But then it wasn't all black last season either. There were the long knits, the loose fabrics, the sleeveless pieces as usual. Even those strange panels that hang between the models' legs like loin clothes were back again. Anyway, I like the shape on the front of the knit below left, the "gloves", and this coat below right. I'm sure it's not, but for some reason I think the coat would be quite snuggly.
Viktor & Rolf, however, have progressed. Not only did they show the collection on other models, instead of themselves, but they also produced a coherent set of menswear that men would actually wear. And in my colours of the moment, black and grey. There were some great pieces of knitwear, like the double-breasted cardigan above left, or the simple grey jumper above right, which managed to look both chunky and refined all at once. Below left, the dip-dyed shirt is killing me, so badly do I need it. And below right, the perfect evening look. All topped off with some classic V&R specs. I just wish, in amongst the great clothing, they could throw in a few of the fabulous showpieces they make for women.
And, finally, we reach YSL, where Mr Pilati made some interesting choices for his menswear collection, including all-in-ones. "Men in jumpsuits?!" I hear you cry. Well, just take a look below, and see how understated and chic those jumpsuits really are. In fact, I really really want one. Finally, another clothing option has transferred from womenswear to menswear, giving us a little more to play with.
And now on to couture!
Duck
xoxo
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