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Hard to know from which social background emerged the models in the Rive Gauche collection shown Sunday - male models don't speak until spoken too - but the clothes all suggested they all went to pricey private schools.
There was a princely quality to the show, and collection that had to be admired, even if the clothes did seem out of step in the current men's zeitgeist of tailoring meets street credibility. For his second Yves Saint Laurent Men's collection, though first time at bat on a runway, Pilati used the same space created by Tom Ford at his turbulent days at Saint Laurent.
After playing a politically correct card in the previous men's season - by heavily evoking looks Mr. Saint Laurent wore himself in the 70's. Stefano was also diplomatic this weekend, showing a Helmut Berger-inspired collection of luxurious men's clothes.
The classicism was evident in the opening suits - lengthy jackets, with patch pockets worn over billowing pants with three-inch turn-ups. It was Berger at his Visconti best. Sitting between Gucci Group CEO Robert Polet and former Culture Minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Pierre Berge, the founder's partner, clearly snorted his approval of these suits.
And, what worked best were his interpretations on Rive Gauche classics. Take the Canadian jacket - a YSL staple - which Pilati sent o
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The world's top menswear designers went back to the basics in Paris with their collections for autumn-winter 2005-06, offering sharp, luxurious elegance with just a hint of poetic romance.
Velvet blazers, cashmere coats and tailored suits are the must-have items for next winter, as are trousers and jackets in all sorts of checks -- the more patterns in one outfit, the merrier.
Veronique Nichanian at Hermes captured the vibe running through the four days of menswear shows that ended Monday, skillfully combining micro and macro houndstooth and Prince of Wales check for a subtle, youthful look.
Jean-Paul Gaultier, Stefano Pilati at Yves Saint Laurent and Naoki Takizawa at Issey Miyake offered up refined wardrobes for the confident career man, with smart suits and trim outerwear in muted hues.
At Louis Vuitton, US designer Marc Jacobs took the more obvious luxury route, with chic velvet suits, monogrammed carpet bags to match and plush gray astrakhan coats.
Dashes of color added a bit of warmth to the winter classics. Nichanian used turquoise, purple and the iconic Hermes orange to brighten her palette of rich autumnal browns, while Pilati dared to send out a violet mohair coat.
At Givenchy, British designer Ozwald Boateng sent out the ubiquitous velvet jackets in jewel tones like ruby and sapphire. Flashes o
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Have you ever had a great idea for a T-shirt, maybe a funny slogan or a clever catch phrase? If you have and just didn't know what to do with it, a Houston college student may have the answer.
Tyler Brockington, a senior entrepreneurial and management student at the University of Houston turned to the Internet to market his clothing creations. Now, he wants others to join in.
"I want to cater to the people fresh out of school, who know what's hot in the world," Engines of Elk founder Tyler Brockington told Houston television station KPRC.
Brockington, 22, is already taking advantage of his college education by pairing it up with his fondness for fashion. What started as a class project turned into an online outlet for the company's founder and other budding fashion designers.
The founder said his business, which is targeted toward a younger consumer market and people interested in fashion design, hopes to fuel individuality among potential would-be designers.
"I want it to be college, high school-age kids who are going to want to buy this. They want to buy something they've seen or that they've actually designed," Brockington said. "We just want to fuel you being an individual."
Brockington said design ideas are submitted via the company's Web site from amateur fashionistas around the world. Design consultants
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To the uninitiated, the "Paddington" looks like a rather battered slouchy bag distinguished only by a brass padlock. But do not be fooled: this is probably the most wanted accessory in the history of the fashion business - and if you hope to buy one, you are too late.
For the first time that anyone can remember, a designer handbag has sold out completely before a single one has arrived at a shop.
Each of the 8,000 Paddingtons, produced by Chloé for the 2005 spring season, has been snapped up, sight unseen, leaving thousands of disappointed customers languishing on waiting lists in exclusive stores.
At £759, it is not even what one might call a bargain. But, from a design perspective, the bag ticks all the right boxes: it is a good size (the mundane practicalities count when women are spending this much), the leather is super-soft and the oversized padlock makes it look modern and quirky.
Crucially, it is styled to appeal to everyone from girls-about-town to ladies-who-lunch. And when they sling it over their shoulders, it will be recognised by every woman who reads the glossy magazines, which have already started carrying Chloé ads featuring the bag.
The X-factor, when it comes to a cult bag, is exclusivity. No matter how brilliantly designed it may be it loses its desirability if anyone with a credit card can
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Fashion forecasters predict that New York's fashion week will bring everything from a return to conservative dressing to a taste for Latin American-styled clothes in the months ahead.
But pressed on how they know or why so many designers pick a single trend season after season, they're far less specific.
"Divine inspiration," suggested one.
"It's sort of in the air all over," said another.
In fact, forecasters look at everything from art exhibits to zodiac signs to determine what is inspiring the minds of designers and occupying the minds of consumers.
"It isn't purely about fashion. It's about life trends," said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail Consultants. She said forecasters "stick their noses in people's lives."
"We pay a lot of attention to listening to people wherever we happen to be, whether it's in malls or subways or theaters or in line at the supermarket," she said. "We listen to the way they are talking about their lives."
That's only the beginning, she cautioned. It's knowing what to do with that information that's key.
"If we know that 64 percent of people stand on their head on Thursdays, what does that mean for the fashion industry? How to translate that is our practical expertise," she said.
Forecasters say they take cues from what's new in art, politics, economics,
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