Over in Paris, John Galliano has transformed his flagship store into a men’s clothing emporium to launch his first signature line for men. Over the next few days from January the 21st customers will be able to browse through his bias cut pinstriped suits, slouchy cowboy jeans and embroidered tracksuits.

Back to menswear autumn/winter 2004/05 and how next season’s trends are shaping up:

Sleek Lines – While the likes of Versace and Dirk Bikkemberg’s injected a flash of colour into their collections, the predominant mood was one of austerity; black, gray, deep browns and moss greens prevailed. The same could be said for the silhouette of the season, it’s lean and sleek with attention firmly focused on detail. Structured overcoats with high collars, fitted polo necks and sweaters, combined with slim pants make for quite an elegant, uncluttered style. Costume National, Calvin Klein, Gucci and Byblos were just a handful that favoured the new sleek look.

Preppy Boy Styling – Jumpers, cardigans and tank tops worn over shirts and skinny ties, flat caps, and stripy college boy scarves were the order of the day at Burberry, Alessandro Dell’Acqua and Pringle. Tones range from the earthy; rust, brown, forest green and burgundy at Burberry to powder blue and pure white at Pringle.

Clever Construction Details – High funnel necks, contour forming insertions, lacing, studs and extra zippers all paraded their way up and down the catwalks. A good quality, well-crafted overcoat is being touted as the season’s investment piece. At Burberry the classic trench was reduced and reformed into a capelet, while Costume National reworked strapping and corsetry for the masculine form. No doubt simple, classic lines with contemporary touches will be the key outerwear pieces that will walk out of the stores next autumn. Italo Zucchelli at Calvin Klein menswear creates classic leather jackets in dark chocolate brown, inspiration is drawn from biker styles but the overall look remains composed and minimal.

Suited & Booted – It was Tom Ford’s last outing for Gucci menswear and his final Gucci message was loud and clear - suave, stylish and sophisticated. Polo necks were worn under tailored jackets, slim line pants were pressed and pleated, bow ties replaced ties and even the evening tuxedo was revisited one more time. While Gucci gave a nod to Playboy style Versace leant more towards Mafia Boss. Here the tuxedo was also explored in a deep blue velvet and worn over an unbuttoned shirt. Classic pinstripe suits were given extra ‘bling’ with show-off cuff links, tie clasps, buckles and belts. Armani took a different stance and mixed up his tailoring with more casual lines, it was clean, chic Armani with a touch of ‘rock star’ thrown in.

Fur Trims & Skins – Fur has been big news with the womenswear collections over the past winter season and the trend looks set to continue with the boys. At Byblos the mood was dark and gothic with a fusion of fabrics. Dark fur embellished collars and was fashioned into heavy overcoats. D Squared 2 went down the more country route, with soft fur trooper hats and jackets with oversized fur trimmed collars. Leather patches and insertions were also a part of the look teamed up with rodeo boots. Even when the shape is more casual like at - Dirk Bikkemberg - quality is essential. Bikkemberg uses fox to trim the collar of a sporty bomber jacket and patent leathers for his jogging pants.

Emerging menswear trends for Autumn/Winter 2004/05:

+ Flat Caps

+ Slim Pants

+ Polo Necks

+ Tank Tops

+ Structured Overcoats

+ Bulky Fur Trims On Coats & Accessories

+ Sleek Tailoring

+ Quality Fabrics

+ Tote Boy Bags

+ Long Scarves

+ Colourful Accessories