Tucked back off a small street, Rue de Monceau, in Paris, just a short 8-minute walk from Parc Monceau to the Northeast of the Eiffel Tower, sits a museum many Americans miss on their trips to the City of Love. Musée Nissim de Camondo is home to a wide collection of French art from the 1700s. It is draped in tapestries and adorned with artifacts displaying the beauty of French artistic creativity. This week, it also happened to be home to Dior’s Summer Men’s Show. These destination shows by the iconic French fashion house, have been home to some of the most pivotal moments in fashion progression. From the “New Look” event a year after the company was formed in 1947, to the “Russian Catwalk” in Moscow in 1959, to this season. What did the attendees of this event experience (other than sweltering heat)? Unexpected changes to classic lines and fabrics that ask the wearer to look to the future.
Printed houndstooth, sequin polka dot, and a repurposed blanket…oh my
I talk a lot about the difference between runway fashion and practical style. The truth is, many people, guys in particular, who decide they may want to get into fashion will inevitably watch a runway show and feel they could never wear it on the street. This may even be the reason they walk away. But the misunderstanding highlights the whole purpose. You aren’t supposed to look at what Dior did in the presence of the classic French architecture and wear these styles. You are supposed to look at this event and see them challenging what you may know and think about style, and then start embracing the challenge in your own closet.
This year, Dior challenged the fit of a tuxedo by loosening it considerably. We’re talking pajama fit comfort in elegant formality. We’re talking about taking the heft of a fall houndstooth and printing it on lighter fabric to make it a year-round pattern. There is an inherent hesitation for men to stay basic, stay traditional. I am this way. I tend to keep to my classics with little flares of trend. That is the importance of Dior’s summer show. I am now looking at my classic houndstooth and asking how I can wear this in the summer.
