Loosely inspired by Irving Penn’s portraits of Leonard Bernstein and T.S. Elliot, Paul Helbers filled his debut collection with terrific, solid classics. The designer’s goal was to create clothes that will appeal to all generations more concerned with comfort and quality than fashion.
In an attempt to coax reluctant men into sartorial suits and coats, the designer sought to make formal wear as light and soft as a jogging suit.
To wit: His impressive boxy double-breasted grey suit has been crafted from cotton, wool and alpaca jersey with the natural looking shoulder line of the jacket structured with an ultra light weight goat hair construction and the cropped length of the pant especially cut to avoid any flaring. In the more casual offering, the designer created some outerwear jackets and coats, some inspired from vintage military pieces and waterproofed.
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After years spent designing men’s for Maison Martin Margiela, Helbers has an eye for the smallest details, using, for example, only naturally dyed horn buttons or creating double pocketconstructions on tailored pants so they can be even more user friendly. Aligned with this design philosophy, his first shoe designed is a derby made with a Goodyear stitching construction on a supple sole. A restrained palette of gray, army green, navy, beige and ivory heightened the timeless factor.