The avant-garde couturier Josephus Thimister has returned to the Paris haute couture scene, for the first time in more than a decade, with a dramatic “anti-war” collection.

Thimister’s stark, bleak and disturbing collection, entitled “Bloodshed and Opulence”, opens the French couture season for spring/summer 2010, and it takes no prisoners.

Thimister, 47, who is of Russian-Dutch extraction, said: “I’m not a political person, but fashion has a voice and it is time to express my views. We are still feeling the aftershock of the Bolshevik Revolution and the rise of Communism, when Europe fell apart. We have never recovered. We have lost our soul and our spirit.”

The sunglasses are part of the look of Paris Hilton, as her hair blonde and UV. It is therefore not surprising that the starlet, after announcing the launch of a line of bras, is now launching a collection of sunglasses Paris Hilton. ” The collection is done in collaboration with Eyewear Inc., 12 different styles should be marketed. Paris Hilton was involved in collection development and has worked with designers.

Models presents a creation by Belgium designer Kris Van Assche as part of his men’s Fall Winter 2010-2011 fashion collection for Dior in Paris, Saturday Jan. 23, 2010.

PARIS – Models in Amish-looking suits skulked the catwalk at Dior Homme on Saturday, proving that wide-cut vests and high-water trousers can be the height of Parisian chic.

Designer Kris Van Assche sent out innovative variations on the classic suit, which he slashed and distorted, giving it new proportions and a faux Amish Country silhouette.

“I (wanted) to give the skinny black suit more fluidness, more comfort, with big coats on top in heavy materials, but I didn’t want coats that weigh 100 pounds,” the Belgian designer told The Associated Press in a backstage interview. “Luxury, creativity and comfort” were the guiding principles of the fall-winter 2010-2011 menswear collection, Van Assche said.

Working in a reduced palette of black, charcoal and oatmeal, the Belgian designer served up oversized jackets with long, fluttering front panels that tapered into dangly V-shapes, pairing them with generously cut cropped pants. Some of the jackets were fitted with trompe l’oeil flaps on one side, while others had lapels that morphed into scarves.

Models in bulky overcoats and bathrobe-inspired trenches traced half-moon shapes around the set, which was spread with chunks of coal — a reminder, Van Assche said, of the kind of warm, smoldering color he had in mind while designing the collection.

Sisters of Mercy’s “Temple of Love” reverberated through the dark, cavernous hall where the show — the most star-studded yet in the first three days of Paris’ menswear displays — took place.

Chanel uber-designer Karl Lagerfeld, a huge Dior Homme fan, took in the spectacle from his first row perch, which he shared with French Vogue editor-in-cheif Carine Roitfeld and fashion photographer Mario Testino.

From left: Jean Paul Gaultier; Louis Vuitton; Junya Watanabe.

THE fall men’s season began here seriously, almost reluctantly, with its nose in a book. That was the sense conveyed in the dark, gold-flecked tweeds at Louis Vuitton, the layers of jackets and vests over untucked white shirts, a style that somehow suggests laundresses and narcissism. When was the last time a designer claimed Franz Kafka as an inspiration?

Well, on Thursday, pal. Meanwhile people in the audience were tweeting about Kanye West’s boots, the spell of Vienna and discretion broken by 140 characters.

Many of the new clothes looked interesting and sane, though in the case of Louis Vuitton, insanely expensive. More than in his previous collections for  Click here to Read Complete Post »

AFTER spending the week in Milan, the fashion pack decamps to Paris today for the first day of the Menswear shows in the City of Light.

Couturier Alexis Mabille opens proceedings today with his second solo men’s show, followed by some of the giants of French fashion, including Louis Vuitton and Jean Paul Gaultier. Tomorrow sees Yves Saint Laurent and Givenchy showcase their menswear offerings alongside some of fashion’s more subversive names, including John Galliano, Junya Watanabe, Rick Owens, Commes des Garcons and Kris van Assche.

The weekend brings the short Paris Menswear schedule to a close, with Hugo Boss, Dunhill, Hermes, Paul Smith and Lanvin lining up with Maison Martin Margiela, Raf Simons and Dior Homme to round off the week, before the couture shows begin on Monday.