- Photographs by Greg Swales - Makeup by James Kershaw - Styled by Sandra Sing Fernandes - Braeden at Mode Models

- Photographs by Greg Swales - Makeup by James Kershaw - Styled by Sandra Sing Fernandes - Megan M at Modemodels

Known for exquisite tailoring and minute-attention to detail, the quirky designer of the Montreal-based, self-titled label Dimitri Chris delivered an impeccable F/W ’10 runway show. A collection brimming with tailored tweeds, suits and vests, knee high equestrian boots, page boy hats and a smattering of houndstooth and plaid, the smartly attired models could have –in all reality- walked right off of the catwalk and climbed onto a horse, forest bound. British to the core, Chris succeeded in marrying together the essence of the English hunting culture with modern, wearable clothes. I was fortunate enough to make it backstage to interview Chris about his latest collection; bearded with dark, fly-away hair, I towered over the designer. Smartly attired in a grey vest, grey pants, and a red and white checkered bowtie, the short-in-stature designer reminded me of a mad scientist; an Albert Einstein of fashion, if you will: What sets you apart from other menswear designers? Are there a lot of menswear designers? We have Bustle and Dubuc and Philip Sparks. We all have a different aesthetic. Bustle has their own distinct quirky look and Philip Sparks, while still into the tailoring, has a more laid-back and relaxed look. My background is in tailoring and that plays into the collection. I want to push the envelope There’s room for everyone. I loved the coats with the built in scarves; I thought it was a brilliant concept! Thank you! You see, a lot of my friends were bitching and complaining that they are always losing their scarves, having to tuck them into their sleeves. So I said “There you go. You don’t need to worry about it”. Who is the Dimitri Chris Man? I’d like to say it’s a young professional. Somebody starting out in his life, in general being social and business and cultural, but obviously it’s hard to want to cater to just a select clientele. That being said, it’s very wearable. The garments are very wearable. The idea behind ‘Master of the Foxhounds’ was derived from English hunting culture; where did you come up with the concept? I was inspired by British culture, royalty and their traditions and lifestyle and hunting, which is their leisure sport. The collection is very British. What do you hope to bring to the table in terms of men’s fashion? Wearable garments with an emphasis on tailoring. And what can we expect from you in the future? To be there. You can expect me to be there.

In stark contrast to the tight-fitting, tailored suits and jackets inspired by menswear of the 1970s many designers at the recent fashion shows in Milan and Paris opted for a completely contrasting approach to designing overcoats for Autumn/Winter 2011/12. For the cool months of next year, the designers’ collective decision to choose oversized coats indicates the adoption of a trend that favours deconstructed, boxy shapes. In most designer collections shown, these shapes eliminate the contours and overall physicality of the male body by omitting the waist line and allowing the fabric to drape freely from the shoulders. In addition, a recurrent option has been to adopt narrow and sloping shoulders with little or no padding thus only relying on the pulling of fabric at the sleeves to give shape to the garment while its length often goes below the knees. After the return of a moderate version of the 1980s shoulder pads in the first decade of the 21st century, this trend seems to be a resurgence of the anti-power shoulder that many Japanese designers adopted in the 1990s, and that subsequently permeated the designs of Western designers, too. More interestingly, if one bears in mind that the 1990s rejection of large shoulders and sharp silhouettes was a subtle way to voice social concerns by designers, and consumers that rejected a fashion of excess and capitalistic overindulgence, at a time when movements of social unrest seem to be taking place all over the world. This trend can be interpreted as an interesting coincidence or an apt metaphorical comment on the state of world. Coincidence or not, fashion plays an important role in all that we do, and a new style can bring a fresh perspective and reflection of changing times.