Dries Van Noten Menswear Fall 2008: Chic Sorrow

PARIS, Jan 20, 2008 / FR / --- Inside a Paris convent, the floor had entirely been covered with grey carpet, before the catwalk underneath revealed a classic wooden floor with chevrons… only each herringbone was made of natural brown scotch tape.

The setting was symbolic of the main aspect of the collection. Classicism is revisited in the menswear collection by Dries Van Noten, but far from contenting himself with adapting it for today, the designer makes it unconventional, and strikes a right balance between innovative and wearable.

Add to the dramatic setting of a high ceiling and gothic windows of the late middle-ages, the classic piano music and you get the idea: although their pathos might be heavy to experiment, the Dries Van Noten man is still trying to live with it elegantly.

The unconventional aspect lies above all in the styling of the looks, each individual piece being of the best classicism. A tuxedo jacket is worn over a white shirt and black tight pants printed with bright colours. A black velvet jacket is paired with night blue pinstriped woollen pants and a jumper of horizontal black and blue horizontal stripes. Velvet pants of flashy purple are associated with a black double-breasted jacket, matching shirt and knitted scarf.

Among the design innovations, the tight pants cropped at the ankle which seem like a leitmotiv in this season are also found in the collection, just like tartan check, used here on above-the-knee light coats as if to add a touch of fantasy on a stern silhouette.

This where the elegance lies for next season in looks by Dries Van Noten: you might be downhearted, or even depressed about the ways of the world, conscious about many an issue affecting seriously the planet, economy or the evolution of society in general, you still can dress up with a touch of polite humour, in pieces which are perfectly tailored, as also seemed to indicate the splash of colour which had been applied on the model’s hair, just at the parting.

The collection should be a hit among the rich Boho crowds, as it is certainly delivering its message: live your emotions with style!