Dior Homme's Affair With New Romanticism Derives From Kris Van Assche's Old Love

Having helmed the Dior Homme brand for almost a decade, Kris Van Assche has defined modern, tailored menswear. He’s known for his sleek, clean suits and intricate cuts, but the designer has been slowly loosening up. There were subtle hints of rebelliousness evident in his Spring/Summer 2016 collection, which saw the use of camouflage prints and hidden pops of color mixed in with a skateboarder aesthetic, and then fast forward to fall/winter and Van Assche has take us all back to the 1980’s in the heyday of New Romanticism and the Blitz Kids.

The stark change was inspired by Van Assche’s own past, which was flecked with club nights in Europe and flooded with the edgy youth culture he found in his home of Belgium and the nearby cities of Berlin and London. But the designer was more comfortable experimenting this time around, saying, “I have established Dior Homme’s luxury standing and now I can focus more on the younger and more fashion side of things.” He added, “Because I put my own eponymous brand on hold last year, more and more of my personality and my own style gets infused into the Dior Homme brand.”

In this editorial, we interpret Van Assche’s designs, channeling his inspirations into three distinct looks. Taking a page out of the New Romanticism era, we show that these pieces are versatile and wearable today for the fashion risk-taker.

Dior Homme’s 2016 spring/summer show set the stage for Van Assche’s inspiration. It was hosted at the Paris Tennis Club, which was transformed into an alternative nightclub-cum-skate park, much like the ones Van Assche frequented in his youth. Large screens displayed a film created by Willy Vanderperre, while skate ramps were littered all around. The mood was dark, young and unconventional. Tall, lanky young men with perfectly coiffed black-painted fingernails walked the runway against a heavy Nitzer Ebb soundtrack, donning Dior Homme pieces that meshed the house’s traditional style with an urban, young and contemporary aesthetic.

The New Wave (or also referred to as New Romantic) style that Van Assche set out to emulate actually originated as a response to Britain and Ireland’s punk scene in the 1980s. It is characterized by bold eyeliner, glamorous and extravagant styles inspired by more historical times. From spiky hair to lavish get-ups, the style is known for bold pieces such as Hussar-inspired jackets and Pelisse coats matched with silhouette-shifting layers and tight vest jackets. As a response to the anti-fashion, anti-establishment ethos of punk, New Romantics looked to dress elaborately, often in androgynous styles, as illustrated in this editorial through flowing baggy pants, elaborated printed materials and bold jewellery.

A big player in the New Wave style was Billy’s nightclub, eventually known as the Blitz. The establishment ran a Tuesday night “Club For Heroes” event, where patrons had to dress as creatively and as subversively as they could in order to be granted entry. Eventually, those involved in the Blitz were amiably known as the Blitz Kids, and were the influencers of their time. Because the style originated from clubs, it was greatly intertwined with music. David Bowie, Duran Duran and Boy George are probably the most recognizable proponents of the aesthetic, and so was their synth-pop/rock sound. This was probably best translated by Van Assche through the bass-booming stage on which his clothes were unveiled. “I treat every runway show like a movie, the music are the words,” said the designer. These silhouette-defying looks are also pieces that the Blitz Kids might have worn, from heavy floral prints (a nod to Christian Dior’s favorite flower) to heavily buckled boots that wouldn’t look out-of-place at a punk concert. These translated looks for ready-to-wear are nowhere near as elaborate as what the Blitz Kids wore in their heyday, but the inspiration is clear.

While the New Wave/Romantics trend was short-lived, but its influence is still around. For Kris Van Assche’s Dior collection, he wanted to reinvent, rework and repurpose the new wave look, translating it for modern day by fusing it with Dior Homme’s tailored reputation and modern day sportswear. Van Assche is obsessed with reworking traditional thinking, saying, “I find it very interesting to take these codes, letting them fight to create something new.” By creating this hybrid — a cross between new wave and sportswear, models donned skater pants matched with crisp suit shirts, and fingerless gloves matched with ribbons for neckties. The hooped jacket is a nod at the elaborate and excessive ethos of the New Wave style, a juxtaposition of today’s popular minimalist aesthetic, where additions are added for style, not function.

Mixing these together offered a fresh new take on the Dior man. No longer was he a structured, serious man, the quintessential Dior Homme is now younger and a little more rebellious. With frayed red edges juxtaposing the clean strong lines of a double breasted suit jacket, Van Assche has found Dior’s interpretation of a contemporary man — he’s one who isn’t afraid to take influences from the past, but is savvy and stylish enough to bring it to modern day while still looking sharp.

Perhaps Van Assche described it best, “The collection takes elements from the past and places them in the present to reflect on the way in which we live today. It’s a time for a contemporary generation.”

Stay tuned for Dior Homme’s upcoming menswear show at the end of June.