Van Beirendonck affords a theatrical ode to surreal sartorialism in Paris menswear assortment

PARIS (AP) — Walter Van Beirendonck, one of many final standing designers of the legendary Antwerp Six, delivered a menswear present Wednesday that blended surreal whimsy with biting social commentary at Paris Style Week.

As fashions paraded in outsized beige bowler hats and free ’70s examine fits with retro boho collars, the gathering danced between nostalgia and avant-garde theatrics.

In true Van Beirendonck model, enjoyable collided with the macabre. Edward Scissorhands appeared to hang-out the atelier, inspiring sharp-cut deconstructed fits with elongated faux fingers. Cranium-and-bone motifs have been playful winks on caps, whereas angular caterpillar shapes crept beneath sneaker-boots.

Headscarves borrowed from ’50s femininity have been reimagined into sculptural 3D objects, their summary types including a tactile depth.

Alien power infused the gathering, notably in a spidery face masks paired with these rounded, otherworldly fingers. The eerie but playful theme continued, complemented by a mourning black veil resembling a beekeeper’s hat — a nod to fragility amid the absurd.

The gathering was as a lot about pushing boundaries because it was about sartorial musings.

Whereas Van Beirendonck’s spectacles gained’t attraction to conventional tastes, his means to channel private and societal tensions into daring, wearable artwork stays unparalleled. Via his alien alphabets, absurdist headpieces and theatrical proportions, he continues to show that vogue, at its most compelling, is about daring to query.