Live From... Paris Fashion Week, Day 1

Louis Vuitton

 
It was sophisticated sport-meets-safari for Kim Jones' debut at the helm of Louis Vuitton menswear, bringing the tailoring skills honed at Dunhill and his own sporty aesthetic to the luxury label. His childhood in Kenya also coloured the collection and led the designer to find further inspiration in photographer and diarist Peter Beard, whose work documents African wildlife.

“At its simplest level, it is about the idea of travel... after all, travel forms the foundation of the Vuitton brand.”  Said Kim Jones

The look: Sophisticated traveller

Silhouette: Sartorially tailored

Key items: Jones brings a casual touch to his tailored looks, with blazers and rolled pants or shorts, even lustrous silk wool evening SB suits are casually styled with collarless, open-necked shirts. There is heavy emphasis on outerwear – jackets in particular, with Harringtons and varsity blousons, quilted jackets, a four-pocket safari style and sporty hooded windcheaters as well as a classic trench coat and luxury parka in sand-coloured suede. With the African inspirations, summer heat is definitely in the air, giving rise to plenty of shorts as well as short-sleeved shirts and plain tees or sweatshirt-style tops

Colour: Classic navy and white, bright red with royal blue, sandy and sunbleached neutrals and a palette of soft earthen browns

Fabric & knit: Lightweight summer suiting, silk mohair, triple bonded silks, cashmere and vicuna wools, cotton and cotton canvas, sweatshirting, jersey, chequerboard knits in raffia, zigzag stitch knit, crocodile and alligator leathers, suede, brushed-backed chevron cashmere knits

Print & pattern: A rowing-inspired red and blue V-shaped logo, pyjama stripes, ink spots, house Damier checks reinterpreted in bright red and blue inspired by the colours of the Masai

Details & trims: Patterened quilting, notched lapels, safari pockets, drawstrings, VVN leather zip pulls, VVN leather harnessing

Footwear: Chestnut brown or tan polished leather oxfords, popper-studded leather sandals, sporty activewear-inspired sandals, two-tone desert boots

Accessories: Open-topped leather shoppers, across-body binoculars case bags, sporty backpacks, quilted weekend bags; rolled neckerchiefs, large fringed cashmere scarves, short cord necklaces featuring mother of pearl inlaid beetle pendants, knitted club ties, a 24-carat-gold thread shot tie, piped-frame sunglasses

Jean Paul Gaultier

Much hullabaloo is often made of Jean Paul Gaultier's costumic themes – we had James Blond last season - but for spring/summer 2012 Gaultier was bereft of an obvious theme. Without his punks or pirates, his collection felt all at sea in a hotch potch of looks.

The look: Anything goes

Silhouette: Tailored and layered

Key items: Tailoring is always a key component for JPG, and here he offers trompe l’oeil-effect three-piece suits comprising of tailored jackets and all-in-one waistcoats (US: vest) and trousers; evening suits are deconstructed and see tux jackets paired with coloured pants or shorts in aloha floral prints. Elsewhere suit trousers are largely full and pleat-fronted and waistcoats feature scalloped lace trims. Outerwear including jean jackets, baseball jackets and signature trench coats, arrive in tartan-printed organza and revealed printed shirts beneath. Elsewhere there are kilt-pleated shorts as well as straight-leg options, striped knit vests (US: tanks) and polo tops

Colour: While there is no cohesive colour palette, pops of royal blue, kingfisher blue and tomato red enlivened the wealth of black, navy, grey and tartan blue-green

Fabric & knit: Satin, raw indigo denim, python skin, leather, tartan, printed organza, cotton, micro houndstooth, pinstripe suiting

Print & pattern: Retro Hawaiian landscapes/postcard prints, aloha florals, signature sailor stripes, small-scale florals for shirting, tartan, an all-over repeat of Rue Saint-Martin road signs

Details & trims: Multiple pockets, scalloped-edge lace trims, rhinestones, notched lapels

Footwear: Printed hi-tops, lace-up plimsolls, suede loafers, pointed satin evening shoes

Accessories: Skinny ties, cummerbunds, tartan or striped socks, fringed tartan scarves

Viktor & Rolf Monsieur

                          

Spring/summer 2012 took on a sunny aspect at Viktor & Rolf, who moved away from their signature conceptual looks to present a collection of neat 70s-inspired resortwear based around a Mediterranean palette, with some offbeat fabric mixes and playful dolphin motifs.

“This spring/summer 2012 Monsieur reflects a new age mood. He remains the same creative man - the sexy intellect - whose wardrobe is an authentic mix of formal and informal. Our Monsieur is on a mystical and spiritual journey and is attracted to magical symbols and serene shades. He's investigating boundaries, but within his own world,” said Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren.

The look: Summer vacation

Silhouette: Neat tailored resortwear

Key items: The collection emphasises a casual formal mix, with sharp peaked lapel 70s-style SBs and classic 70s pant shapes teamed with printed half-sleeved resort shirts and patterned polos in a mismatched palette and lightweight fabric mixes. Casual pants have a sporty appeal, with drawstring waists or a cut-off denim waistband, perfect to layer with a crisp white 4-pocket Harrington hybrid or even the design duo's unexpected lace shirt. The trench and the western jacket offer diverse outerwear options, fabric-blocked in toning shades of blue suede and denim and for evening, crisp tuxedos and bow ties offset with the incongruous mix of minimal sandals and socks

Colour: A summery palette reflecting the colours of Mediterranean resorts with washed sky blue, deep ultramarine and indigo complemented with old gold, Dijon, soft lemon, brick and warm terracotta, pebble grey, soft sage and bois de rose

Fabric & print: Mohair suiting, nylon twill, pressed cotton, chambray, denim, suede, jersey, summer checks, lace, silk, cotton shirtweights

Print & pattern: Playful dolphin intarsias and regular repeat all-over dolphin motifs worked on half-sleeve shirts or polos. Spots on a white ground, horizontal toning stripes

Details & trims: Cut-off denim waistbands on pants, drawstring waist pants, elongated plackets on polos, fabric-blocking, sharp peaked lapels

Footwear: Cleat-soled white boots, minimal X-strap sandals, piped loafers, snakeskin derby

Accessories: Straight top sunglasses with built-up bridge, socks

Yohji Yamamoto

A stellar showing from Yohji Yamamoto, who played with volume and subtle Japonesque workwear influences for a serene collection with a timeless aesthetic that spoke of a gentler bygone era.

The look: Ethnic workwear

Silhouette: Layered volume worked in trapeze-like shapes

Key items: Yamamoto's signature overscaled jackets come with patchwork backs this season, layered over easy tunic shirts, some with collarless details others with military pockets or worn belted to become a jacket hybrid. The focus of the collection comes in the form of wide-legged pants and culottes – often pleated or constructed like soft chaps to layer over wide-legged pants or slim-cuffed trousers. Mismatched pattern play adds to the layered feel along with easy duster coats, shrug-on cardigan jackets and elongated placket Henleys

Colour: Unexpected pops of brights highlight a palette of traditional darks based aound black and indigo, damson, espresso and charcoal punctuated with parrot green, cerulean blue, candy pink, poppy and mint with soft sage and sand bringing in an subtle earthy feel

Fabric & knit: Natural cottons and linen, washed finishes, silk, jersey

Print & pattern: There is a traditional ethnic feel in the subtle mismatched prints, with precise block patterns contrasted with random all-overs, micro florals and pin-prick markings like vintage batiks

Footwear: Plimsolls, flat lace-ups, work boots

Accessories: Unstructured trilbies, soft caps, scarf-like belts, narrow leather belts, striped ties

Issey Miyake

Issey Miyake may be in a state of transition following the departure of Creative Director, Dai Fujiwara, but that didn’t stop the design team from pulling off a strong collection for spring/summer, full of easy Asian-referenced silhouettes, vivid colour and bold prints.

The look: Modern ethnic

Silhouette: Relaxed Asian-inspired and unstructured

Key items: Unstructured duster coats and relaxed SBs provide the perfect team mates for easy wide-cropped pants cut with soft volume, a key look mirrored in boxy shirt jackets and oversized half-sleeve shirts. Diffused panels of vivid colour add interest to crisp white shirts, bringing a subtle ethnic look into play along with the almost ikat-like stripes used on dark suitings and the drapey sarouel hybrids. Other key items evolve around layering pieces like the unstructured neck knits, simple tank tees and neat buttoned waistcoats

Colour: Soft neutrals like bone white, string and sand tempered a range of vivid blues from ultramarine to aqua and peacock with flashes of sky blue, chrome yellow and espresso

Fabric & knit: Washed cotton, linen, silk, summer checks, marld knits and jersey, striped knits

Print & pattern: An exaggerated diagonal wave-like tie-dye effect stripe, diffused colour-block panels, ikat-like weaves, striped knits

Details & trims: Drawstring hems on soft pants

Footwear: Strappy sandals, vivid-coloured lace-ups with contrast laced detail

Accessories: Small-brimmed woven trilbies

Rick Owens

A stunningly simple look from Rick Owens. He took the current mood for androgyny to the max by reinterpreting wardrobe basics - like the dress, skirt, toga and tunic - into a gender-blend asexual collection of geometrical layered pieces that crossed the traditional male-female divide.

The look: Androgyny

Silhouette: Long and draped or multi-layered

Key items: The tailored SB gets a makeover in elongated proportions, with frock coat hems and an inset panelled revers to layer over the simplest A-line floor-skimming dresses and straight-cut maxiskirts with a back split hem. Long tunic tops and tunic knits complete the look, worked with funnel necklines, engineered gradated stripe placements or a vertical band of printed linear motifs. Toga-like drapes add soft volume to the look, creating an alternative dress hybrid, while skinny leggings and a slim padded coat silhouette had a more masculine appeal

Colour: A monastic palette that revokes colour in flavour of asexual black, white, charcoal, pebble, string, sand and a hint of ink

Fabric & knit: Flat suitings, melanged and slubbed effects, sheened mohair suitings, papery cotton, cotton, lightly padded effects, raw silk, silk shantung, jersey, compact knits

Print & pattern: Gradated vertical panelled stripes, abstract angular grid lines in white on black

Details & trims: Soft ruched unstructured hemlines, triangular cowls on cotton tunic shirts

Footwear: Unlaced military boots in black or grey

Accessories: Neckerchiefs, dark sunglasses with a straight-cut built-up bridge

Alexis Mabille

For spring/summer 2012, Alexis Mabille unveiled a new collaboration with intimates label Hom. as models peeled off their clothes to reveal the goods. The apparel collection riffed on the perennial nautical story, with sailor stripes and chain motifs adding an on-trend touch with sporty influences.

The look: Sporty nautical

Silhouette: Athletic and top heavy

Key items: As part of the collaboration with Hom, Mabille offers a new range of underwear and swimwear, including briefs, short boxers and mankinis, as well as V-necked tees, striped socks, hooded dressing gowns in satin or waffle cotton, and jersey track pants tapered to a skinny ankle cuff. For the main collection bottomweights include slim-fitting cargo pants, some cuffed at the knee as long shorts, wide pleat-front shorts and straight-cut tailored pants; tops are sporty, with oversized sweatshirts, a zippered baseball jacket/track top hybrid, bibbed granddad tees or vests, and hooded shirts – some with drawstring waists; tailoring is largely slim-fitting comprising 1SB jackets and those straight-leg pants, while outerwear highlights offered a belted mac and trench coat, and a grey marl jersey pea coat with striped revers and low-placed DB buttons

Colour: Grey, black, white and navy

Fabric & knit: Jersey - bonded, cotton, silk, Lycra stretch; grey chambray, linen, cotton, gingham, checked shirting cottons, satin, ciré, waffle cotton

Print & pattern: Typographical slogans, trompe l'oeil chain, Breton stripes in varying scale and placements

Details & trims: Contrast revers, white shirt collars and cuffs, bib-fronts, striped edging trims, cargo pockets, V-necks, drawstrings, feature stitching at the knee, low placement DB buttoning, hoods

Footwear: Jute trimmed canvas espadrilles

Accessories: Bandana scarves worn around the wrist, large link chain bracelets; across-body chain-strapped mini bags, canvas shoppers with knotted rope handles; animal print belts

Dries Van Noten

Other designers may be touting rock 'n' roll looks or carefree resort dressing for spring/summer 2012, but Dries Van Noten was preoccupied with the funtionality of outdoor clothing for next season – specifically waterproof clothing for men who spend their time hunting, shooting and fishing.

The look: Protective

Silhouette: Covered-up and functional tempered with lean tailoring

Key items: Outerwear is the focus of this collection, with variations on a theme for functional parkas, anoraks and zipped-through cabans all worked with a multitude of pocket details, contrast bound trims, drawstrings and funnel necklines. Layering is another key theme, with wide-legged shorts worked over straight-cut pants or leggings, crisp white shirt tails peeping from the hemlines of parkas or tailored jackets. Tailoring is slick and lean worked in sheened fabrications with 6DB jackets and low-slung pleat front tapered pants, while easy tunic knits come in dry-handle textured yarns and a profusion of stripes add a touch of pattern play for casual shirts and pants 

Colour: A palette of intense summer darks confirm midnight blue and deep aubergine as key colours for next summer, here offset with espresso and sand with vivid accents of industrial orange and chrome yellow

Fabric & knit: Technical nylons and coated fabrics are the order of the day contrasted with silks and fluid satins, crisp cottons or rustic linen-like textures, sometimes in one garment as in fabric-blocked ciré with linen effects. Knits add texture with dry-handle yarns in plains and stripes

Print & pattern: Stripes worked as panel details or as all-overs

Adam Kimmel

Adam Kimmel’s spring/summer collection may not have been groundbreaking in terms of setting trends or defining conceptual new aesthetics, but where this designer scores is that he produces clothes men will actually want to wear.

The look: Rugged and sporty

Silhouette: Lean but fluid casual/formal layers

Key items: Sporty outerwear is always a strong look from this designer and for summer 2012, parkas, a waxed cotton caban and rugged blousons come layered over simple zipped-through jackets and tops, to team with boyish knee-length shorts or slouchy zipped hem pleat-front pants. Zips are a recurring theme, trimming leather colour-blocked Harringtons, splicing the neck of a striped polo top or tracing the front of an easy all-in-one, while sheened suitings bring a slick look to SB tailoring. Half-sleeved resort shirts provide the blank canvas for overdyed florals or a micro skateboarder print,  soft fine-gauge knits come with the playful contrast of coloured welt trims, while a basic T-shirt gets a fashion makeover with a rainbow-coloured psychedelic logo

Colour: Black, midnight, espresso, mole, taupe and bone white with old gold and poppy highlights

Fabric  & knit: Waxed cotton, nylon, leather, drill, silky shantung effects, two-tone mohair suitings, melanged fine-gauge knits, jersey, washed linen and cotton.

Print & pattern: A grid-like pattern on dark grounds, fleck-like all-over motifs in black and white with a micro skateboarder motif, overdyed floral

Details & trims: White exposed zips, contrast welts, contrast hoods

Footwear: Work boots, simple canvas slip-on deck shoes

Accessories: Mirrored eyewear, colourful printed scarves

Posted in: Adam Kimmel,Alexis Mabille,Dries Van Noten,Issey Miyake,Jean Paul Gaultier,Louis Vuitton,menswear,Paris Fashion Week,Rick Owens,S/S 12,Viktor and Rolf,Yohji Yamamoto