It’s been interesting to watch how men have become much more relaxed about putting themselves together. There’s still the three-piece suit and tie in some office wear, but for the most part, much of the stereotypical details of getting dressed have changed for men. Remember how your father use to dress back in the day. It all seemed to be so straight laced. Well today, men are wearing jeans, more khakis and shorts instead of dress pants. Knit sweaters often replace jackets, although some restaurants prefer men wear a jacket. On the street, sporty yet functional outerwear is seen instead of overcoats. Many old-fashioned wardrobe choices for men are still in style. A lot depends on your lifestyle. It’s just nice to see men wearing brighter ties, colorful shirts and smart-looking T-shirts, and showing a new attitude toward clothes.
At the final day of Paris Fashion Week, Lanvin’s spring/summer ’19 menswear collection, presented at the Palais de Tokyo, was superb. Exhibiting modern luxury, the line was called Hypebeast. The designer found the solution to bridging the fashion gap between formal and casual. Lanvin, a French brand, executed an elegant show. Their clothes displayed all of the new trends for spring, including vibrant colors, stylish fashion picks and lots of noticeable details. Although there were street styles, the clothes were very luxurious. “It’s not just about streetwear or not streetwear,” stated Lucus Ossendrijver, former creative director of Lanvin, who just left the company in November. “To me, it’s about finding a new kind of elegance, a new kind of sophistication and a new kind of language.” For this collection, he used polarities between night and day, soft and hard. In the show, fabrics and colors overlapped. There were pockets, satin-like evening pajamas and Cuban-collared shirts. The collection defined menswear and explored the old and new ways men dress today. As a designer, Ossendrijver likes space and blending things.
Here are some of the new styling details offered in the show. In colors, there were bright, Day-Glo hues. For work, dress pants that were creased were worn with sporty, high-top sneakers. Short patterned socks peaked out the top of short, laced boots. Just like you see women wearing tight pant legs that fit with the short boot, Lanvin showed the same look in the show. There was lots of color-on-color plays, for instance, a light purple suit jacket topping a bright red vest over purple, funnel-neck top and matching color trousers. Bermuda shorts are back for men. The over coat was sportier, but could be dressed up with a suit, shirt and tie. Caps were worn to the side and turned down. Suits included Mandarin color jacket hanging below the hip over matching pants. Lanvin’s looks stemmed from the 1980s. There was a large variety of bags for men in this collection. Men are also carrying bags in the hand, as well as on the shoulder and back. Shoulder bags are now being worn under the coat or jacket. You can see the straps crossing, adding another dimension to the look. Other designers followed suit with this type of attention to detail. The Commes des Garcons show played with the suit. Their fashion director, Luke Day, showed extra-short shorts.