Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
PARIS, France — Sartorial precision is an antidote to the sloppiness and laziness of streetwear. The movement is quickly taking shape all over fashionland, with many voices joining the chorus to herald tailoring's newfound youthfulness and playfulness. Mark Weston, creative director of Dunhill, is one of them.
This was his second show for the revered British house. Held in the history-drenched cloister of a Parisian high school, it reassessed the codes of the house — tailoring, leather, metal detailing — in a fresh way. Weston knows how to cut a mean jacket and some seriously slim trousers with a split hem. There were quite a few in the show. Jackets were worn bare-chested, while loafers with Cuban heels replaced the ubiquitous trainers.
The goings had the kind of panache usually associated with British subcultures, in a mix of precision and irreverence. At times everything seemed to be a bit stiff, and the blousons worn over blazers created an awkward silhouette, but all in all, there was substance to this show and the metier of a designer who knows how clothing is made. Today, this is quite an accomplishment.
