Menswear Spring 2010, from left to right: Comme des Garcons; Prada; Raf Simons; Yves Saint Laurent. Photos: men.style.com

First Milan, then Paris--the Men’s Spring 2010 shows have come to a close.
 
Menswear is starting to loosen up this season--baggy trousers, harem and drop-crotched pants and drapery knits are all important trends for Spring 2010. Stripes were a popular choice this season and somber grays and blacks were accented with splashes of bright red and orange, red-violet or azure and icy blues.

There were over 60 menswear shows for Spring 2010, and below are my top four picks. These designers displayed innovative points-of-view and stood out among this strangely homogenized season.

Comme des Garcons—Rei Kawakubo, the designer behind Commes des Garcons, showed an exuberantly cheerful and upbeat collection. Semi-fitted neutral jackets were covered in a collage of bright stripes, plaids, patterned and solid fabrics and chunks of aran knits. Paired with cropped drop-crotch trousers or knee-length shorts the looks were fresh. There were black and navy suits adorned with tassels of fabric and worn with white shirts, similar to common attire seen amongst the Hasidic Jew community. Not only are the pieces completely wearable, they also present an extremely different and refreshing viewpoint of menswear!

Prada—Inspired by film noir, Miuccia Prada presented a gray-dominated collection of tailored coats, jackets, trousers and shorts in small graphic weaves or mélanges overtop layers of jersey mesh accompanied by Liberty-inspired print mock turtlenecks. Small diamond and circle perforations covered sharp lace-ups and fedoras. It was a sober, modern look softened by the peek-a-boo effect of skin beneath layers of knit mesh.

Raf Simons- Raf Simons showed a collection of sharply tailored black suits where belts wrapped around and cinched the waist and snakes provided graphic interest in prints. Belted waists created an emphasized hourglass shaped torso, a unique silhouette this season. After a decade of designing menswear, Simons is looking for “a new man” to dress--using this collection as the Genesis for his next decade of design.

Yves Saint Laurent—Stefano Pilati sent out a dark, sensuous collection filled with baggy trousers paired with tailored jackets, draped knits, and oversized outerwear. Masculine dark-colored fabrics, and the feminine folds and drapes of oversized pieces created an interesting tension in each look.
 
Overall, I was not overwhelmed by the menswear presented for Spring 2010. Though the majority of shows had garments that were completely wearable, the viewpoints shared by most designers about men and what they can, and are willing, to wear became tedious and begged for more creativity, intuition and communication with their customers.