PHOTO: Recession Makes Men Masculine

The rock star has become a broker dressed in a three piece suit, spiced up with a tie, bow tie or scarf.

Last season, designers massively presented their vision of a man, with many details that shouted metro, and brought manhood into question. However, with the presentation of a new collection for the season autumn/winter 2009/2010, one thing is clear: the new vision is manly and simple, has a leisure look, and offers the possibility of combining cuts and dark colour tones.

Remember Gucci’s collection for autumn/winter 2008/2009 in which Frida Giannini’s vision of men became a rock star with kitsch elements from Russian tradition. A year later, the Italian fashion house stripped their man of his riches, and instead of silk bandanas around the neck, they tied a thin tie on a collared shirt, aiming for certainty. So their rock star transformed into a serious business man. The belts and wild look has become ironed and polished, because as most designers claim, the recession is in people’s heads. We ask ourselves is this the brake that influenced creativity? A wild rock star has become a calm broker!

However, one thing is certain besides the ties, collared shirts and jackets – the cut of the pants remains the same, they are still tight around the legs. There is no more layered dressing, glamorous details, or experiments in shaping the silhouette, the man wears a three piece suit to work, spiced up with a tie, and in his free time an overcoat, and for sports events a feather jacket. Dark tones like shades of blue, green, grey, black and white enable combinations with no possibility of mistakes, and some collections include warmer tones of red to bring light to the darkness.

Strict cuts rule the season, whilst the silhouette is softened by “tightening the belt” at the waist. Whilst designer houses like Versace and Armani concentrated on business suits, Prada placed buckles on their clothing, showing that fashion hurts to the touch. Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana have brought their D&G line to life with bohemia costume elements, mixing traditional English cuts and uniforms. Underneath that, like a message from the harsh reality and economic climate, were t-shirts with a print of the picture “Leonidas at Thermopylae” by Jacques-Louis David’s. The designers are in a battle for market positions.