MANILA, Philippines - It was a departure from past seasons’ more minimalist, cleaner creations but no less fashion-worthy. Furs and fabrics looked like they were found in the closet of a very stylish Genghis Khan and his troops; the mix referenced all parts of the globe and created a singular collection. The fabrics were cut in the brand’s signature proportions that teeter on the line of just right and too much, with hems that end or go on where you wouldn’t have expected; the details — thin leather trim, an unexpected panel — added that feel of uniqueness. It was like couture for men.
Damir Doma
It was a departure from past seasons’ more minimalist, cleaner creations but no less fashion-worthy. Furs and fabrics looked like they were found in the closet of a very stylish Genghis Khan and his troops; the mix referenced all parts of the globe and created a singular collection. The fabrics were cut in the brand’s signature proportions that teeter on the line of just right and too much, with hems that end or go on where you wouldn’t have expected; the details — thin leather trim, an unexpected panel — added that feel of uniqueness. It was like couture for men.
The collection looked slightly more grown up than previous’ seasons. For one, models’ makeup emphasized their cheekbones and gave them a tough square-jawed look. For another, colors were mostly dark; there were no bright blues and greens (of two seasons ago) nor faded rusts and fades mauves (of last season). Proportions remained cropped and thinner on the bottom but fabrics were harder than previous seasons; there was little room for slightly soft bounces and hangs. This collection emphasized sharp tailored shoulders. Each season Acne gives its audience a new and wonderful surprise.
Jean Paul Gaultier
The feeling of frolic was in the air. This playful atmosphere, hinting at raunchiness, was made apparent through the clothes: tops and pants with prints of bricks (topped with a camel coat), maroon corduroys styled with a fold at the bottom to expose its striped lining, pants with buttons going up where the side seam should be, a suit made of burnt velvet, tattoo-printed shirts. And then there were the hats: fedoras, which, due to Hollywood, are often associated with gangsters, or detectives. Matched with a long, shiny orange ‘‘dress,’’ however, the look was almost comic — entertaining — and with a gray wool skirt, not very macho, nor gangster-ish. That was, in any case, beside the point: the brand is not made for the truly conventional, what with the boys stripping on the ramp above and a chesty ‘‘macho’’ type showing off his pectorals.
Maison Martin Margiela
Garbage bags recycled into jackets were one of the looks in the Margiela show. Were we to take this literally? If we were to look at the brand’s other lines and what it has done in the past, then yes. But this is not to say that one should overlook the other qualities that have made Maison Martin Margiela a global name — not just the off-kilter details that by standards of other men’s ready-to-wear collections would be deemed bizaare, like its hair wig coats of the past, the tabi popularized, and so forth. There is still that quiet luxury we’ve come to expect, something that does not want to be very popular but inevitably makes it so, a kind of comforting, enveloping feeling of seemingly understated clothing with a DNA of being one-of-a-kind, that only you know when you wear it is part of some larger concept that seems invented just for you. This season, it’s in the faux fur and leather.
Songzio
The Korean designer has been showing in Paris since 2007 and holds the title as one of Korea’s best-known designers. His show had definite Asian influences: Mandarin collars, finished jackets and coats. Loose flowing robes were reminiscent of Eastern-influenced robes; the color purple added a royal touch to the collection. But what one saw in the end was loose, comfortable-looking pieces.
Rynshu
Masatomo Yamaji is a Japanese fashion designer who shows in Paris under the brand name Rynshu. The brand’s ethic is inspired by several things Japanese that we have come to know through history: samurai, emperors, shoguns. For the autumn-winter 2012/2013, these inspirations were offered in a mix of looks that, according to the brand’s website, aim to be modern and elegant. Black and white stripes, and gold ensembles, dominated the runway.
Paul Smith
The fluorescent accents might have been meant to represent a buoy in this show, which was supposed to be inspired by sailing and the sea. The looks were fairly straightforward, awash in sea greens and navys. One might have expected more protective gear-diffused wear or other things that remind us of the ocean. There were sea-inspired prints on sweaters and one of a lobster, at least, gave us more of the promised context.
Juun J
These could only be characters in a movie with superheroes and villains. The padded jackets with rounded shoulders hinted at spies, detectives and drama in a futuristic world (or some other planet, depending on how you looked at things). Black and brown jackets with patches of leather could have been made for protectors or guardians of some evil (and stylish) empire. There was a print of a new human breed, perhaps a deity of some sort, or an alien, on the sweaters. Even the cable knitted gray and ivory turtlenecks, in the context of the show, could have been part of this movie costume wardrobe. Just about every jacket in the show would look fashionable with a pair of jeans, and every pair of pants with a simple T.