There's a certain irony to the fact that Kris Van Assche showed his collection in the Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie, a space dedicated to natural specimens: rocks, crystals, gemstones and minerals. This collection was resolutely man-made, clearly dedicated to the man in the city, not the man outdoors. Van Assche was thinking about concrete this season hence the sense of brutal modernity. That came through in the palette: city greys and blues, mixed in with pinstripe (a nod to those city boys that frequent the concrete towers). He'd cast his eye to nature in some ways though by referencing camouflage, hence those blown-up abstract patterns on knits and suits.
This catered to a man who wants to fit in and look his best in the urban jungle without attracting too much attention. It's apt then that this collection didn't hit hard, it appeared and left without much fuss, fanfare or emotion. Maybe that was the point given the references to disguise. That said, the few jewel tones that crept in - in particular on those metallic parkas - went some way in competing with the beauty of the rocks surrounding us.
