For a few designers such as Alessandro Sartori at Z Zegna the Spring/Summer 2010 marked the return of the dandy, an elegantly dressed man completely immersed in a contemporarily modern and urban environment.
Junya Watanabe thought instead about perfect gentlemen of the sort you would find at golf clubs.
The first looks at Watanabe’s catwalk shows were basically reinterpretations of the classic plaid golf jacket, worn with a scarf around the neck and matched with cropped trousers or with pants rolled up at the ankles and accessorised with flat caps.
Even ripped and mended denim trousers looked elegant, pocket squares added a final snobbish touch to the outfits while tailored jackets-cum-hoods were the only casual and slightly surreal elements the Japanese designer opted for.
There was even an interesting collaboration between Watanabe and Scottish raincoat company Mackintosh that resulted in tailored trench coats in beige or sporty jackets in bright shades of blue and dark green.
Everything was crisp and prim also in the finale with models striding down the catwalk in white (or checked) shirts and shorts accessorised with berets and neck scarves.
There was a sense of tribalism with primitive necklaces that looked like bones or random amulets at Blaak’s.
Swastikas were given back their meaning of sacred Hindu symbols and printed on shirts, and models looking like gurus sported relaxed tops and pants matched with biker jackets.
Despite the urban guru look, the best pieces were actually the slightly more tailored ones, such as the suits with bright thick red stripes or the black jackets, shirts and trousers.
You could argue there wasn’t anything too new at Thierry Mugler Homme’s, after all pastel coloured suits, plaid jackets, block coloured luxurious light cardigans or suits in bright shades of orange, tomato red and turquoise aren’t entirely new to the world of contemporary menswear.
Yet Rosemary Rodriguez displayed a sartorial precision in particular in the linen suits that revealed the potential to conquer also more mature men.
Robotic shoulder pads only appeared in a grey jacket with a peach pink embroidered motif, the only flamboyant look together with a tailored beige jacket with rather ample lapels and big splotches of acid yellow paint, though it must be highlighted they were both welcomed addition to the collection.
With his S/S 2010 designs Rick Owens tried to say sorry for some nasty comments he made about the average American tourist’s attire. This purpose didn’t obviously convince him to abandon his gothic inspirations.
Owens decided indeed to filter a few classics from the American wardrobe - from denim jackets to oversized T-shirts and pants - through his gothic heart.
The result was pleasant when the designer incorporated dark denim triangles into his jackets and coats or used denim for his traditional aprons.
Owens also played with his shirts and tops, adding sheer inserts or cutting them in a sharp and geometrical way and also turned classic bum bags into a sort of flat accessory, almost a part of his trousers.
As much as Owens tried to add some refreshing elements in his collection, his gothic imprint was extremely recognisable and you wonder how long his variations in gothic fashion will go on.
Rather than designing the umpteenth collection with his signature pieces in reinvented fabrics, 
he should maybe channel his talent towards a new direction and maybe concentrate on reduced capsule collections of jackets and coats, after all, nobody can resist a good piece of outerwear that can last you forever, many of us can instead to without the umpteenth apron, top or pair of baggy trousers.
There couldn’t be anything more strikingly different to Rick Owens than a Walter Van Beirendonck’s catwalk show.
His burly and bearded models strode down the catwalk wearing colourful mock-croc jackets in neon orange and acid green, shiny kaftan-like blazers, jumpsuits left open on hairy bellies and shirts with appliquéd tone-on-tone pockets forming the word “Hi” or the letter “W” and trousers with pockets shaped like the designer’s signature lighting bolt.
Entitled “Wonder”, the collection featured many interesting bits and pieces, including some multi-coloured sneakers, though, 
it’s recommendable to wear just one Walter Van Beirendonck item rather than going for the full look to avoid the unpleasant “I may be a mature man but I’m still going to a rave party as if it were 1989”-effect.
The truly wonderful part of the collection were actually the glasses - a collaboration with Linda Farrow - that featured colourful frames and interchangeable lenses.
Quite a few designers displayed for the next season what could be only defined as the “North Africa-meet-the West” syndrome, a not so rare obsession that ended up characterising many Spring/Summer 2010 collections.
Among the designers struck by this syndrome we should include also Kris Van Assche that, and this must be highlighted, tried to make this look more personal, taking traditional elements of Western wear and filtering them through North African inspirations and streetwear.
Shirts were elongated and turned into tunics that looked like Indian kurtas while contrasts were created by matching tailored long jackets with long djellaba-like shirts and ample hip hop trousers.
The layered look prevailed and it worked at its best in layered white, pale/dark grey looks that mixed more traditionally tailored garments with items characterised by an innovative cut.
Maybe it was the headgear or the pleated skirt that emerged from the jacket, but Comme des Garçons’s collection had something about it that reminded of the costumes of the Greek Evzones, the elite soldiers who guard the tomb of the unknown soldiers and the Parliament building in Athens.
Kawakubo’s pleated skirts looked indeed like the traditional Greek foustanelas and they were employed also as a sort of anarchic element to be worn with pin striped suits. Yet, on a more careful inspection, you realised the deconstructive theme prevailed throughout the collection.
Pieces of jumpers, cardigans, pockets, scarves and ties were indeed stitched onto shirts or jackets, as if garments had exploded and then had been randomly reassembled together.
The randomness revealed itself as a careful study in deconstruction in a white jacket of nautical inspiration over which a thick braided sailor’s jumper had been stitched.
Different prints clashed and combined together and the patchwork theme was reused also at the very end with a series of shirts in which pockets in different fabrics and bowties had been stitched.
There were quite a few garments at Cerruti’s that made you hope in a much-needed company restyling.
Jean-Paul Knott fused the company’s knowledge in fabrics with his own minimalist inspirations and came up with rather pleasant looks 
with a high retail potential.
Luxury was one of the main prerogatives and this was also shown by silk garments and leather jackets, yet neat cardigans and tops and well-cut safari jackets may not be enough to rise the interest of a younger customer base.
Riccardo Tisci is definitely finding his way at Givenchy.
The main inspiration behind the S/S 2010 collection was Morocco, though there were a few references to the costumes Tisci was meant to design for Michael Jackson before the singer died.
Star-studded pieces were indeed what remains of a glamorous wardrobe, while immaculate white or black streamlined suits and black trousers with a cummerbund integrated in the waist were dedicated to Givenchy’s more elegant customers.
Tisci’s iconic look - classic Bermudas worn over leggings - returned also in this collection, accompanied by drop crotch jersey trousers and shirts with keffiyeh-style prints in traditional black and white or in black and red.
The latter introduced the North African influence on the runway but also helped the designer presenting the more casual and sporty looks, while tartan shirts and Bermudas decorated with metal studs and spikes added a punk touch to the looks.
Mesh tank tops and ample shorts evoked the world of sportswear, while gladiator footwear and peep toe boots covered in studs were a variation of the sandals seen so far during the S/S 2010 menswear catwalk shows.
While you naturally wonder how long can actually last the love affair between fashion and keffiyehs (a trend has been now going on for quite a while), Tisci confirms for the time being among the most promising designers Givenchy has had so far, yet only time will tell about his potential and his genuine talent.
Napoleon Bonaparte and Lawrence of Arabia may not have much in common between themselves, yet John Galliano tried to bring the two men together on the same runway.
Though for his menswear collection Galliano showed his usual theatricality, his tendency to verge towards costume design rather than fashion was this time perfectly balanced.
There may have been corsairs, emperors and explorers on the runway, but their looks were entirely created by using Galliano’s new 
designs: sarongs or fabric belts tied around the waists of the models revealed themselves as shirts; brocaded jackets with embroidered cuffs were actually beautiful modern coats and the ripped transparent veils that covered Galliano’s Lawrence of Arabia look-alikes didn’t hid away what they were wearing, but actually highlighted the tailored suits and impeccable military leather jackets.
Galliano closed his catwalk show with his own interpretation of 
Napoleon as an emaciated vampiric versions of Bonaparte that seemed to have stepped off Abel Gance’s late 20s silent film. Galliano's Bonapartes were clad in beautiful black coats that were among the most covetable pieces of the entire collection.
While at Galliano one transformation followed the other, Raf Simons opted for more classic looks with a few yet strikingly innovative details added.
The first suits that strode down the catwalk were characterised by ample shoulders and a relaxed fit, but, little by little, new details were added that altered the prevailing classicism: coloured nylon sleeves were applied to trench coats; triple zips were integrated into bomber jackets; belts tied around the waist altered the silhouette of the jacket and coloured parachute-like harnesses replaced buttons.
Snake head shaped buckles and little metallic snakes coiled around the belts became one of the main motif and soon the leather belts tied around the jackets or coiling around the necks of the models turned into real snakes, printed on white trousers or on nude coloured sheer shirts.
One of the most interesting details was actually the way Simons left open some jackets around the sleeves allowing them to reveal the jumper worn underneath.
This was originally a Renaissance trend, dictated by laws that prescribed people should wear clothing of only one colour. As a consequence, men and women began slashing their clothes to expose the contrasting colour of the linings underneath.
It was interesting to see this trend resurfacing: who knows, maybe in recession times we may be slashing old garments to reveal just the one single new garment we will be able to afford underneath.
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