Women are lonely out there! And we don’t suggest this as an introduction to the latest Oprah segment. What we mean is that women are lonely being perennially more stylish than their male counterparts. Come fall, first time menswear designers Viktor&Rolf , Leflesh and Veronique Branquinho are making sure that men are decked in equally smart, albeit more subdued fashions, to achieve style synchronicity with their women. None of the above labels chose to launch their menswear lines among the bevy of runway shows last month in Milan or Paris. Viktor&Rolf opted instead for the Pitti Uomo tradeshow in Florence; Leflesh and Branquinho went for quiet showrooms in Milan and Paris respectively to debut their duds. The Dutch duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren furtively dressed and undressed on stage to show archetypal menswear uniform; the commuter in trench coat, the student in sweatshirt and varsity letters, the dancer in top hat and so on. Leflesh dressed up their man less flashy but no less luxurious than their racy female sidekicks. Deluxe options came in the form of chilled out merino knits mingling with rich sweat fabrics, strong leather bombers and utility coats. Veronique Branquinho’s mannish designs for women proved an easy translation for men. In customary sober style, Branquinho served up leather trenches, sweet turtlenecks and button downs and levelled her signature killer cut onto men’s pants, all with a schoolboy wink. These lines will have women standing proud with their men next season.

- Jason Campbell
Photo: Leflesh Fall 2003