Paris Fashion Week A/W 2011: Menswear Collections

Raf Simons

Raf Simons reworked existing items ‘that everyone knows’ like the duffle coat, parka, cable and multicolored jacquard knits, making them new and modern. He has long been obsessed by women's couture construction, so it’s no surprise that he managed to take these elements and translate them into completely masculine garments, like the Balenciaga-style shell-back coats, or horizontal darts on the front of trousers, and blazers that conceal pockets. Aprons and enameled closures referenced craftsmen and their ‘ability to create only with their hands’ and freshman sweatshirts harked back to Simons's own time at university. This was one of his strongest, most focused collections to date and showed not just the fact that he is a modernist master, but that his ability with colour (like combining camel with a flash of purple) is second to none.

fashion 21 Jan 2011