Dior Homme

Style

Menswear Wrap Up: Dior Homme, Thom Browne, and Givenchy

Couture is well underway, making it easy to forget all the fantastic menswear shows that hit the Paris runways over the weekend. Luckily we had Flaunt's fashion director and Fashionista contributor Long Nguyen there to report back. Here, his take on Givenchy's homage to Africa and the boom box; Dior's elegant yet sporty, more laid-back vibe; and Thom Browne's wild take on military.

Fashion Week

Raf Simons Vs. Hedi Slimane: A Closer Look

While we're fairly certain neither designer is actually that concerned about what the other is doing, there are some undeniable similarities and easy-to-draw comparisons between the two, aside from them being the exact same age and sort of looking alike. So, we decided to analyze this "face-off" with a Venn Diagram and more!

Style

Dior Homme Fall 2012: Modern Military

Long Nguyen is the co-founder and style director of Flaunt. PARIS--If there's ever consistency in Kris Van Assche’s work for Dior Homme, where he's been the creative director since 2007, it's that he often sticks to a singular idea and develops a collection around it. Last season’s "Less And More" collection, while delivering on the goods at retail, lacked the spark that’s central to the appeal of men’s designer fashion. On Saturday afternoon at the Club de Tennis on the outskirts of Paris, Mr. Van Assche delivered a radically different collection called "A Soldier on My Own," centered around military uniforms. This time the set of the show was a simple and straight-forward runway with white doors (replicas of the doors at Dior’s Avenue Montaigne headquarters) and charcoal wooden platforms instead of the multi-room presentation from last season. Sticking to a muted palate of military olive greens and navys allowed Mr. Van Assche to apply more sportswear and casual clothing elements--like a long wool zippered parka coat--to the more tailored tradition of Dior.

Style

Dior Homme Spring 2012: About Less and More

Long Nguyen is the co-founder/style director of Flaunt. PARIS--When Belgian designer Kris van Assche was appointed creative director of Dior Homme in 2007, one of his first tasks was to build a close relationship with the Dior Homme atelier, established in 2000, to evolve the house’s trademark black suit (or what was then known as the skinny black suit). In his first several outings--a presentation at a mansion on Avenue Foch in July 2007 and his first show on the grounds of the Invalides near Napoleon’s tomb in January 2008--Mr. Van Assche did not veer far from the codes of the Hedi Slimane years, causing a barrage of criticisms. But a strong history can’t be changed overnight. Over the course of a few seasons, he loosened the skinny black suit and added hues of camel, Dior’s light gray and whites. With the spring 2009 collection, Dior Homme’s signature suit was now boxy yet elegant in its proportion, with draping that reflected the atelier’s craftsmanship. Last Saturday, in the giant indoor courts of the Tennis Club on the edge of Paris--where light grey and sheer toile veil divided the vast space into small sections to emphasize the privacy of the presentation--Mr. Van Assche sent out a collection of loose and flowing suits and coats, starting from ultra light in white, light ecru, camel to pale blue then to the obligatory black, a collection that revolved around the notion of "less and more," the theme of the show.

Business

Givenchy Gets a New CEO; Old CEO Moves to Dior Homme

Former Alexander McQueen CEO Susan Whiteley has been confirmed as the new CEO of Givenchy Couture, reports WWD. Whiteley replaces Fabrizio Malverdi, who will now be running Dior Homme. Rumors circulated saying as much last month, so whether or not this has anything to do with Riccardo Tisci's possible move to Dior is unknown. But it does bring up an interesting point: If Tisci moves to Dior, he's likely to design the menswear as well. Which means Kris van Assche would be out of a job....

Style

Dior Homme Fall 2011: Amish Adolescents

PARIS--What does it say when the crowd is more abuzz about Karl Lagerfeld, and, ugh, Puff Daddy, than the clothes? That's the question I was fretting over before the Dior presentation. But by the end, I was reminded that it's not a crowd that makes a collection. Kriss Van Assche’s line for Dior Homme is a study in clean lines and exact silhouettes. I’ve already used the Jedi metaphor, and the Amish one, but Van Assche’s Dior really merits the same comparisons, except more flowing; this is Jedi School; Amish adolescents. Many of his looks were incredibly loose, and free, despite their attempted adhesion to Van Assche’s calculated silhouettes and restrained, almost sullen palette of gray, black and brown (and like, many others this season, one or two points of red…as if a touch of blood is needed to indicate a pulse). The Amish hats said “I’m going to study in silence,” while the layered wools and billowing pants said “I’m seventeen and it’s time for Rumspringa!” The collection was presented in a gigantic hall, nearly empty except for six lucite chandeliers and several white fireplaces against the rear wall.

Style

Dior Dresses Dan Black: Our Exclusive Look at How the Electropop Star Gets Ready to Perform

When Dan Black goes on stage at Webster Hall tonight to open for Robyn and Kelis, he'll wear head-to-toe Dior Homme: tight black jeans with zippers at the ankles, lace-up sneakers that zip up the back, a Halloween-orange tank with a draw string at the bottom, and a black suit vest that zips up asymmetrically. We know this, because we were with him in the Dior showroom yesterday when he picked it out. British-born Black, who was just nominated for two VMA awards, plays the second of two shows tonight. When he arrived at midnight the day of his first show he was sick and had nothing to wear. So between doctors appointments and performing in front of a couple thousand people, he popped into Dior, who has been dressing him in Europe and for some of his shows on the West Coast, and we got to tag along.