Men of Manhattan

Belgian photographer Willy Vanderperre,well-known for his work in the global fashion world,recently teamed up with French luxury brand Dior Homme to put together a short film. Titled Shadow,the two-minute film (available for viewing online) has been shot in New York’s Wall Street district and takes a fresh look at the suit as interpreted in the label’s Fall-Winter 2012 collection. The film,a part of an ongoing creative collaboration between Dior Homme’s artistic director Kris Van Assche and Vanderperre,has an “assertive elegance” to it. The visuals open with how a man tackles his day,moving with an air of decisiveness. His days are full of endless battles from which he emerges at nightfall to a changing soundtrack. The images might flit between colour and black-and- white,but it doesn’t fail to highlight the essence of the collection presented through superb camera work. Manhattan and its men at work dressed in dark overcoats,some in military green,never looked better.