Les Hommes Tom Notte and Bart Vandebosch had a mission statement for their new collection: increase the elegance. They arrived at their destination via The Damned, Visconti s epic treatment of a family s decline and fall set against the rise of the Third Reich. "Berlin in the thirties was a clash between creativity, elegance, and militarism," they said after the show. Plus, they added, "We love velvet."
Velvet, surprisingly or not, has been spotted all over on Milan s opening day. So have the longer, more slithery suits the Hommes put forward: double-breasted and wasp-waisted, though theirs were distinguished by long, wide trousers below. That can be a challenging proportion, but Notte and Vandebosch insisted that a customer is waiting. "In Europe, it s definitely a winner."
They re far from the first to look to thirties Germany for an infusion of doom-haunted glamour. Why or wherefrom duster-length capes, a puffa bolero, or a half-plisséd ball skirt wandered into the mix was anyone s guess. On balance, the elegance decreased.
