Bursting from the rigid seams of tradition, menswear’s last major contribution to the masses came in the form of the indie rock boys. This masculine obsession with anorexia had long run its course.

Leading the new charge, Kris van Assche has deservedly drawn the curtains on his predecessor’s reign at Dior. Laying claim to the new male silhouette, slouchy, fluid and uncompromising on comfort, the perfect response to the skintight groupie-ism that came before. Its timing has been perfect, while most appreciators of menswear were fixated by Damir Doma’s monk-inspired garb, few would embrace that sort of statement as their uniform.

The timing of Dior’s newfound success and Damir Doma’s rising popularity is of no coincidence. The former provides men with a less dramatic line to tread on, tailored looks that offer the same slouch and serenity while preserving a sense of structure. In the new Dior form, some may see traces of Japanese deconstruction, in loose fitted silhouettes like in collections from the ever relevant Yohji Yamamoto.

Van Assche’s measured departure from the norm conveys his ability to draw from the old guard’s success and current vanguards to deliver a product that resonates with and embraced by the market.

In that vein of serenity, there’s new blood in the form of South Korea’s Jeehee Sheen. There’s promise in his Spring/Summer collection, as much as there is in the new masculine form.

Valentino couture 2010

commongroundprojects:

In recent times, menswear has experienced a new lease of life. There have been experimental collections, monk-inspired draped garb and the reinvention of dandyism. When it comes down to what truly matters, thePerfectTangent is a menswear label with pragmatic solutions for men of subtlety and elegance. To view the label’s full S/S 2011 collection, click on the images below.

Visual guide to thePerfectTangent’s “Golden Ratio Fit”

via thePerfectTangent menswear

via ASVOF

let us not dictate what people wear but inspire expression instead.