by Philip Gamble

In spite of the obvious practical need to steer clear of black that many spring/summer lines feel the need to hold on to, Raf Simons' S/S 09 collection eschews seasonal necessity, opting for sunlight-absorbing black silhouettes. In one instance, Simons takes that classic mens staple - the tuxedo, and transforms it into a basic black all-in-one, which, whilst retaining some original attributes of the tux's design, manages to take a huge step away from formalwear. With capped sleeves and shorts resting above the knee, the shape of this piece, from which many other looks in the collection are built, echoes a kind of 20s bathing suit style.

Simons goes on to then build up from this basic shape, all constructed from the tux design.  Devoid of sleeves and collars, these pieces all feature a signature cut-out finish along the edges, which bear a resemblance to the open darts on tailor's cutting blocks.

There is talk of a definite deconstruct/reconstruct basis with this collection, but the slick finish on these pieces is very much to the contrary. It's this kind of dark uniformity that I hope to see more of in 2009, scrapping the requirement for light shades in exchange for  the pursuit of extreme tailoring and layering black on black, creating shadow-like forms on the body.

On a similar deconstructive bent, Rei Kawakubo's collection for Comme Des Garcons S/S 09 sees her wild-haired models sporting black-jackets-over-black-shirts-over-black-skirts/shorts-over-black-trousers (in that order), sending striking forms down the runway, and, like Raf Simons, bringing an element of uniformity to the spring summer shows with looks that can't help but remind me of 16th century puritanical attire. Needless to say, this collection exists almost entirely in black, underpinning Kawakubo's pre-show declaration, “In the end, black is best” - a suitable statement to outline the notion that nothing can quite come close to the subtexts of strength and solemnity that a figure clad in black can possess.

Also gracing the runways with shadowy figures, Ann Demeulemeester's spring collection feature some jaunty looks in all black, with wide brimmed hats and oddly-buttoned overcoats, I can't help but notice an element of the dickensian undertaker to this collection, which, like Raf Simons' pieces, play with more of these interesting variations on the tuxedo jacket.

For me, this is so indicative of the kind of approach both of these Belgian designers take towards pushing menswear to new grounds, and with Dior Homme also introducing some dark looks to their spring collections, you can't help but feel Kris Van Assche has taken some tips from these more directional designers, assembling black gloss on black matt, it definitely flavoured this otherwise colour-heavy collection with a touch of austerity, proving that for many, black is more a compulsion than a seasonal preference, and should be celebrated as such.