The third man

D&G

After last season's Highland fling, Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce returned to sea level with a D&G collection inspired by the French Riviera. They didn't have any old beach bum in mind, though, rather a 21st-century version of Cary Grant in "To catch a Thief". The Grant élan could be felt in the tailoring -shawl-collared or peak-lapel suits in various combinations of navy and white- and in the polka dot neckerchiefs that were tied loosely under the jackets. The 21st-century part came in via the sheen of the fabrics -silk twill, silk cotton, silk jersey, silk everything, basically. The D&G version of an espadrille, meanwhile, had a rope sole but jettisoned canvas for patent crocodile. The best looks here -say, a shawl-collar jacket worn over a shirt in a contrasting stripe and pajama-style pants with a drawstring waist- had the ease and freshness that distinguished the Dolce & Gabbana show a few days earlier (just yesterday on Morphosis).
The designers' pursuit of the navy-and-white motif turned as relentless as the Timbaland remix of Madonna's "4 Minutes" that played on the soundtrack. When they did change things up, it was with the too-literal nautical flag prints that introduced a splash of red. These read as much Nantucket as Nice, though the model in the navy Speedo and deep-V polo soon reminded the audience that, for all his newfound sophistication, the D&G man has no intention of joining Daddy's yacht club. If this collection wasn't as jam-packed with hits as Fall's, it still bobbed along with likeable energy from beginning to end.

Pool boy

Dolce & Gabbana

Backstage before the show, Stefano Gabbana explained that the catwalk would be emphasizing a pajama theme, though there would be a multitude of other options available back in the showroom. Understandable that he felt such a clarification might be necessary -would the Dolce man who was so well-served by last season’s studly chunk be ready for bed ? In the end, Gabbana's doubt was needless. What he and Domenico Dolce managed to serve up was the most sophisticated version yet of the casual/formal hybrid that is the 21st-century's contribution to menswear. And the pajama theme underscored Dolce & Gabbana's new mantra : comfort. Picture a pinstripe suit (foundation stone of the Dolce empire) with the jacket shawl-collared yet the trousers drawstrung, elastic of waist, and rolled of ankle. Such forgiving elegance ! A silk denim tuxedo was another way to make the same point. A collar and tie accompanying drawstring shorts -a bathing suit by any other name- were a bridge too far; but the wingtip mules ? How could something so wrong be so right ?
The pajama-striped, shawl-collared suit that opened the show comfortably established the manifesto : no shirt, just a scarf. Even given the exaggeration one allows the catwalk, Dolce and Gabbana were clearly onto something. Chic-but-comfy is the grail of enough guys that the combination of tailoring and trackies should spell ka-ching. And it’s not just guys -Naomi Campbell looked gorgeously natural in the grand finale of Orientalia in her flowing kimono, shorts, and ballet flats. BTW, each of those closing outfits was arduously hand-inked : there’s a new challenge for your dry cleaner. But what exactly was the assassin’s pistol that appeared on a sweater meant to convey ? Gun culture in any guise is unfashionable.

Quality time

Vuitton

The press notes opened with a quote from Charlie Chaplin about the randomness of the way the Little Tramp, the character that made him his millions, came together. Paul Helbers, studio director for Louis Vuitton's menswear, invoked Charlot as a guiding spirit for this new collection. And Tindersticks mixed up a special soundtrack of their songs and the music for Chaplin's "City Lights". As random as the inspiration seemed, it was clearly significant. Could it produce sparks ? Well, in a word, no. "Less formal more fragile", was Helbers' intent. That translated as an icily pale color palette (a handful of charcoals and pinks excepted), lots of shorts (bare legs can look fragile on the right model), delicate fabrics like voile, and details such as "couture gathering", which pleated the back of shirts into poetically blouse-y volumes. In such a subdued context, the knitwear and accessories loomed spectacularly (this collection always excels at shoes, and this season welcomes the apotheosis of the espadrille). And, given the inspiration that Vuitton famously offers others, there will surely be a lot of Banana Republicans who will be keen to absorb the proposals of Helbers and his team.

Cascade boy

Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Bailey makes such perfect sense of his work for Burberry that all anyone could ever wish for would be his voice in your ear while you watch his shows. For his latest collection, he imagined the late artist/filmmaker Derek Jarman in his garden at Dungeness, a hardscrabble stretch of English seaside perched next to a nuclear reactor. So there was a floppy Panama hat like Jarman’s, prints that looked like raindrops or mud splotches, and a dour color palette that ran a gamut of moss, stone, peat, bark, and pewter.
But more than anything, there was an air of melancholy; Bailey understands that there is sensuality in sadness. So the droop of his scoop-neck tops managed to bare the clavicle as a new erogenous zone (don’t try this one at home -the pigeon chest is a bequest of English genetics). He insisted that the collection was actually all about outerwear -trenches, coats, jackets- which is why he wanted to let the air in to the skin below. That must have been why, bare flesh aside, there were also wool gauze tees and shirts in a washed-out broderie anglaise. Bailey called his collection “Crumpled Classics”, which accounted for the vintage flavor of many of the clothes. It’s a lovely idea, pieces that have already acquired a life through being worn and loved. But it’s also sad, much like the richness of nature surviving in the sobering shadow of the Bomb.