Paris Fashion Week A/W 2012: menswear collections

3.1 Phillip Lim

New York-based designer Phillip Lim chose Paris for his first menswear runway show. He labelled it 'White Noise', which, as he elaborated on after the show, was all about removing the background noise from colour and surroundings. His ‘balanced visual symphony’, which took inspiration from counter-cultures such as skinheads and punks, as well as the more traditional elements of gents' dressing, resulted in details such as houndstooth prints being blown up and pixilated to resemble camouflage. Meanwhile, monk-strap shoes lost their buckles and gained zips, and latex was fashioned into sheer raincoats. As a nod to the parka, coats came with inner drawstrings, whilst slip-knot belts and high-waisted trousers finished off the looks