
Androgyny Now–Hidden under a mop of jet black disheveled hair, the boys of Comme des Garçons told a tale of unadulterated rebellion. Fashions for the elegant punk, a long coat, pulled in at the waist delivered charm in quaint varieties, ranging from polka dots and somber black to discreet etchings. Complemented with pleated skirts and cape jackets, large floral prints made a divine statement, knowing no bounds and lending Rei Kawakubo’s misfit a soft touch, fused with moderate angst. Finished with large bows tied at the neck and petite heels, ready for the catwalk, Comme des Garçons delivered a welcomed collection of means and mode.

Psychedelic Elegance–A keynote of any Dries Van Noten collection, prints really spoke great volumes this season. Taking Oscar Wilde’s dandy and lending him an attitude befitting of music artist Frank Zappa, the season was Van Noten’s canvas. Keeping fall’s inspirations on a tight leash, the backbone of the collection was entrusted to sharp overcoats and pleated trousers, narrow and wide. With fine form at the collection’s heart, next came exciting prints in vivid colors. Dressing sweaters and pants for a psychedelic reemergence, Van Noten no doubt made a loud statement, but also delivered charm subtly with finer print motifs and luxurious fabrications such as velvet driving his effortless elegance home.

Simplicity in Color–First to hit the catwalk for Issey Miyake was a lineup of textured knits and trousers, cut loose with significant pleating. Delivering quite the number of colors against a core grounded in gray, color, texture and shape gave the new collection definition. A combination of keen attention to silhouette and the nurturing of an aesthetic, the options remained limited but excelled in the sense of selling the label’s finer points. Marrying an eastern school of thought with western ideology, relaxed jackets, shirting and trousers were mixed and matched for an endless wardrobe of laid-back style options featuring a distinguished harmony.

Boys, Boys, Boys–For my second day of this new exclusive ‘Casting Call Diaries’ series for The Fashionisto, I chased models across Paris from Haussmann buildings by the Chicissime Avenue Montaigne and Avenue de L’Opéra to some more industrial photo studios in more popular districts; out of a slightly ambitious program of eight castings I managed to cover six : Dior Homme, Mugler, Louis Vuitton, Arnys, Yohji Yamamoto and Alexis Mabille … This journey proved to be pretty intense behind the camera due to the amount of models who would never miss giving it a chance at castings for such major shows even if they have to carry an umbrella, but granted me to pin to my list of daily trophies the likes of Yuri Pleskun, rising star Bapstiste Radufe, Nicolas Ripoll, Matvey Lykov, Douglas Neitzke, Lyle Lodwick, Corey Baptiste, Paul Boche, Victor Nylander, Alexander Johansson, Juan Manuel Arancibia, Alexander Beck, Julien Chanca etc, some newer faces such as Andrea Bellisario, Timmi Radicke, Julius Gerhardt, Jay or Noma Han for instance and even the freshest first timers you can imagine : Justus Eisfeld (who doesn’t even have a paris agency yet) or Isaac Ekblad (who came to Paris to visit his family and was only discovered today by an agency scout as he was walking in the street !) … Also snapped were designers Romain Kremer (Mugler) and Alexis Mabille … check this space for more to come very soon !

Black & Gold–Cole Mohr, Lyle Lodwick, Yuri Pleskun (Request) and Jonatan Frenk (Next) deliver a mischievously good time for a new story in Common & Sense Man’s fall/winter 2011 issue. Photographed by Christophe Kutner, the infectious lot of characters are outfitted by Christian Stroble in this season’s lineup from Diesel Black Gold.

New York-based photographer Samantha West reunites with Ford model Lyle Lodwick for Yestadt Milinery’s upcoming spring 2012 outing.

Lyle Lodwick made his debut in 2009 and has built a portfolio, enviable by many others, in a short period of time. This New Yorker has been causing quite the sensation and catching the attention of the major players in the industry. He has been the face of Topman, Barneys, Diesel, Uniqlo, Marc Jacobs, Levi’s and Sisley. Lyle has been embraced by the industry with open arms and it did not take him long to appear in top publications such as Vogue Hommes Japan, Details, Dazed & Confused and VMAN.