KRISVANASSCHE Fall Winter 2012 Collection |

Friday January 20th, 2012 – Ecole es Beaux-Arts de Paris

Transitioning from his own eponymous menswear line to Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche plays the dual role of independent designer and creative director of a megalith fashion house. That analogy translates well to his latest fall creation, which blended manual-labor worker-wear with refined office suits and jackets; a nod perhaps the duality of his work-life.

To achieve this blue-meets-white collar effect, KVA played with strong, durable fabrics, relaxing them into blazers and trousers while integrating underlayers and accents of kimonos and overalls into suits and shirt numbers. Flannel jackets with double-straps across the abdomen replace your standard button-downs. Top-stitch kimono trims on shirt collars, jacket linings, and outerwear add dimension. But the same kimono served as an underpinned flap to a suit jacket, giving depth and texture to an otherwise unassuming beautiful suit. Trousers also got the five pocket treatment, work that Korean designer Lee specifically designed for this collection. Tie belts on crisp cut shirts looked ideal for those prone to doing some heavy lifting and not wanting to get their cravate dirty.

Accessories were made tougher for the rigors of a hard workday, with oversized straps enveloping black boots, bolt-prints on silk scarves, and blinders flanking Linda Farrow-designed eyewear. Kris integrated his Eastpak collaboration, now in its successive third year, by adorning the traditional backpack with five miniature versions or by attaching it to a black leather belt.

Whether for work, play or just getting plain dirty with your hands, men this fall will be hard pressed to find anything as utilitarian as this collection.

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