"I also wanted to pay homage to Mr Dior who in his time called clients into the salon to do exactly this, to look at the models from close-up," he said. Van Assche replaces Hedi Slimane, a French designer who revolutionised the house's fashion for men with his slim silhouette, high collars and narrow black suits much favoured by veteran rock stars David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Two other designers also unveiled their maiden collections -- one for Cerruti and the other for Smalto.
Smalto's Korean-born designer Youn Chong Bak showed off an earthy but discreet palette with the shades wavering between white, beige, oatmeal, sand and grey and of course the quintessential black. Innovations abounded with deep U-fronted waistcoats with ultra-short backs and flappy sides. One waistcoat was minimalist with merely a suspender for a back and buttoned down on both sides at the front.
There were lapels added to shawl collars. A bomber jacket ensued, followed by razor sharp trench coats, the sheerest shirts in pastel shades and an exquisite chemise dotted with a delicate butterscotch butterfly-like motif. Models present creations for Dior She reinvented the Smalto shoulder, making it straighter and covering it with a seamless fabric yoke or satin over smocking.
But the piece de resistance which ended the show was a tapered dinner jacket with razor-thin lapels and upturned collar. Nicolas Andreas Taralis' line for Cerruti mixed Sherlock Holmesian caped coats with skintight trousers, see-through black shirts accessorised with short cloaks and a black jacket with grunge allure, resembling a crushed plastic bag. Taralis adorned his trousers with broad black fabric belts reminiscent of ultra-large cummerbunds and used Twiggy look alike women models to show off the pencil-thin contours of his suits -- reminiscent of Slimane's work -- perhaps to make the point that the offerings were unisex.
The hectic Paris fashion run opened with iconoclastic designers Jean Paul Gaultier and John Galliano in combat mode bringing military flair to the five-day event. Gaultier paid tribute to the Beatles' legendary "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," celebrating its 40th birthday this year, while Galliano's rough and ready soldiers of fortune meantime donned beige military pants over camouflage-covered blousons. "I also wanted to pay homage to Mr Dior who in his time called clients into the salon to do exactly this, to look at the models from close-up," he said.
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