Under the ruling of Kris Van Assche, Dior Homme may have relaxed its silhouette, and some of the die-hard Hedi Slimane subjects have been quite skeptical of Van Assche’s reign, but one undeniable fact is that Kris Van Assche has quite successfully put the Dior Homme sneakers in the spotlight. And, has also won over a good portion of the sneakerheads who were previously just as skeptical about luxury sneakers. This season, Van Assche goes a little retro and tugs at the sneaker purists’ heart strings with this retro-styled low-top “Germany Sneaker”.

While Dior Homme is spearheaded creatively by Kris Van Assche, for its Fall/Winter 2010 campaign, Karl Lagerfeld was responsible for the photography. The new Fall/Winter 2010 season’s styling seems to channel a little bit of James Dean and a little bit of Elvis Presely a la the 1960s film, “G.I. Blues”. Model Oleg Antosik’s hair appears to be modeled after the longish buzz cut that Presely spotted in the film. Even though the collection was very much about the traveling urbanite, swishing silhouettes and a dark, neutral palette, the campaign conveys a mid-century, old-world cool and the great Americana masculinity. Leather bombers layered over khaki suits? This is one look that should definitely be brought back!

Kitsuné seems quite determined to stay preppy– not that the label doesn’t do it well, and keep it timely with an urban edge– as last season, the French duo worked along the theme of “Golf Club”, and this coming season for Fall/Winter 2010, things stay on the elite with the “Ivy League”. Of course, thinking about the Ivy League, one can’t go without the collegiate crew neck sweatshirts. However, instead of calling on the Harvard Crimson or your standard Ivy League schools, Kitsuné has prepared a little sartorial lesson plan with a clean graphic grey sweat shirt made by Japan’s Loopwheeler, who is known for his extremely delicate and meticulously spun yarn (which produces some of the softest hoodies you will ever know). The grey sweater is printed with a tonal “Je Suis Alle Au College Kitsuné Clothes”, which translates to “I Went To College Kitsune”.

Feeling a little nostalgic but not ready to bring your beer-stained college sweatshirt into the daylight? The new Loopwheeler for Kitsuné sweater is now available at the Tres Bien Shop.

The sneaker game has been evolving into a complex playing field of with multiple planes crisscrossing, overlapping and dividing. As luxury labels such as Gucci starts getting down and low onto the street level and certain heritage sportswear labels go the opposite direction and work with the high-end names (Pro-Keds collaboration with Richard Chai), there are new sneaker labels who come into the game with a simple desire to create good dress sneakers for men who want comfort but would not sacrifice sophistication and style. One such label is the new sneaker maker, Ateliers Arthur from San Diego. Combining styles of dress shoes with sneakers and a carefully curated line-up of luxury material, the hybridization of sneakers cater to a wonderful footwear niche.

This season’s Peter Jensen at Copenhagen Fashion Week is all about rock climbers and fairy tales. Combining both, fairy tale rock climber perhaps? His Spring/Summer 2011 menswear collection is quite a courageous and playful use of colors. Bright and bold with a sense of Nordic functionality, there is quite a measured balance of traditional menswear items such as button down shirts and blazers, but there are also rainbow striped swimming trunks and hooded shell jackets.

For those who think about Danish designs as pared down, unfussy and functional, you are not wrong. Except, you might have to alter your aesthetic stereotyping a little and open your mind, because Danish label, Wood Wood, has proven to us that functional can come packed with fun, surprises, and most importantly, playful happiness. Not that Wood Wood wasn’t a playful label to begin with, but departing from last season’s slightly more child-like graphics of a ghost in the shape of a leaf, this season’s Wood Wood seemed to have graduated into a sense of teenager wonder.