Minimidimaxi Magazine

In Envers’ Fall 2005 line-up, vests steal the menswear spotlight, particularly a black one whose stuffed epaulets look like they were slashed off in guerilla warfare. A tawny leather vest with cowboy frills takes that thread into different though still rugged territory, while a hook-closure redingote cape evokes the noble masculine chivalry that is ever-present in any Envers collection. Then there is the poofy red shawl wrap that does the same thing, but wrongly.

The red pinstriped shirt as well as the turquoise and black satin shirt, as simple as they are, may be the pieces that attract the most consumer attention. The combination of Envers tailoring and everyday practicality can be irresistible. If there’s something Yves-Jean Lacasse knows how to do-apart from synthesizing disparate cultures in his clothes-it is to design sweaters to die for. He helps men stave off the winter chill with an original green and blue number that gets funky with silhouette in a bulky kind of way.

The sleeveless grey bouclé knit sweater is a first for his women’s line because it introduces the bohemian pauper look that Dries Van Noten unleashed on the Paris front row in March. Envers accentuates this tomboyishness with baggy culottes. Also for women, a V-necked cream knit practically melts off the shoulders, while holding its own. The multi-coloured off-kilter top has a grey double-layer, and the fractal possibilities have an out-of-bed sexiness to them.

Leave it up to YJL to throw us a curve-ball-didn’t I seen that peach top with chintzy faux-jewel embroidery and fur tassels at the Monte Carlo casino on New Year’s Eve?

Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer