Fall 2009 Men's Hugo by Hugo Boss

It's been said that you can't throw a stone without hitting a store selling Hugo Boss merchandise. Ok, maybe it hasn't been said, but it is true that Hugo Boss is widely available in pretty much every country with a shopping mall.

Generally speaking, HB doesn't excite me--the stuff usually appears kind of generic and not as well-made as other designer labels. It's really not in the same league as the Dolces and Valentinos.

A lot of the stuff is often made in Eastern European countries (such as Romania), and not in Italy. This is, of course, reflected in the price, and so the label is within the pricepoint of a larger group of people. I know a lot of young Bay street lawyers who bought a Boss suit as their first "nice" suit when they first started working after law school. I think it's a good "gateway" label to other designers.

Yet, as I like to point out, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Some of the stuff is made in Italy and made very well (and quite stylish, I might add). Hugo Boss also has so many labels, it's hard to keep track. They used to have a luxury label called "Baldessarini", but I don't think the label is still affiliated with HB. The collection shown above is the "Hugo" line which is a bit more fashion forward.

Personally, because of the sheer volume of HB clothing for sale that I have come across, I actually have acquired quite a few pieces over the years including a really good pair of tan shoes and a camelhair coat.

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Lanvin

I get the feeling that Lanvin is one of the new "it" labels for men. There seems to be quite a buzz surrounding the brand. I know The Sartorialist is a big fan. There is a certain soft luxuriousness to their clothing. I picked up a pair of pants in Barney's in New York this season, but you can also get their their stuff at Holts.

The head designer, Alber Elbaz, looks like a cartoon character--I just can't figure out which one.

-The Scandal

Dries Van Noten, Fall 2009 Men's

If your name is "Dries Van Noten", you are way more likely to end up as fashion designer than you are to, say, be selling insurance in New Jersey. I thought this collection was pretty cool and stood out from many of the other shows in Paris this season. The cuts were unique and interesting without being too avant-garde.

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Louis Vuitton

I've liked Louis V a lot more ever since Paul Helbers took over as the men's designer. I never liked the Marc Jacobs collections.

I thought this show was kinda nice. It featured a lot of muted grey/blue tones and cobalt blue (which seems to be big this season). As always, the bags were pretty badass.

To be honest, I don't really like shopping at LV because of their no-sale policy. Everybody likes a deal, but Louis just won't play ball. If I were to buy anything, it would likely be a bag/briefcase or maybe a pair of shoes. But enough about me.

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Dior Homme

Kris Van Assche took over from iconic Hedi Slimane a couple years ago as the lead designer for Dior Homme. He's also has an eponymous label.

It looks as if KVA got his colour palette this season from a North York Yeshiva. Ok, to be fair, there were flamboyant displays of grey. All kidding aside, there were some interesting angular cuts (which seems to be trendy these days e.g. Prada and Raf Simons). I'd be curious to get up close to those clunky shoes to see if that white strip is actually stitching.

I always liked the men's change room at the NYC midtown Dior boutique. It's got this dizzying black and white fun-house pattern.

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Galliano

From the man who brought you pirate-chic.....

The Galliano collection was very theatrical and downright weird, as it usually is. The pics above aren't really representative of the show-- I just didn't feel like posting a pic of a male model in red garters and a topcoat. Despite Galliano's over-the-top theatrics, I actually think he is a really a talented designer (whereas I wouldn't say the same about a lot of the other weirdos that are the darlings of the fashion press). You have understand his shows are just as much about entertainment as they are about practical displays of the wares.

I see his stuff for sale more and more in smaller boutiques. I think his trade-mark newsprint underwear is also becoming increasingly popular, and maybe being purposely marketed to the masses. While relatively few people can afford a $1,200 pair of pants, a lot more can splurge for a 90$ pair of underwear.

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Jean Paul Gaultier

JPG-- up to his old tricks again. Words can't really do this one justice. Every model was fitted with an Afro wig, man, woman and child. Was it meant to be some sort of patronizing tribute to Obama? Wouldn't fly in America, Jean-Paul.

Thatbeing said, once you got beyond the wigs, there were some interesting pieces.

Simons in Montreal carries some of the men's collection. The pieces are usually pretty trippy. Aside from Century 21, I don't even see his stuff in New York City (but I'm sure it's gotta be available somewhere).

-The Scandal

Fall 2009 Men's Dsquared²

In watching the show, a friend of mine remarked that felt that she had "seen it before". I suppose that may not necessarily be a bad thing i.e. that DSquared has developed a distinctive, signature look. The show was heavy on Putting-on-the-Ritz style glamour, mixed in equal parts with the abercrombie flavour that has made these local guys famous.

DSquared (men's) is available at a bunch of boutiques in Canada, though the collection usually consists of a couple tuxedo jackets and $700 plain cotton sweatshirts.

-The Scandal

Gucci Fall 2009 Men's

The Gucci collection featured a lot of punk/80's-inspired looks, including skin tight pants. I think Nena (and her 99 luftballons) would've felt right at home. Some of the suits were tailored quite nicely (though I've never walked into a Gucci store thinking I was going to pick up something for the office).

-The Scandal