Latest news in men's fashion from Paris 
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080630/tts-lifestyle-fashion-men-france-509a08e.html
PARIS (AFP) - - The notion of wardrobe androgyny was
the fitting theme of Yves Saint-Laurent's men's collection, the
house that kicked off the just-ended Paris men's shows where men's
fashion won a feminine touch.
"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 Sunday featured light airy see-through linens, silks and soft
feathery cottons.
Bright colours, 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
colours.
"I wanted a gay fresh
style," Boclet said of what he told AFP was "a Paris 60s
look" of hip-hugging tight-thighed pants, chequered 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 hundreds of fashionistas in Paris'
ethnological museum for light-looking, almost insubstantial suits
that seemed crumpled all over.
At Dior, one of the most breathlessly-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 epynomous 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 women's bra.
Gaspard Yurkievich, a favourite with the trendy Paris set, said
he aimed "to reintegrate feminine elements in the male wardrobe."
The result was a bouffant tunic worn over trousers and short
jackets with lots of trim that resembled that womens-wear classic,
the little Chanel suit.
Most ultra-daring were Romain Kremer with men in long transparent dresses in fluorescent
shades, and Bernhard Willhelm with an unwearable medieval-style
collection featuring long-haired men in tiaras and multi-coloured
bloomers.
John Galliano, in typically provocative vein, offered
kilts worn over bright
leggings, another staple of the Paris shows.
Paris men's fashion saw fewer adolescent, waif-like androgynous
types strutting the catwalks, with big names such as Louis Vuitton,
Dior and Jean Paul Gaultier opting for models who looked like grown
men of at least 20.
And taking a stand against society's anti-ageism streak, Japan's
Yohji Yamamoto and Belgium's Ann Demeulemeester chose to show men
could grow old gracefully, throwing well over 60-somethings on the
catwalks.
