Fashion Blog

Day 1: Diary of Paris Menswear Spring / Summer 2009

‘Every Length but Full Length for Gaspard Yurkievich and Julius

PARIS, Jun 26, 2008 / FW/ — Feminine touches on men’s clothing seem to be the order of the day as France’s Gaspard Yurkievich revisited the 1920s while Japan’s Julius was inspired by ‘The Possessed.’ Two very different approaches on the subject matter, yet with similarities in terms of treatment, Gaspard Yurkievich and Julius made fashionistas think during the first day of the Paris Menswear season.

Gaspard Yurkievich

Inside La Maison des Métallos Gaspard Yurkievich’s show started with a whispering choir of women, who eventually livened into a song we could title “Shake What Your Momma Gave You.” The collection was reminiscent of the 1920s, but the twists such as rounded shoulders, slim pleating, and hardly any pants longer than shin-length added an obvious femininity to the suiting. Another feminine touch was the metallic, chain link headband each model wore over their stringy, straight hair.

The color palette included mostly two-toned black and beige, sea foam green and deep-sea blue, or khaki and peach combinations. Each pair of colors in the suits was contrasted in a way that created borders, as if each color was holding the other one inside the lines. The two-toned look also created the effect of faux layering, a trend seen in many of today’s shows.

Another notable influence in Gaspard’s designs was the “Roman Soldier”. Illustrated by voluminous silhouettes in the form of jackets and tunics over slim pants ending with feet covered in toe-less, metallic tube socks.

His signature “Y” could be found strategically placed on the cuff or shoulder blade of jackets and knit shirts. He also introduced a few metallic, woven suits, which were perhaps illustrative of Roman soldier’s armor.

Gaspard’s idea of being reminiscent of the past in a way that is optimistic towards the future was evident in his spring/summer 2009 collection.

Gaspard Yurkievich

Julius

Julius

This Japanese designer created an edgy show that was based around the idea of “The Possessed.” His models lifelessly sauntered down a dark runway, each in a different combination of black mesh, black leather, or black jersey.

Here too with Julius we saw some feminine inspirations in the bandeau top worn under the mesh pieces by the men, as well as in the cropped pants lengths. Each model wore either a black hood or aviator-like leather cap, leaving room for slits of eyes and bony cheeks to peer out. The droning, gothic music, raw-looking leather, cargo bottoms, and hoodies created a dark, edgy collection best aimed at the young, rebellious crowd.