The subtext of Maison Martin Margiela’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection was subversion, though to see it one first had to look past the expert tailoring, showcased in refined camel overcoats and suits. The layered tonal looks eventually gave way to the other dominant color of the day, black, highlighted by jackets and tuxedos, as well as shiny faux leather turtlenecks and trousers. The elegant presentation was upended by a series of outerwear made from trash bags, which served as a stark contrast to the luxurious fur and sheepskin on display, at the same time they framed the beautifully tailored pieces underneath. In seeming to mock sartorial convention, the brand was really pointing to outerwear as the star of the show.

Underneath shaggy haystacks of inky black hair, the models were pale, wan and listless. They channeled Johnny Thunders’ disaffected glam and Robert Smith’s gloomy romanticism, with floral patterned suiting and bowler hats adorned with ribbons. Rei Kawakubo clearly used punk and goth as reference points for Comme des Garcons’ Fall/Winter 2012 show, but it was the prevailing androgyny of both that left its mark on the collection. It was seen in the cropped pants and skirts that left shins exposed, as well as the dark textured blazers matched with frilly shirts and an oversized damask rose print on a distaff trapeze-like jacket. The assembled looks blurred gender lines as easily as they did the boundary between playful and dark.

Junya Watanabe’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection seemed to hark back to an earlier time, when men toiled in the work field and wore only the stuff that could withstand an honest day’s hard labor. The guys were outfitted in barn jackets built with canvas and denim, along with bib-front overalls and unwashed rigid jeans worn loose with the cuffs rolled. The proletarian sensibility shone through in the rugged boots and earnest fabrics — there was no shortage of tweed, corduroy and flannel. Intermittent bursts of vivid color, seen in the plaid shirts and wide suspenders, broke up the somber mood, effectively shifting the vibe from Steinbeck to Sonoma.

A recurring motif for Maison Martin Margiela’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection is the interplay between the luxurious and the rustic, refined and unfinished. It’s a complex dynamic captured in a relatively simple accessory, the Paint Effect Hold All Satchel. The spare, modernist design of the bag is contrasted with a jute fabric exterior, its coarseness made to appear more severe through a deliberately uneven hand-painted finish. The interior is lined in cotton and features multiple pockets and a zippered compartment for valuables. A detachable shoulder strap and signature stitch design on the side round out the details. The Hold All Satchel is available now through oki-ni.

British menswear designer of the year Kim Jones presented his second collection for Louis Vuitton in Paris this week. For Fall/Winter 2012, Jones embraced the sense of luxury that’s always been associated with the brand, using fabrics like croc, lizard and cashmere to complement a series of tailored slim suiting and hunting jackets. The collection was also infused with the Japanese influence on Paris, seen in the kimono-like blazers and oversized blanket scarves twinned with patterned sweaters. It also took the form of a reoccurring metallic sheen, appearing on reflective materials on parkas, shiny yarns woven into suiting, as well as steel-tipped shoes and silver lapel pins. Finally, for the well-traveled Vuitton fan, there was a large assortment of bags, with the one-handle steamer bag making a welcome return.

Having observed that his menswear line had become too serious, Belgian designer Dries Van Noten decided to shake things up a bit for his Fall/Winter 2012 collection. The result was multi-colored prints used on everything from peacoats to trousers, injecting the runway with a bit of ’70s psychedelic flair that never felt self-indulgent . Even as boldly calligraphic Oscar Wilde quotes appeared on crisply tailored shirts, an overarching refinement was maintained throughout the collection at large, especially in the military-inspired overcoats and streamlined dark suiting.