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Nothing is better than sitting at a Parisian café in January during Men’s Fashion Week watching the catwalk of young, chiseled-face models and their chic styles passing through trendy Etienne Marcel. 

This winter, the streets of Paris echoed the marriage of sport casual and sophisticated tailoring seen on many runways, such as Lanvin and Hermès, through the locals’ apparent penchant of hooded tops under suit blazers. Red in its pure, primary form appeared to be the accent color for many designers, with flashes of it popping up in many shows, including Louis Vuitton and Dior Homme.

The Autumn/Winter collections of this year bore witness to the reinvention of the trouser in an eccentric variety — from Dior Homme’s fluid and loose pant to Qasimi’s futuristically tribal vision in leather. Wide-brimmed hats made an appearance on the runways, including Louis Vuitton, Lanvin and Dior, which presented conservative interpretations of the accessory’s somber and stark existence. Also in the running for accessory for the season, was the high, bulky boot, which Qasimi used to Mad Max-imize his nomad of the future, while Dior opted for a more classic version and Rick Owens presented a modern twist in the form of an asymmetrical zipper on a simple soft leather design.
Arab News had front row seats to this season’s fashion trends and summarizes the chicest runway looks, just in time to grab some last minute styling tips before that vacation in Gstaad!
And, ladies, fret not; I didn’t forget you. In fact, the hottest accessory you can have this winter is a man who knows how to dress! So read on…

Hermès Autumn/Winter 2011

Hermès designer, Véronique Nichanian’s, subtle sexiness and refined masculinity has seduced fashion editors once again. Her injection of contemporary casual into the rigid house of traditional luxury is magnificently on point.
Trousers with zips at the back of the leg, a flattering manipulation of proportions and the re-emergence of the tailored strong shoulder wasn’t all she had to offer. Nichanian paraded looks of exquisite shearling and leathers — the hides being among the indicative features of the heritage of Hermès, while Nichanian’s modern resuscitation of the brand is seen in the form of jumpsuits and tieless, open-necked collars.
The impeccable tailoring and effortless chic aesthetic marry seamlessly as they come down the runway in Nichanian’s contemporary interpretations, reminding the audience that even the old can be new. Accordingly, Hermès will continue its reign as the world’s foremost luxury label, well into the next decade.

Dior Homme Autumn/Winter 2011

Held at the Tennis Club de Paris, the Dior Homme show was an unabashed ode to Kris Van Assche’s fluid, yet austere aesthetic. With an expansive backdrop featuring a white apartment-style set—expensive, but empty—adorned with flickering fireplaces and glistening chandeliers, as well as A-list celebrities, including P Diddy, in front row, Van Assche presented a line suita ble for the contemporary aristocrat who rather accessorize with luxury and quality than with unnecessary ornamentation.
The liberator in men’s fashion this year, his collection possessed his signature façade of minimalism and embedded decadence in the details that is becoming synonymous with the Dutch master of modern luxury. Freeing the silhouette though the absence of the usual restriction caused by winter’s thick layers, Dior kept things light and supple with cashmere and knitwear.
“After summer, which was really very fluid, it was a challenge to make a winter season seem fluid,” confessed Van Assche whose solution involved incorporating double-faced cashmere knits to add contrast without weight or bulk.

Dior Homme Autumn/Winter 2011

Trousers are classic, slim and pleated at the front, and layering is featherweight, with unlined jackets and airily worn overcoats. The essentials of the male wardrobe are evident, while retaining elegance in their distilled form. “It’s a very classic vocabulary,” Van Assche stated. “All the elements are there.”
The collection possessed a sense of modern comfort based on purity and an affirmation of luxury founded on details, stay-stitched raw edges and fabric combinations. Leather came lined in cashmere, while a knitted trench — made in one single piece — was a testament of the technical bravura borrowed from the impeccable tailoring of Dior’s ateliers. Borrowing from the wardrobe of the Pennsylvania Dutch community of the Amish, Dior was not the only one sporting the dramatic and unwearable, wide-brimmed head pieces this Fall 2011. The essence of luxury expressed in an aesthetic of the timeless beauty of classic codes was witnessed through the lack of ornamentation and Van Assche’s admirable self-discipline of somber restraint.

Kenzo Autumn/Winter 2011

Inspired by detective stories from across the channel, he has fun playing with all the classics of British elegance, from the gentleman farmer to the London bad-boy. Images of butlers and diabolical lords, golden boys from the City, detectives and pupils from Eton all inhabit the kaleidoscope that Antonio Marras redesigns in the vivid colors of KENZO.
Marras is known for establishing character through his creations, and this season was no different. This winter, he evoked the cast of an Agatha Christie whodunit, with each look embodying a style that twists and reinterprets the classic codes of the masculine wardrobe. From the shawl-collared jacket and high-waisted pleated pant of a bowler-hat character, to his Scottish Highlands counterpart in a tartan down to his leggings. Personas rather than models strutted down one after the other, adding to the anticipation for the next look. The young aristocrat looked smug in a vermilion velvet jacket over a blue shirt—indicative of his blue-blood confidence to mix things up.
The collection possessed eternal codes, of which the Kenzo man knows all too well and with which he may manipulate to his liking — mixing references to create an urban and contemporary style where the colors, details and prints melt into one another according to his mood. This creative and relaxed style is a Kenzo signature and one that Marras has mastered in his casual-formal style of the season.
The centerpiece was without a doubt the reinterpretation of the jacket. Sometimes worn with denim, in different textures and colors, and sometimes in more classic silhouettes, the jacket played a key role in the conception of this chic and relaxed masculine wardrobe. Constructed or deconstructed, cut free hand or perfectly tailored, in classic wool or in Milano jersey, Kenzo provided its man with an easy and customizable wardrobe.
True to the Kenzo philosophy, an orgy of flowers, block colors, plaids and stripes, flirt and form both intense contrasts and seductive harmonies in the patterns. The Kenzo man knows that fashion is above all a game to be played strictly by one’s own rules — of course, always with the caution of a safety word.

Qasimi Autumn Winter 2011

Where John Galliano failed this year, Khalid Qasimi succeeded. Borrowing Darren Aronofsky’s psychological aptitude to plummet into the dark depths of self-destruction, Qasimi explores the internal terrain of the adolescent mind and manifests it into a strong, armored image of raw masculinity.
“A boy struggles to cope with his turbulent adolescence and deals with the latent power of becoming a destructive man in the world of the future,” explained Qasimi. “He rediscovers his tribal instincts for comfort and protection in his transgressive journey towards darkness.”
Sticking to his roots, Emirati designer Qasimi was inspired by oil spills and tribal elements, such as body scars, tribal tattoos, traditional armor and cave art. His anti-hero first look was a topless man with a geometric tattoo decorating his torso, while every model had tribal paint on their foreheads — giving the internal conflict and physical presence — très Black Swan-esque !

Qasimi Autumn Winter 2011

Qasimi’s winter collection was a far departure from last season’s “Empty Quarter,” where upon a backdrop of minimalism, the raw masculinity was suppressed in clean lines and silhouettes. Qasimi’s “Tribal Futurism” tore through those previous restraints and resurfaced in the explicit manifestation of overlaid and graphic herringbone. A dark palette of charcoal and graphite was juxtaposed with injections of aubergine and anthracite, giving the collection more depth through color. His heavy use of hides, both hand-dyed and elastic stretchable leather, alongside furs and wools was both instinctually luxurious and primitively edgy — the perfect combo for his futuristic nomad.
In addition to the rich decadence of the leather and furs, Qasimi’s silhouettes were also a dichotomy of identities, creating an addictive tension between the oversized proportions of the jacket and the super-fitted pants. He created contemporary visions that not only show-off his ability to master the minimal to the ornate, but also looks that are sure to be echoed on the streets of the fashion capitals.
“Facing the destructive world of the future, he is holding onto his primitive instincts for security,” the designer smiles. “Yeah, basically the Qasimi boy toughened up!”

Check out next week, where we continue to give more fashion fresh off the runway! Lanvin and Louis Vuitton are on the tip of every editor’s tounge,  John Galliano misses the mark, while every man wishes he could pull off every Rick Owen’s look!

Article by Marriam M Mossalli – Arab News