The main story at tuxedo specialist Pallas this fall was the fabric selection. Designer Daniel Pallas said the trigger was Donald J. Trump, as an embodiment of “everything French people dislike,” including what she described as Vegas-style showbiz artificiality. Hence lurex tweed, iridescent ottoman, a damask with a python design and moiré lurex were picked for their potential for gaudiness. Colors echoed the dazzle of neon lighting — purple, citrus, hot pink — and competed for attention with the flash of metaled fabrics.
Variations on the Pallas wardrobe of smoking options are subtle from one season to the next. Truth be told, they are perhaps not even the point. Think of them as proposals: a seam here, a dart there are as much style evolutions as they are hooks towards adjustments. Jackets nipped in just a little more. Shirts dipped low, went sheer or were absent altogether. New this season were trousers with a flare leg, or cut as jeans with a back pocket. To wit: the collection was a Parisienne playing up to Sin City without resorting to showgirl tricks — or dresses. After all, “elegance is refusal,” Coco Chanel said.