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Viktor & Rolf’s Surrealist Spilt Suits

The split suit, or dividing up the classic men’s combination by varying the fabric from top to bottom, is not a terribly new idea, but it was given a wickedly memorable surrealist spin in the latest menswear collection by Viktor & Rolf, presented in Paris on Thursday morning, Jan. 20.

This was a chronological show, in the sense that it began with a model in pajamas, next in white boxer shorts, black knee socks and confident white shirt before gradually developing a succession of suits. When they did emerge they were lean and crisp, rather like the designers themselves - Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren.

After coordinating many looks, like featuring a crimson T-shirt and red tartan shoes with a blood orange red wool suit, they began splitting the suits with various contrasts in this fall 2011 collection. Pants in ribbed jerseys and jackets in similar but thicker material, trousers in corduroy and jackets in a wider cord – the later paired with contrasting corduroy boots, again in a different thread size – or jackets paired with long-john style pants, the duo riffed on the whole concept with considerable aplomb.

“We were discussing what exactly is a suit? It’s two pieces of clothing in the same fabrics, and I suppose the masculine uniform. But we thought let’s look at it in a different way, let’s break it up, and be a little surreal, which there is always a touch of in our collections,” Snoeren said.

The designers’ other smart move was some great tailoring tricks around the collar, most spectacular a tulip neck sheepskin coat that will look great in editorial pages.

V&R have always been able to stage clever shows, but too often their men’s collections seemed a tad too quaint, i.e. charming but somewhat insubstantial. Not this season, where they presented a plausible yet quirky wardrobe of men’s clothes that was thoroughly modern and complete.

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