The notion of wardrobe androgyny was the fitting theme of Yves Saint-Laurent’s (YSL) men’s collection, the house that kicked off the just-ended Paris men’s shows where men’s fashion won a feminine touch.
At YSL, designer Stefano Pilati used quotations from Plato to explain why he combined female detailing with a masculine silhouette.
“The original human nature was not like the present … the sexes were not two as they are now.”
Pilati underscored the union of genders with a line for men made in fabrics normally worn by women — crepe de chine, organza, shantung and silk voile, all fabrics which float rather than fall.
In an era obsessed with global warming and sustainable development, the 44 spring/summer 2009 collections displayed at the four-day men’s fashion shows ending on Sunday featured light airy see-through linens, silks and soft feathery cottons.
Bright colors, more often the domain of women’s wear, also figured strong.
As Gay Pride marches took place across Europe, pink was popular in Paris.
Louis Vuitton, a house with a predominantly masculine view of the world, chose pink for shorts, pants and waistcoat, and even shoes.
A huge pink sail served as the backdrop for an otherwise frankly male take on fashion from Emmanuel Ungaro designer Franck Boclet, who said fuschia was simply one of the house’s signature colors.
“I wanted a gay fresh style,” Boclet said of what he considered “a Paris 60s look” of hip-hugging tight-thighed pants, checkered suits and the odd item in day-glo orange, bright blue or purple.
Making his menswear debut for Givenchy, the house women’s designer Ricardo Tisci too went for shocking pink, throwing out a suit with socks, shirt and shoes in pink in a gothic-cum-romantic collection mingling masculine and feminine — lace shirts over tattooed skin, kinky leather shorts worn with cropped leggings.
At the house of Lanvin, designer Lucas Ossendrijver won a standing ovation from fashionistas in Paris’ ethnological museum for light-looking, almost insubstantial suits that seemed crumpled all over.
At Dior, one of the most awaited shows, Belgian designer Kris Van Asche broke with the brand’s iconic black, splashing deep gold, cobalt blue, fuschia and day-glo orange, shown on a gravel runway running between a line of tall trees.
His masculine touch saw the return of the leg-hugging straight pants first designed by his style-setting predecessor Hedi Slimane, as well as harsh laser-slashing in shirts and jackets, and minimalist small collars and tiny lapels.
For his own collection, Kris Van Asche too went for feminine detailing, with suits made in the light cottons normally used for shirts.
Some of the smaller more outlandish designers went further in blurring gender codes in fashion.
A newcomer to the Paris scene, Japanese designer Tatsuro Horikawa and his Julius brand put his very-manly men in biker boots, aviator hats and adventurer-style pants, while adding almost dress-length tunics and see-through shirts.
His models strutted the catwalk with long shawls rolled around shoulders and veil-like shawls draped over their heads. See-through shirts showed a black band around the chest, almost like a woman’s bra.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
FLOOD RECOVERY: “Post-Typhoon Danas reconstruction special act” is expected to be approved on Thursday, the premier said, adding the flood control in affected areas would be prioritized About 200cm of rainfall fell in parts of southern Taiwan from Monday last week to 9am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District (桃源) saw total rainfall of 2,205mm, while Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) had 2,060.5mm and Tainan’s Nanhua District (南化) 1,833mm, according to CWA data. Meanwhile, Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County saw 1,688mm of accumulated rain and Yunlin County’s Caoling (草嶺) had 1,025mm. The Pingtung County Government said that 831 local residents have been pre-emptively evacuated from mountainous areas. A total of 576 are staying with relatives in low-lying areas, while the other 255 are in shelters. CWA forecaster
RSS