Dior travels back in time for couture menswear
Designer Van Assche uses references to 1990s tattoo culture in prints and gothic silver jewellery alongside suit variations on the Bar Jacket from the famed 1947 collection
Designer Kris Van Assche travelled back in a fashion time machine on Saturday while Robert Pattinson explained the importance of clothes in acting roles as he attended Dior Homme’s Paris menswear show.
It was an ambitious fusion of two periods for Dior Homme: a sartorial homage to the past that twinned what the house called the “reckless abandon” of youth with the couture of the Monsieur Dior’s New Look.
Designer Van Assche used references to 1990s tattoo culture in prints and gothic silver jewellery alongside suit variations on the Bar Jacket from the famed 1947 collection that transformed Western fashion.
The two-periods theme in the 49 suit-heavy looks was also evident in the ages of the models, who were either very young, or older than 40.
The first styles, accessorised with silk neck scarves, featured some beautifully refined single- and double-breasted suits with narrow waists that curved out in a slight peplum-shape. Suits are the bread-and-butter of the house.
A flash of bright red across a striped T-shirt, meanwhile, turned the dial to the ’90s with the appearance of a spiked tattoo motif on the shirt undergarment. Continuing that vibe were the baggy jeans, woolly tank tops and sneakers, which were worn by models with messy hair.
It was an intentionally split aesthetic — and featured some very strong individual pieces.
Yet, the overall result was sometimes incongruous.