PARIS, Jul 2, 2006/ FW/ --- The invitation to Kris Van Assche’s show was intriguing – a postcard with a male model with his back turned and the words ‘Hello Girls.’ It was reminiscent of a scene in the1977 movie, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ when John Travolta was getting ready to go to the club. But, the reference to the 1970s ended there. In fact, the collection presented on the runway was inspired by the 1980s.

The show opened with a model in his underwear, as if he just stepped out of the postcard-like invitation! That simple moved demonstrated that though Kris Van Assche might be subtle, he is actually a great showman in the making.

What followed was a series of Bermuda shorts paired with body-hugging golf tees and elasticized gym shorts and pants, again paired with golf tees.

Van Assche’s big surprise this season is that he put girls on the runway, wearing men’s clothes, presenting his vision of androgyny and in a way, demonstrating that he can also delve into womenswear.

Always walking out with a male model, the girls usually wore an outfit that complemented the male get up – harem pants, vests and suit jackets with the sleeves rolled up.

Van Assche’s sartorial approach to sportswear was not lost on the audience, as details like straps closed by a button on belt hoops and top stitching on trouser pleats.

Suit jackets were cut with sloping shoulders, giving it softness and darts ended in a chevron, another detail. Lapels were given a tone-on-tone effect through cuts and changing the way the grain of the fabric was shown.

Since his debut in January 2005 during the Fall 2005 season, Kris Van Assche’s mastery of tailoring skills was never questioned. As his season passes, his sartorial skills keeps on getting better and better. In two years, the young Belgian graduated from a name to watch to an emerging force in the menswear scene.

Kris Van Assche

Kris Van Assche

Kris Van Assche

Kris Van Assche