DIOR HOMME S/S 2010 Menswear: Kris Van Assche's Finest

Nothing quickens the pulse of this season's fashion-frenzied Spring/Summer 2011 Menswear like the electrifying buzz created by DiOR HOMME. No other event brings on as much juicy gossip, fashion industry sniggering and celebrity sighting stories.

Presenting Kris Van Assche, the new kid at Dior's Box, armed with the anointed "shoe"to fit in. Following the Dior Homme diktat, he piously fitted himself to every do's and don't's with great caution. Amidst great expectations that run high, did Assche brings the much needed dose of freshness after the dismal short love affair of Hedi Slimane at Dior? There is this 'schizo feel' of this guy's collection, to which direction he navigates...

His style mantra for the spring can be best described, as less is definitely more. The essential forecast for the year is simplicity in terms of silhouette and colour palette with most designers avoiding much ornamentation or adornment. Free flowing djellaba, cloak billowy tops in sheer fabrics, robes, kaftans with extreme volumes paired with slim trousers is the defining look of the season.

Volume has been the big discovery on the runway, this year. Designers like Damir Doma exploited volume to its fullest with harem pants that looked like they couldn't get any bigger. Kris Van Assche showed a stunning black kimono robes with low slung buttons down closing on long shirts in the usual chiaroscuro monochrome with a hope to become a big trend.

Inspired from a Korean movie of four seasons, his Buddhistic chant of 'living with less makes the quality bigger", denotes the essence of Dior Homme's gravity of luxury transcends when less is more. So every season we see the usual Dior: impeccable couture finish, palette's sea of black and precision of detailing.

Kris Van Assche 'show at Dior exploded with bold, oversize daring silhouettes. Especially the detailed suits with asymmetric lapels that fashion commentators could not stop raving about, the oversize t-shirts that looks comfortable and relax, the deep V-necklines give the "raw edge feel".

Wearable and relax, is how I would summarized the collection. The focus remained on comfort and the loose 'flowy' look seemed to be highly liberating. It seemed to me that with a few key additions to the wardrobe it would not be too hard to get your 'Sexy Back'.