“Rise of the craftsman, fall of the prince”. This was the triumphant motto that Belgian designer Raf Simons delivered alongside his Fall Winter 2011 show held at La Maison Rouge in Paris on Saturday, January 22nd 2011.

Pairing the slimmest fairisle knitwear with baggy pvc flares, rounding the shoulder of a cropped blazer like a gridiron jersey, or sending out crisp parkas in violent magenta and vermillion, Mr. Simons truly reinvented the idea of varsity for the 21st century. He trimmed duffel coats with traffic-light frogging (think red, yellow & green on camel), extended cable-knit sweaters to the knee, and experimented with iridescent & latex fabrics (a shining tee poked out beneath a tartan scarf; a transparent burgundy blazer was worn under the first coat).

Tipping the word collegiate on its head, Raf’s vision was a couture-like subversion of schoolyard sportswear and classic tailoring, executed with his unique of urgency. The show of the season.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s-TdGCP9ic[/youtube]