Kris Van Assche presented his Fall Winter 2010 presentation in Paris on Friday, under the vaulted ceilings of the Couvent des Cordeliers on the left bank of the Seine. Imagined as a dark traveller in the night, the relaxed collection was built on a layered base of a loose fit trouser and classic shirting in a sombre palette of charcoal, midnight blue and black.

Kris’s favourite South American boys carried the looks with a reserved masculinity, their heads covered with long knitted hats that gave a rogue air to a collection that stepped away from his African influences of seasons past and grounded itself firmly in a Northern Hemisphere winter. Labelled “Resistance”, the presentation had a distinctly teenage vibe of sportswear layering – with checked shirts, bomber jackets, sweatpants and plaid blazers all working together, suffused with a downbeat, boyish romance.

There was a sense of urgency and aggression to the presentation, thanks to a thumping soundtrack of crashing drums and power guitars by Paris-based sound stylists MODE-F. The breathtaking surrounds of the convent were artfully lit by the master Thierry Dreyfus, who has collaborated with Kris at Dior. [Click here for more on Thierry].

Backstage after the show, we saw rapper Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose congratulating Kris on his efforts! But celebrity fans aside, this show was a cohesive progression of Kris’s world as he develops the balance of casual and formalwear in a stylistically darker direction to his previous offerings, while maintaining the sense of classicism and street sensibility that continues to inform his aesthetic. Keep reading to see the latest from Kris at Dior Homme soon.