"I'd been concentrating so much on tailoring for the past few seasons that I wanted to return sportswear, yet still exposing the quality of the clothes at the same time," Van Assche said backstage after the show, staged in a large indoor tennis complex re-imagined as an elegant minimalist neo-classical villa. Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche's vision for fall was entirely military in its well-spring - from Desert Storm capes and border guards parkas to officers mesh jackets and naval slickers.
The entire first half was in khaki green, most models wore corporal's caps, and the whole cast marched out parade ground style five abreast at the finale. Yet nothing in this highly polished performance was in anyway literal. Van Assche might have riffed on regimental references, but the result was a very classy take on modern sportswear.
