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Thierry Mugler Homme: Mugler's Arabian Nights
By: Karl Treacy
Photos by Gruber-FWD
Jul 7, 2002/ FWD/ --- The collection that new Thierry Mugler men's designer Jean-Luc Testu
sent out Monday marked a major image turnaround for the label.
Gone were the signature hard-edged looks; in their place was something softer and more fluid.
Layering was a big theme.
Out came muted, stone colored djellaba-style tunics with kidskin jackets and linen pants.
Other variants on the theme had multiple ill-advised trousers and jumpsuits in leather that
were elasticated at the ankle.
They were beautifully realized, but there was an overdependence on styles that were more
beachy than city-appropriate.
As seen on other runways, the shirt jacket made an appearance, here double-belted around the hips.
Testu's used linen for easy suits and for peasant pants with a wide stripe, and jersey knits were
slim without being tight.
But his use of leather and suede was exceptional.
Butter soft, raw edged jackets, gilets and jerkins will sell big.
Plaited kidskin suede sandals were cool, but beaten gold body jewelry was just gimmicky.
The Thierry Mugler brand is facing a conundrum: How do you reconcile a style like the
Mugler fetishistic signature look with a gentler vision like Testu's?
The show, while not great, was good.
It may not have been hugely commercial or thrilling, but it was a solid start.
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