Men's Fall 2010: Louis Vuitton

This for me is the best collection of the season.

That it has recieved only reserved praise makes me like it all the more. This collection by Paul Helbers is all that anyone can want from a fashion label: It is neither stodgily classic, nor hyperventilatingly "fashion forward". It furthers the "heritage" of the brand by being impressively tailored and determinedly (if quietly) luxurious, looks sophisticated, stealthily decadent (it's clean and fresh on the surface with a dark undercurrent), gorgeously coloured and accessorised.

Mostly, it's beautifully balanced clothes that are not self-consciously 'fashion' yet not dull; It's immediately wearable yet smart: 'Modern', polished, masculine, sexy and intelligent. These pure, beautiful items have are inherently valuable because they will stand the test of time. One wishes the LV women's collection would have a similarly rigorous standard but alas. At the moment, the two lines seem to be heading in different directions.