It is the little things which make the big difference in menswear. No one expects radical change from one season to the next - or indeed even over years. Instead, the changes are so gradual as to be almost imperceptible to the unobservant eye and this, after all, is the kind possessed by most men.
So, the shifts in the Paris menswear collections last week were of the subtlest sort. The most seismic of all was a modest softening of the silhouette from the very sharp-cut style of the past few seasons. This was most evident at Yohji Yamamoto's show, probably because he chose to show all the clothes on women. Not just any women, however, but the likes of former Chanel model-turned retailer Ines de la Fressange, actress Charlotte Rampling and designer Vivienne Westwood. The last of these, somewhat shorter in stature and less rangy than the others, looked thrilled to be on the catwalk as she strutted around in baggy pants and jackets. Yamamoto's clothes are always cut loose but on this occasion they looked as though waiting for their occupants to grow a size or two. The best pieces were roomy Bugsy Malone-like suits worn with equally large white shirts, and almost floor-length raglan-shouldered coats with fur collars. Squashy cossack hats in pastel shades completed this look, while coarse black wool jackets with white blanket stitching was offered as an alternative.
Women in men's clothing is now a commonplace, but what about men venturing into what is traditionally women's territory. Jean-Paul Gaultier has long been an advocate of skirts for men, without finding much support from other quarters. Last week, however, Commes des Garcons presented something of a compromise; a combination skirt and trouser. The former was box-pleated and to the knee, fastening on the left hip with two leather straps in the manner of a kilt. It then wrapped around the right leg and connected with the trousers below. A longer, sarong version was also proposed, and was reminiscent of Afghan costume when worn with a jacket. Generally soft-shouldered, jackets were constructed with fine flaps of extraneous fabric running vertically down the body and sleeves.
The middle east provided inspiration for Kenzo as well. His collection was the best-received of the season, ending with a standing ovation for the designer and his army of models, many of whom had Arab scripts painted onto their facesand necks; presumably someone checked that these would cause no offence to Muslims. The overall look at Kenzo tended to be large and layered. There were, for example, djellaba-like shirts worn with sweaters and jackets above and baggy pants beneath. This could best be described as Palestinian refugee chic - or perhaps that should be sheik. Colours here, as almost everywhere else, were from the more sombre end of the spectrum; plenty of grey and brown, with a certain amount of chalk and pinstripe being almost the only form of pattern permitted. Typical of the suits was a six-button, double-breasted model, the jacket cut loose with a single vent at the back and trousers flaring from the knee. Again, as seemed to be a definite trend, the best coats were almost to the ankle with slightly sloping shoulders.
Dries Van Noten used to be the designer with the most obvious debt to the orient, but he seems to have largely eschewed that for next autumn/winter. Held in the main hall of La Villette, his show glittered with a thousand tiny light; guests were given miner's lamps which many immediately wore on their heads in time-honoured fashion. As always, there was plenty of layering here; relaxed, shawl-collared jackets over chunky ribbed poloneck sweaters and trousers without pleats at the waist but flared at the base. An occasional outbreak of colour - a turquoise single-breasted coat, another double-breasted style in bright red corduroy - broke through the otherwise dark palette in which black, brown, navy and forest green predominated.
Cultures closer to home were explored in other collections. As usual, Paul Smith flew the traditional British flag with a rather dull show in which all the usual formulae - the bold Prince of Wales check, the Crombie-style coat, the dandyish velvet frockcoat and trousers - were remorselessly examined. A few elements stood out: mohair devore suits in plum or slate blue and chinoiserie embroidery of butterflies and flowers on a grey flannel jacket and pants. For most of the time, though, Smith retrod familiar paths which will no doubt please his existing admirers but made for a rather dull occasion.
Rykiel Homme, naturally, opted to promote French fashion's hegemony. So this was understated style de luxe, full of impeccably finished suits, the jackets usually sporting three-buttons and the pants flat-fronted with fairly narrow legs. Although not as long as elsewhere, coats came to several inches below the knee and, of course, velvet was the preferred fabric for evening clothes. Casual trousers were slightly flared, micro-nylon bomber jackets had fur collars or linings and knitwear came as a twin-set of zip-front cardigan and hooded sweater.
And finally to John Rocha, who on Saturday evening showed a collection inspired by this country's traditional horse fairs. This meant lots of tweed, a fabric not much seen of late, in flecked black and white or herringbone and employed for suits and coats. Pinstripe also turned up regularly. Trousers were more flared here than anywhere else, sometimes with turnups and long enough to trail on the ground. Large black poloneck sweaters were ribbed on the neck and sleeves while the main body had horizontal strips of coloured mohair. Crombie-like coats in nubuck with fur collars looked as though better suited to used-car salesmen than horse dealers, but after all, it is unlikely many habitues of Ballinasloe annual fair are regular Rocha clients. Still, it was interesting to speculate how the designer's leitmotif of this collection might be received on such an occasion. A swirl of embroidered jet beading, the design snaked around marabou-trimmed scarves, the arms of jackets, the collars of coats and down long mohair sweaters. Such embellishment could look a touch out of place among the traders.