Paris Menswear:
Old Rivalries, Fresh Escapes
Paris Menswear Show Spring 2004
By: Timothy Hagy
Photos by IndigitalTV
PARIS, Jul 4, 2003/ FW/ --- The Paris menswear shows have ended with lots of fresh ideas
presented on the runways.
This season offered a dash of escapism and lightness following as it did in the wake of war.
The one rivalry still going is the duel between luxury houses LVMH and Gucci. The back to back presentation on Monday between Dior and YSL left no doubt as to the fact that the bonfires are still burning.
The Dior show, complete with breathtaking lasers and a plethora of front row celebrities, exhibited Hedi Slimane's signature style to perfection. While there was not a lot of new ground broken this season, there were certainly numerous tweaked touches. Black crystal webs, ankle-high sneakers, and silk handkerchiefs are likely to be the hits. What is less clear is where Hedi may choose to take the label next.
By the time the Dior show had ended, YSL had chartered a fleet of limousines to shuttle guests to its late night show, followed by dinner. "Riche-Nouveau Riche" cried the French daily Liberation in summing up the 70s playboy mansion collection of white suits splattered with the vibrant colors of the Rivera. Hot reds, deep blues and luscious greens recaptured the palette of the original Saint Laurent, and wound up making this collection the most convincing one that Tom Ford has yet shown for the label. If it cried "MONEY", so be it, as that seems to be the theme the company wants to market.
Elsewhere, Helmut Lang stayed the course, though his signature deconstruction in black and white also started to pick up colorful dashes of electric blue, and even pastel shades of rose. Gaultier showed lots of androgynous creations, most of which were predictable, and all an accompaniment to the launch of his cosmetic line.
Marc Jacobs chose models that looked as if they had stepped out of an Iowa cornfield to don tuxes with rose boutonnières for their senior prom. A more wholesome look would be hard to imagine, though the breeziness of the collection came as a refreshing contrast to the heaviness of past global tensions.
At Hermès and Van Noten the colors were bright and dashing, at Lanvin they were distilled into delicate pastels.
Philippe Dubuc went for the surf with his turquoise trimming, while Antonio Miro brought in the straw colors of the Mexican landscape accented with emerald and goldenrod.
Raf Simmons, who once foreshadowed September 11 with a hard hitting urban warfare collection, turned to druids in the forest for his strange show of hooded robes extolling transcendental meditation and a circle of love. It was kind of strange, but who knows? Maybe he's on to something.
In the end, the season was punctuated by a sense of hopefulness. We've been through the worst, now let's all get on to some happier destination.
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