The "shorts suit" with many pieces featuring part-satin patchwork ran through Van Assche's collection for summer 2014.
"It all started in Miami where I felt really ridiculous in a tuxedo on the beach so I really wanted to mix the formal and the informal," the Dior Homme creative director said backstage after the show.
"The idea is that you can change pants and jackets through the whole collection. Some of them are boxes, some of them are fitted, some of them have sleeves, some of them don't... the challenge was to bring a lot of variation," he said.
The collection mixed lightweight leathers and wools with nylons and knits.
Van Assche, who also has his own label, summed up the patchwork as "tuxedos meeting with sportswear".
"In the patchwork I mix both to make it cool and evening. The patchwork is really like the buildings in Miami. It's patchwork but in a very minimal way," he said.
The Belgian designer, who also has his own label, added in a statement that he wanted to avoid the rigid rules and regulations that frequently stifled fashion.
"Above all I wanted to build the human and the fun element back into a collection," he said.
"Menswear felt desperate for a sense of fun, something light. At the same time, if something is light, it doesn't mean it isn't serious in its intent."
Chanel couturier Karl Lagerfeld who attended the show praised the collection as "very elegant", in particular pieces in smoked grey and aubergine.
Five days of menswear collections wrap up on Sunday when they give way to four days of haute couture.
source: interaksyon.com
