Paris Menswear Autumn/Winter 2008

Junya Watanabe Man
Junya Watanabe is a pioneer of double-branded special edition collaborations, and his much-mimicked approach was again at the forefront this season. In fact, Watanabe has fashioned near enough his entire winter collection through re-appropriating and restyling, often focusing on classic pieces – and since the wheel of menswear doesn’t get reinvented that often, we don’t blame him.

His collaboration with Levis Strauss saw restyled jeans and chinos, often completely remade with tailored cloth on the front and denim at the back.

With Brooks Brothers, Watanabe played with their iconic blue Oxford cloth shirts as well as blazers and suits from the Tony labels archive. The tailoring was deconstructed and sewn back together again with three rows of tough top-stitching usually seen on jeans. Puffa jackets came courtesy of Moncler and Donkey jackets from Gloverall - the British coat maker. The looks were convincing, and although mainly tailored, retained a casual ease that men will appreciate. Wallpaper* loved it. A lot.

Images: Catwalking.com