[An Nahar] Kilts made a comeback at the Paris menswear shows Thursday courtesy of Japan's Yohji Yamamoto while Louis Vuitton looked east to another national costume for inspiration.To the wail of bagpipes, models sporting beards and every conceivable style of whiskers from Dali and fu manchu to handlebar and walrus teamed Yamamoto's 21st century take on the kilt with ties, hats and long flowing woollens.
Double breasted jackets combined with the facial hair conjured up an Edwardian gents look with red and black tartan and mauve adding a splash of color for winter. Trousers -- where they did feature -- were cut short.
For his fourth collection for Louis Vuitton, Briton Kim Jones, working with artistic director Marc Jacobs, said he had traveled to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan for inspiration.
"A collection is often an actual journey for us. It comprises what you take with you and what you bring back both physically and mentally from the experience," he said.
Unspoilt by mass tourism due to restricted access, Bhutan "still had that mystery surrounding it... almost a fantasy idea as well as a real place... the only place where snow leopards and tigers cross paths," he added.
Silk robes in a "Garden in Hell" print by British artists Jake and Dinos Chapman resembled the gho, the heavy, knee-length garment worn by Bhutanese men, and its traditional checks and stripes featured in much of the collection's suiting.
A snow leopard pattern and motif recurred throughout the collection.
In other looks, "the figure of the gentleman climber is compared and contrasted with Bhutanese traditions and symbols", the house said, with soft structured jackets and coats in Bhutanese Yak felt and Himalayan stone buttons.