Thoughts on the Fall 2008 Menswear Collections

Classics with a twist was a theme that came up time and again with the Fall 2008 menswear collections. Times being what they are designers didn't seem eager to make bold postulations about the future, but rather looked at adding quirk and subversion to looks bygone.

At Yves Saint Laurent Stefano Pilati presented clothing with an eye towards the '60s/'70s jetsetter. Suits with slim jackets and wide pants formed the core of the collection, but crushed velvet blazers, a svelt blue blouson and a grass green motorcycle jacket added an international man of mystery air to the whole exercise.

Louis Vuitton presented the most rack ready collection. Suits gave off a cool, almost aloof vibe, while fits were imminently wearable. Graphite gray versions of Vuitton's Damier pattern bags are sure to sell by the container ship. If anything the collection lacked bravado and daring.

After several seasons of making the type of strikingly modern, clean clothing that Ms. Sander would be proud to put her name on, Fall 2008 was a jumping off point for Raf Simons' stewardship of Jil Sander. Atop the basecoat of sharp, immaculate suits and shirts came two experiments. One, a print in the form of a striking marble motif that when done in a 3/4 length coat gave new meaning to the word statuesque. Two, texture in the ingenious ridged effect on a hooded jacket.

These is the type of intellectualized, influential fashion we've come to expect from the Raf Simons line itself, but this season Simons seemed to run out of steam with his own line. Tunics, Rothko-esque sweaters and textured gray suits did not have the "this is the future of men's fashion" air about them that his previous collections have had.

Yohji Yamamato did was Yohji always does, but didn't fail in making it all seem fresh and interesting. The black, the navy, the militaristic touches, the ever-present loose silhouettes where there, but peeks of plaid hidden among pleats and folds of fabric made for a welcomed, playful touch.

At Dries Van Noten "unconventional classicism" was a theme. The many twists and turns of a collection and the sometimes manic styling made the show harder to digest, to tie up in a neat bow and summarize, but look at the individual pieces and you'll find one of the most wearable, yet distinctive and creative collections of the season.

Elsewhere, Comme des Garcons did punk with some post-apocalyptic overtones, Number (N)ine recalled '90s grunge, Ann Demeulemeester produced a dark, romantic presentation with visions of Bob Dylan thrown in, and Prada made suits so sleek you could almost swim in them.

Pattern: Plaid

Plaid was certainly the pattern of the season, with just about every designer doing a take on it. Yamamato did peekaboo plaid, Jil Sander did plaid on acid, Comme des Garcons did punk plaid, while Number (N)ine did grunge plaid.

Prints: Marble, Flowers

Two prints stuck out for sheer creativity and impact. The marbleized jackets, bags, suits and shirts of Jil Sander were impossible to ignore. We have a feeling we'll be seeing a tempered version of the treatment trickle on down into menswear designs for seasons to come.

And while we don't expect to see many men walk down the street with flower-print pants, Ann Demuelemeester's flower blossom print has to be noted as a singularly beautiful achievement.

Fit: A Cut for Every Customer

The fit of the season is there is no fit of the season. The all slim all the time movement having now subsided, designers went in various directions. YSL was slim up top and baggy on the bottom, Jil Sander was slim on the bottom and regular up top, Yohji Yamamato was loose top to bottom, and so on. Take your pick really.

Colors: Blue and Yellow

Like most fall/winter men's seasons, black and gray, navy and brown where everywhere. But when needing a burst of color designers this season favored blue, in one of its more audacious hues, and a mustardy yellow.

Photos from Style.com