Here’s a fun fact for you: Donna Karan, she of the Seven Easy Pieces, black jersey and bodysuits, is the daughter of a custom tailor. That explains her supremely chic emphasis on haute haberdashery for fall, but what to make of the fact that almost every designer out there joined in on her mannish ode to the power woman? By collections’ end, menswear was one of the reigning trends —with precision-cut tailoring and pants, two major must-haves of the season. Chalk it up to a funny little thing called the fashion zeitgeist.
Of course, not everyone worked the motif à la Karan, with sexy pinstripes and a Marlene Dietrich vibe. Derek Lam went sportif and slightly bookish…
…the Proenza Schouler boys found inspiration in the Far East (by way of New York) and Jil Sander Navy was — what else? — beautifully spare.
Burberry Prorsum‘s Christopher Bailey contrasted his usual city chic with countrified tweeds, herringbones and glen plaids…
…while others offered a more feminine counterpoint to all the mensy touches Carolina Herrera, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana, to name a few.
“I love how strong and confident women appear when wearing clothes inspired by menswear,” says Prabal Gurung, who took things one step further, piling trend atop trend, with a cool cocktail of terrific tailoring and head-to-toe prints. In the end, the designers’ executions may be brilliantly different, but the underscoring message is the same: This fall, there’s no place like homme.
What are your favorite menswear-inspired looks? Show us! Pin items from Saks.com and Tweet @Saks with a link to your board!