Mens Fashion Week FW2015-16 - Recap: Junya Watanabe, Givenchy, Kenzo, Dior Homme

JUNYA WATANABE

Formal tailoring and an elegant collection with a Harlem vibe. All the looks screamed cool, with top hats, bowler hats topping off finely trimmed suits, dinner jackets treated in velvet, tweed, cashmere and leathers. Even a patchwork jacket seemed refined yet fresh. Sophistication without being stuffy. What a concept!

Photos: Junya Watanabe

GIVENCHY

While Fashion is generally an optimistic industry, much of the Fall/Winter 2015-16 season is darker and sombre. Perhaps it's a timely nod to the terrible events in early January in Paris but obviously the collections were conceived well before that. I wonder then, what is the message that the industry is revealing? At Givenchy, the collection for FW2015-16 was certainly more macabre and sinister. Some of the models donning face paint to mimic diseases and mouth sewn together seemed a little unusual to say the least (I decided not to include these). Yet the focus on luxe accents of fur around the collar and necktie hinted at texture, deftly playing with various hues of blood red. Like Dries Van Noten, Givenchy's collection leans toward a tribal motif with men adopting an almost androgynous quality.

Photos: Givenchy

KENZO

If there was any collection to counterbalance the somber tone of Fall/Winter 2015-16 it would be Kenzo. Young, colorful and fresh, Kenzo's collection lends a stark contrast to many of the other muted collections this season. There's a pop-art quality to the pieces - playful prints and purposeful juxtapositions of color in jackets, sweaters, tops and pants. In fact, the collection feels more like a Spring collection than Fall. Bravo for color!

Photos: Kenzo

DIOR HOMME

Like Junya Watanabe, Dior presents a very formal collection of morning suits - but paired with a leather jacket with fur lining and trim sneakers, this warrants a very satisfactory second look. Long, ankle-length coats and leather pants topped with a jean shirt proves to be simple yet refined. Drawstring waist trousers were a huge hit for me (as I'm all about comfort while looking dapper) - especially when topped with a fun and bold numerical sweater and sneaks.

Photos: Dior Homme