PARIS — John GALLIANO'S servants and jesters appeared as a grubby, beaten and bloody lot, which might have been throwaway runway theatrics if not for the world stock market plunge that dominated headlines last week, portending a bleak retail environment.
Set on a runway roiling with dry ice vapor, Galliano's thuggy collection of fur-trimmed leathers, denim, checked sports coats and baggy trousers was inspired by London's 17th century frost fairs that would turn the frozen Thames into an impromptu carnival for everyone from kings to executioners. Because changes in the climate meant the Thames eventually stopped freezing over, demolishing the venue, the designer could have been making a sly comment on global warming -- or the transitory nature of our good times and the widening gulf between the haves and have-nots.
With punks at Comme des Garcons and girlie men at Prada, gentleman bank robbers at Louis Vuitton and royalty at Giorgio Armani, power and status were clearly on the minds of designers this season in Milan and Paris.
And yet, aside from Miuccia Prada's gender-bashing, feminized and fetishized men's collection -- which included models in hybrid cummerbund-thongs, halter-top waistcoats and sequined tutus -- the shows were mostly devoid of gratuitous theatrics.
Instead, designers showed recession-proof, easy-to-wear clothes that managed to be both youthful and elegant, a combination that's been missing from the men's mix of recent seasons.
Designers were mad for plaid, obsessed with military influences, and eager to add formal-wear touches to everything from ski pants to Russian-style greatcoats. The hot new real estate is the collar area, which turns last season on its head and makes the neck the new ankle. The pairing of high and low reflected the reality of today's mix-and-match approach to dressing and the rising popularity of suit separates.
Giorgio Armani updated old-school, 1930s-era style with the high collars and rich velvet trappings of the nobleman for a collection he dubbed Regal. It was full of luxurious, generously cut velvet trousers (backstage, Armani mentioned a street-wear influence), soft, jersey-like shirts with tuxedo-like bibs, shawl-collared waistcoats and heightened-crown hats. Two pieces -- a quilted black, double-breasted suit and a similar trench -- could have easily doubled as sleepwear.
