Fashion Blog

PARIS, Jun 28, 2008 / FW/ — Opting for a parking lot full of white cars (or was it really a garage or showroom?) as a venue was a very controversial choice especially with the high price of gasoline foremost in almost everyone’s mind. But, perhaps, that is the whole point!

Dries Van Noten is a poet when it comes to menswear. Using one of today’s high profile issues, the rising price of crude oil, as a cornerstone to make his statement, Van Noten mixed news headlines with fashion.

Were the cars in the garage hybrids? Were they fuel-efficient? Maybe they are… maybe they are not. But, it does not matter because the point had been made, the subtle text of the show – hybrids are the way to go.

So in a season where ‘soft is the new sexy’, Dries Van Noten proposed shawl-collared raincoats and drawstring pants. Safari jackets were cut longer then cinched at the waist with a belt made from the same fabric.

And perhaps, the most innovative in terms of being easy to wear and a guy can literally say, ‘Oh, this ole thing, I just put it on in a hurry’ is the double-breasted jacket tied at the waist same way one does at the dojo.

The whole collection is soft, almost feminine but never really crossing the line to be called ‘femme.’ In fact, Dries Van Noten did a great job in the balancing act of keeping the collection sartorial while making it soft even sexy.