Paris Menswear: Day 3

Ann Demeulemeester

This was a truly beautiful collection with some of the most amazing draping I have seen in a while. The fur coat (upper left) just melts onto the body and looks utterly luxurious. I would like to think that Ann D had me in mind while making that. If I could only buy one item over the next year, that would be it. Hey, I'd give up spending in general just to have that jacket, and I would wear it all day every day, basking in all its draped fur glory. The soft neutrals and black made for a really lovely color combination. Unlike the next designer, Ann D never seems to disappoint.

Dior Homme

I predicted yesterday that I would be disappointed with this show; I was right. First, while watching the show live, they used a fixed camera with apparently no zoom, so you were stuck in one spot looking from a distance at tiny silhouettes move in and out of frame. It wouldn't hurt to add maybe another camera in the mix, it's just a thought. The feeling of the collection was less underground youth subculture that Dior Homme is known for, and more... well, more KvA.  This has prompted me to make yet another outcry.

Dear Kris Van Assche,

          I realize that you are not Hedi Slimane, and therefore will not design like him, but Hedi founded Dior Homme, and therefore set the identity of the brand. It is your job as the next designer of the house to take the blueprints that he has left for you and continue to update them in an effort to move the brand forward. It seems what you have done though, is made Dior Homme an extension of your own line. The identity of Dior Homme seems easy to follow; skinny, skinny, skinny. If you keep the clothes close to the body, you will make all the die hard Dior Homme fans happy. People come to Dior Homme to get the fitted jacket, not the boxy version that you are known for. People also want their trousers skinny, another piece that you fail to produce in the collections. I would love to see more Kris Van Assche does Dior Homme, but what you leave us with is basically a double dose of you each season. Perhaps you should look to Raf Simons for some design advice; he perfectly balances his job at his own line and Jil Sander. Or maybe even the kaiser chief, Karl Lagerfeld; he has Fendi, Chanel, and Karl Lagerfeld under his design belt. Both these amazing men manage to do what they want with their line, and keep true to the brands not under their own name.

Maybe when Kris is done burying Dior Homme in the ground, I can swoop down, fresh out of design school and give this brand the design respect that it deserves.

Dunhill

Kim Jones has made yet another fresh collection for Dunhill, showing just how deserving he is of the British Fashion Awards Designer of the Year. I particularly liked the urban style tool belts, complete with fanny pack and flask.

Hermes

It never ceases to amaze me that Véronique Nichanian gets so little recognition for her work at Hermes over the past 20 years. This collection had everything one would want from Hermes; silk scarfs, check. cashmere sweaters, check. the most beautifully cut alligator jacket my eyes have ever gazed upon... double check. My desire for an Hermes scarf has once again been reignited. The way these boys wore them from day to evening just backs up my thoughts that I NEED one in my life ASAP! Good thing I will be in Paris a short 6 weeks from now, I think I found the perfect souvenir to bring back. 

Raf Simons

After two seasons dipping his feet in the cold waters of consumerism, Raf Simons is back full force and I couldn't be happier. Raf is a designer of legends, up there with Karl Lagerfeld and the great Couturiers of the 50's and 60's who's houses are now run by people who were not even alive to know the founders. He does not just give a twist to classic menswear pieces, he completely reinvents them. Take the trench coat or the suit, both have been re-worked to the point that they hardly resemble the originals.