Out of the dark rises the Paris round of A/W12 menswear collections and we can’t help but feel like we are on the set of a superhero film – perhaps aptly entitled The Dark Knight Rises? From the to-the-knee textured capes and rich, atmospheric hues of burgundy and navy blue at Mugler to the padded, inflated and exaggerated shapes at Viktor & Rolf, the silhouette of the season appeared more like a suit belonging to a DC Comic character – although a slicker, sharper and more well-groomed 2012 one.
Detective tailoring was aplenty, with wide and high-collared boxy overcoats as seen at Viktor & Rolf, Dries Van Noten, Adam Kimmel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Lacroix, topped off with the ultimate accessories – dark sunglasses and gloves.
Leather trousers – a material made for endurance and durability – dressed action men at Viktor & Rolf, Jean Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent. However, the prize for best action man hair goes to Mugler for the boxy up ‘do that heightened the tresses of many of the label’s models.
If there were to be a Joker out of the cast it would have to be Dries Van Noten with his “psychedelic elegance” which filtered out in a Frank Zappa meets Oscar Wilde fusion. Think mind-bending prints with smart tailoring. Orange socks with pitch-black separates.
One things for sure – whichever character you play make sure you act it out with conviction.
Text by Lucia Davies
