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10 | TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2011 INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

MEN’S FASHION special report

Hats off to easy elegance

HATS, FROM PAGE 9
figures, these men showed off tailoring
in bold checks; various cross-dressing
items, like puff-sleeved blouses and
flipped-up skirts — and a smattering of
impeccably cut morning dress jackets,
reinforcing a fashion for tails.
The Italian designer Giambattista Valli in his store near the Madeleine, a Paris landmark.
too literal.
But the theme that danced through
the menswear collection had some
powerful moments: the swish of Rus-
sian greatcoats; the chic severity of the
ballet maestro in top hat and black coat;
the nervy elegance of dancers lapped in
bright silk; and especially Rudolf
Nureyev as fashion muse. Mr. Galliano’s
interpretation of the renegade dancer
and his narrow 1970s silhouette caught
the spirit of this menswear moment.
KEEN AS MUSTARD
The globe that glowed on a backdrop
screen was perhaps a message that PAUL
SMITH had gone global. In fact, the
silvered surfaces of puffa parkas and
the chunky bags suggested a journey in-
to space. Yet the True Brit designer is
fixed in place: England with an edge to
its tradition.
By cutting all references to King and
Country in favor of an indeterminate
street style, Mr. Smith lost the cheeky el-
egance of his Brit cool. The result was
clothes that were perfectly wearable. Yet
tan leather jackets and what looked like
a digitalized animal print did not make
the usual Paul Smith impact. A mustard
duffle coat was the best of the bunch.
YOUTH WEAVER
The New York designer Philip Lim chose
the Paris Mint to show his 3.1 PHILIP LIM
collection. And there was a sense of
newly minted elegance to the slip-on
tops that the designer compared to ‘‘car
covers’’; and to what he called ‘‘sartorial
idiosyncrasies.’’ They included hook-
and-eye fastenings, zippered vests,
space-dyed, head-to-toe jersey and sleek
shoes from Japan. It all answered the
question posed by Mr. Lim: ‘‘How do
you make elegance youthful?’’

Giambattista Valli:
Rocking the baroque
PARIS The historic arched arcade is
pretty and quaint. You could imagine a
Parisian crinolined lady with her para-
sol walking the blue and white tiled
floor.
But last weekend, you were more
likely to see Reese Witherspoon’s red-
soled Louboutins clicking along the pas-
sage, past windows shielded with
blown-up photographs, as she dropped
into Giambattista Valli’s new store at 30
Rue Boissy d’Anglas, near the
Madeleine.
‘‘It’s a private place, secret — and I
chose it for this quality: Curiosity is my
muse,’’ says the designer, who has built
a following within the glamorous Euro-
pean set since he moved to Paris from
his native Italy, setting up his fashion la-
bel almost eight years ago.
The flowering from his Roman roots
can be seen in this 140-square-meter, or
1,500-square-foot, boutique, with its
stone pillars and tiny garden sprouting
with olive trees. The eclectic mix that
rocks the baroque includes benches
with crocodile skins stretched like lazy
lizards and Venetian chairs with jewels
embroidered on the seats — as if a wom-
an ‘‘was changing and left her jewelry
and the eclectic mix: original sketches
by Yves Saint Laurent, the designer’s
hero; a perfume combo with Cire Trud-
on producing the French rose and
Tuscan black pepper candles. Every-
THOM BROWNE VALENTINO
MATERIAL MAN
The translation of the VALENTINO men’s
image from Roman gentleman to mod-
ern elegance has been subtly achieved
by its current designer duo. Using utilit-
arian or techno fabrics, like mackintosh
waterproofs, cashmere compacted with
thermal material and leather bonded
with flannel, the streamlined collection
keeps its revolution inside the peacoats,
bomber jackets and car coats.
Luxury is also internal and personal
for Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo
Piccioli, who used fur as a coat lining
and cashmere as a soft green sweater
veiling the torso. The result? A credible
makeover for the brand Valentino.
RUDOLF NUREYEV
The translation of ‘‘Diaghilev and the
Golden Age of the Ballets Russes’’ from
Victoria & Albert Museum in London to
JOHN GALLIANO’s catwalk may have been
JOHN ANN
G ALLIANO DEMEULEMEESTER
ROMANTIC POET
In taking the 18th-century British poet
William Blake as her muse, ANN DE-
MEULEMEESTER enriched the color and
texture of her work and produced a
heartfelt collection.
Without ever resorting to costume,
the designer introduced her own ro-
mantic poetry: horsehair capping
heads, bold gauntlets, vests buttoned
high against bare skin, cutaway jackets,
white snowflakes dotting tailoring. All
this was developed in the context of the
designer’s signature slim silhouette to
make a beautiful and emotionally
charged collection. And as the front-row
guest Patti Smith put it: ‘‘It’s poetry you
can wear.’’
MAISON
PAUL MARTIN
SMITH MARGIELA
BLANKET COVERAGE
Fashion has been there before: The
backstage revealed to the audience,
capturing the rush and drama that is
normally hidden behind the runway.
For the MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA, that
was the only energy engendered — give
or take a blanket puffa coat — in a col-
lection that had fine tailoring for coats
and suits. Even long, lank hippie hair on
some of the models did not convince
that this was a collection flowing out-
side the mainstream.
3.1 PHILIP CHRISTIAN
LIM L ACROIX
ARTY INSIDES
In the confusion of a designer leaving a
brand, the CHRISTIAN LACROIX name is at-
tached both to his own theater projects
— and to the Maison Christian Lacroix.
It is to the credit of Sacha Walckhoff,
who worked at the couture house for 18
years, that his interpretation of Lacroix
menswear was both respectful and joy-
ous. The secret was to keep most of the
references — symbols of the Camargue
region, Old World theater programs or
even a lipstick kiss — on the silken in-
side of a jacket.
Mr. Walckhoff added some ideas of his
own, like shirts with fake pull-up
sleeves, from blue collar workers of the
past to Internet browsers of today.
Checks, plaids, knits and lush velvet
jackets will all people the store that is to
be reopened this year on Paris’s Left
Bank. SUZY MENKES

From Land’s End to John O’Groats

on a chair,’’ says Mr. Valli, referring to
the lush, pearl-encrusted creations of
Luigi Scialanga, who is also the store’s
architect. The tension is between the
modernist gray concrete floor and a
ceiling that looks like an ancient Italian
palazzo, minus the frescoes.
‘‘Modernity and decadence,’’ says the
designer, although this does not apply to
the clothes, which are fresh, pretty and
womanly, with the current spring col-
lection tinted with pink in contrast to his
signature black cocktail dresses. A scat-
tering of his earlier designs gives a light
touch of heritage. Prices start around
¤1,500, or $2,045.
Accessories include covetable ani-
mal-print shoes and bags both pretty
and practical. A collaboration with
Longchamp has turned that label’s air-
port-friendly nylon folding bags into a
luxurious leather version, and the com-
binations of lush velvets in Roberta di
Camerino’s bags are also being recon-
figured for the store.
Making the shop personal, but not
egotistical, is Mr. Valli’s mission, which
explains both the fashion collaborations
thing — including the shop furniture —
can be ordered on request.
Mr. Valli’s attitude to dressing women
is that an outfit has to have a balance
split evenly between the designer’s in- PARIS The boys of Britain have shaped up to be Shrunken British schoolboy jackets that finished
spiration and the customer’s personal this menswear season’s location inspiration. We in a cape lapping down one side of the body; well-
style. have seen shows with everything from punky worn knit shorts, unraveling at the hem; and cot-
That vision comes together in the cou- London street kids to red-coated military men, not ton jersey blazers worn twisted about the body
ture salon above the store, dedicated to to mention the plethora of tartan check. gave the impression of cherished clothing that had
private clients, where Ms. Witherspoon At KENZO, the designer Antonio Marras took the been perfectly worn in.
could order the wedding dress of her trend and made it completely his own. Motivated by The experimental designer also came up with
dreams. English detective novels, Mr. Marras expanded the thick cable-knit pieces that seamlessly melded the
Isn’t Mr. Valli, as a classic dress- idea of British style to include inspiration from all real thing with something Mr. Yasuhiro called
maker with a quirky spirit and a busi- over the island. Sending out bowler-hatted models ‘‘photo-jacquard’’ — a matching print that was
ness built with no outside investment, in suits of head-to-toe check or rugged outerwear in bonded onto the clothes. The final result was a col-
just the fresh and free spirit that Paris earthy tones that, layered with geometric knit vests, lection rich with expertly executed ideas.
haute couture never had? looked hardy enough to take on the highland hills. DAMIR DOMA’s all black-and-white collection was
‘‘Haute couture today is used to sup- The designer also gave the kilt a modern update, built from the ground up. According to the designer,
port an image — it’s not what it used to cut to cover just one leg and worn over high- the thick-heeled shoes worn on the catwalk were a
be when I worked with Roberto Capucci waisted pants. And it is a testament to Mr. Mar- stand for clothing could perch on, like a sculpture.
and Emanuel Ungaro, when there were ras’s talent that even a pair of knee-length school- From that pedestal grew baggy pants and over-
wonderful women coming to be dressed boy pants looked like a viable sartorial alternative. size tops that used texture — quilted jackets,
for daytime,’’ says Mr. Valli, whose Inspired by Oscar Wilde, the Japanese designer nubby sleeveless knit sweaters — and a mix of
store is a chic monument to bringing the MIHARA YASUHIRO’s signature collection was a beau- matte and shine finishes to give the clothing depth.
personal touch back in a world of corpo- tiful thing to behold. As music played live by Hir- Showing more form-fitting clothes than in past
rate luxury. SUZY MENKES omi Uehara, Mr. Yasuhiro’s world-famous jazz pi- shows, Mr. Doma was still able to convey his co-
MIHARA
anist wife, washed over the audience, the designer cooning aesthetic without overwhelming the wear-
KENZO YA SUHIRO DAMIR DOMA
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS MOORE/KARL PROUSE sent out relaxed and romantic creations. er. JESSICA MICHAULT