Louis Vuitton A/W10 by Marc Jacobs and Paul Helbers
Since Paul Helbers arrived at Louis Vuitton’s men’s studio in 2006, he has set about building a ready-to-wear proposition that could walk lockstep with the house’s venerable accessories. This collection was his best to date. Inspired by Austria’s Wiener Werkstätte movement, he melded classic style with modern substance, designing for men who ignore the strict divide between tailored and casual clothing. Blending traditional and hi-tech materials, he created versatile items, such as a tweed-lined reversible nylon trench and a double-faced wool jacket with leather insets. The famous bags were not the main event, but, rather, a handsome accent to the ruggedly rich clothes.
Dunhill A/W10 by Kim Jones
Ernest Shackleton and Edmund Hillary were the kind of adventurers Kim Jones had in mind when he started mapping out his youthful, gentlemanly collection for Dunhill. As he brought his usual subtle swagger to traditional clothes, a square pocket handkerchief featured a print of a Trans-Siberian map; hiking boots anchored slim worsted trousers; belts carried flasks and pen cases in a nod to Dunhill’s iconic accessories. At its core, the collection was about impeccable, slim tailoring with tempered modern twists: silver buttons here, a crest there. Sprinkled throughout were strong knits and outerwear, including a puffer jacket in a Prince of Wales pattern with a mink-trimmed collar.
Raf Simons A/W10 by Raf Simons
Raf Simons approaches fashion in much the same way an engineer sets out to solve a building challenge. For this offering, he did away with traditional buttons and zips and instead enlisted tools from active wear. He used silver snaps to fasten navy double-breasted suits and large swathes of Velcro to gather two-button jackets at the waist. Both closures gave the suits an energy and modernism that is synonymous with Simons’ aesthetic. Then it was on to more experimental fare: a coat could be deconstructed into a series of separates, such as a shrug, a belted bodice, even a skirt. While not all his ideas will live off the runway, Simons always stretches the boundaries of menswear.
Hermès A/W10 by Véronique Nichanian
Véronique Nichanian’s collection was a masterclass in taste and refinement. First came sumptuous blue, grey and brown jackets, in cashmere flannel or dip-dyed wool seersucker. She paired them with narrow trousers in cashmere, corduroy or velvet. Knitwear was equally appealing as she gave standard V-necks and turtlenecks new dimension through trompe l’oeil colour blocking. There were also plenty of incredibly crafted leather pieces, including a hunter-green bomber. As Nichanian wrote in her programme notes, the collection was all about ‘laid-back sophistication’. What she didn’t say is that this is achieved through painstaking craftsmanship.
Gucci A/W10 by Frida Giannini
Before her impossibly chic autumn collection for Gucci, Frida Giannini said she found bare ankles on men sexy. So it’s no wonder her latest line-up, which paid homage to the heyday of the Gucci playboy, featured plenty of cropped trim trousers. But rather than simply return to the house’s 1970s archetype, Giannini let fabrics and craftsmanship speak for themselves, cutting down on the embellishment of previous collections. Camel, in all its quiet glory, was the cornerstone of the collection, used for sprightly pea coats, slender two-button suits and suede safari jackets. Giannini played with knits, showing both chunky patterned cardigans and fine-gauge turtlenecks, which, worn under fitted blazers, looked remarkably modern.
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Pinstripe Magazine Staff
Online Men’s Lifestyle Magazine on Gear, Grooming, Girls, Gadgets
