The second Kris van Assche outing of the week hit the Paris catwalk on Sunday afternoon in the shape of Dior Homme. It was a beautifully elegant and simplistic version of tailoring that was shown in a market space in the Republique area. A white Dior labelled carport door was slowly raised to unveil Cold Love, van Assche’s spring summer vision for the French super label.
 
Out marched a mainly tailored army of tall and slender models. Most suits came in black, but there were elements of green and brown throughout. Beige was stylishly put underneath the suit jackets, creating a subtle look. See-through fabrics were not only used in tops, but also in jackets and coats. The main theme was Kris' deconstructed collars and lapels. There was a flowing feeling in many garments, which was often accomplished with over sized lapels. Kris van Assche took full use of the craftsmanship at Dior to flex his lining muscles. Sometimes the lining featured as a separate layer under the jacket, sometimes on top of it. Dazed spoke to the designer quickly in between his chats with Karl Lagerfeld and r’n’b artist Usher…
 
Dazed Digital: What was the general theme behind the collection?
Kris van Assche: It was about using the Dior atelier to it full extent, and to show how good it is. That’s why we had the inside of the tailoring on the outside.
 
DD: Is it tricky to balance your own label with Dior Homme?
Kris van Assche: No, because they are very different and working with Dior allows me to do things I can’t do with my other label.
 
DD: It was quite a minimal collection!
Kris van Assche: I think it’s a very typical Dior Homme collection, playing on the strengths of the label.
 
DD: What piece from the collection would you buy as a customer?
Kris van Assche: The jacket I’m wearing now – a sleeveless black suit jacket with a felt collar and two push buttons.