Byblos: Homage to Frank Sinatra
By Michelle Taylor
Photos by Giovanni Pucci

MILAN, Jan 19, 2004/ FW/ --- You can never go wrong with Frank Sinatra, and the trio that is at the front of the Byblos design team honed into the contemporary legend, along with film noir to create its menswear 2004/05 collection which was presented in Milan last Wednesday.

New romantic looks paced the oil-like slick catwalk, with Frank in the background.

Sportive elements such as roomy pants, zips, visible seams and pockets are added to the functional lines and reversibility.

The male silhouette is structured and at times minimal. Shoulder pads on jackets allude to control and importance, as do high collars, while fur lined coats are luxurious despite their sportive cuts.

Shapes are contoured as the eye follows piping along the upper body and eventually moving to buttons along pant pockets and down the leg. Knitwear is large and full of volume or kept close to the body.

Decisive horizontal quilting and stitching suggests sports like fencing as a favourite pastime for the Byblos man.

Accessorised only with studded bags (apart form the thin flat ties), the long handles are placed across the body, in a 1980’s aggressive punk touch.

He wears boots of leather with decorative straps.

Fabrics are combined and sewn together creating new looks and lines, from leather to wool and cotton.

The palette is kept predominantly black but allows flashed of red and white in the gothic meets 2004.

Layering is stylish and the collection full of nice surprises, night or day, the modern Byblos man is slick and often two faced, able to wear black leather pants as well as clean up, smell good and put on a tailored suit, while always feeling at ease with himself and his surroundings.

Byblos

Byblos

Byblos

Byblos