Nostalgia, at its Finest

Rendering a true homage to the legacy of Monsieur Dior himself, Kris Van Assche succeeded the French designer’s “savoir-faire” with a sophisticated collection for AW18 – revealed within a décor of towering glass vitrines in the Grand Palais’ Salon d’Honneur. Featuring head-to-toe sharp tailoring, with styling cues lent from youth and subculture, the show was literally infused with smoke (which may or may not have been due to the occasional silver fox that graced the runway).

An Ode to The Distinguished

Presenting elements of black grain-de-poudre wool – tailored to form sculpted suit jackets bearing slotted lapels, patch pockets, and double-breasted officer’s buttons – it was the enduring relic of the slim black suit that (naturally) stole the show. Alongside defined waists exalting the broadness of the models’ shoulders, the collection also featured the iconic wasp-waisted jacket – known as The Bar. Elsewhere Van Assche’s models wore small dark glasses to add to the allure – with classic Dior shades even found on ambassador and Dior-girl Bella Hadid, in attendance at Saturday’s show.

Youth Lies in The Mind

Merging the established finesse of the Dior Homme atelier against a spirit of urban nostalgia, Van Assche’s latest line-up featured spiked tattoo motifs, which arose as graphic rave totems, either in the form of a singular heraldic device or all-over print (some boys even had the pattern shaved into their hair for that bonus edge). With trompe l’oeil layering of classic knit polo shirts and turtleneck sweaters creating semi-ironic compositions of a teenage wardrobe, the diverse cast of models strode past also in structured trench and overcoat shapes in bonded cashmere. Surely one for men of all ages, said cast, alongside young faces, also featured renowned 90s models like Cameron Alborzian, Mark Vanderloo and Arnaud Lemaire to name a few.