Sassy shades
A far cry from the last series of men's fall shows, where runways were swamped with dark, austere looks, this season saw splashes of vibrant hues among fall's sombre shades.
Infusing loud colour into workday essentials, English menswear maverick Paul Smith's peacock-blue suit, purple sweaters and fuchsia skinny ties clash kooky London gent and rebellious rocker with aplomb.
French label Agnes b. stuck to what it does best - its rocker-meets-nomad look in a riot of colour. This season, the house opted for bold red tartan prints and outerwear in emerald, mustard and crimson.
Even classic Italian luxury houses Bottega Veneta and Emporio Armani, which usually go for muted neutral hues, flaunted bold tones for a change.
The former featured crimson and purple double-breasted blazers, alongside tie-dyed tops in emerald green and blue, while the latter brightened things up with lime green jackets and a cobalt blazer with matching leather gloves.
 |
Play on pants
Here's the skinny on skinny pants: They will not be around much longer. Pants of different shapes are starting to make strides.
Longjohns came out from undercover on shows from Dolce & Gabbana, Louis Vuitton and English label Alfred Dunhill.
Comfort is also a renewed priority: Croatia's Damir Doma wowed with gathered peasant-style trousers, while French houses Lanvin and Yves Saint Laurent opted for drop-crotch harem pants.
Love them or hate them, made-for-men leggings - known in fashion fusion-confusion as meggings (men and leggings) - also surfaced at Givenchy and Dries Van Noten.
Making their second strong appearance since the men's shows in spring/summer 2009, cropped pants crept up above the ankle, either showing socks or tucked into boots and high-cut sneakers.
Dolce & Gabbana threw black-tie convention out of the window by pairing tuxedos with high-top sneakers, while Italian pattern house Etro opted for cropped jogging pants.
 |
On guard
Attention, all you NSmen. You will be doing combat duty even when you are not in camp. Well, those are the orders from fashion designers, anyway.
Luckily for even the most sartorially challenged of Singapore's male brigade, everything military is in for fall/winter 2010. Think combat boots, camouflage prints and chunky outerwear.
Models for Burberry Prorsum marched out in hefty double-breasted wool overcoats and brown-leather shearling coats.
Prada's battle plan was in its prints, with peacoats featuring pink, grey and white camouflage and fabric tote bags donning orange versions of the military print.
British designer Alexander McQueen was his usual subversive self, successfully treading a minefield of skull-printed suits, leather coats and face masks.
Italian designer Roberto Cavalli moved away from his usual animal prints and Euro-playboy looks by meshing punk and military themes with rugged combat boots, wool buffalo plaid shirts and parkas with fur collars. Think Russian Front.
 |
Smooth operator
When they were not saluting the parade ground, designers were opting for relaxed chic with warm fabrics such as cashmere, suede and velvet in fluid cuts.
French label Agnes b. showed generously cut shirts and elongated scarves layered with plush suede jackets in burgundy and royal purple.
Toning down Gucci's signature brand of wilful luxury, designer Frida Giannini favoured camel-hair and velvet jackets, turtleneck sweaters, suede elbow patches and straight-cut trousers for fall.
Italian icon Giorgio Armani took inspiration from the 1940s with berets and military boots, which gave an edge to soft jackets crafted from cashmere, suede and velvet.
Hermes featured the best of this edgy-soft balance - suits were cut tighter and jazzed up with belt chains and skinny belts, while soft silk scarves and suede coats recalled a cool, classic style.
 |
Greying population
You've had black. You've had white. Now, the new black is grey.
Perhaps it was the sheer industrial strength of Miuccia Prada's all-grey spring/summer 2010 collection that inspired this key fall trend.
Whatever it was, grey suits are the dress code dujour.
Louis Vuitton's version was resolutely utilitarian, with tough tweeds, fuss-free wool trousers and military boots paving the way .
Ermenegildo Zegna is out to prove that the classic Zegna man and the Z Zegna (Ermenegildo Zegna's younger line) dude are not that different. While both collections showed grey wool suits, the younger line eschewed conventions with frayed seams and snug fits.
Even pattern house Kenzo toned down on the prints for sensible grey jackets. It went instead for coloured leather gloves, leopard prints and denim fabrics to inject a touch of youth into all that distinguished grey.
This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.
