Cut, Colour and Natural were the three hot words on everyone’s lips as the houses of homme rolled out their collections on the (occasionally grass) runways over the last week.  Yes that’s right, grass runways. Spring 2011 was a la natural, from colour, to print, to fabrication.

Models at D&G’s Monet inspired “Luncheon on the Grass” show glided down a grass runway, to the sound of birds, in earthy tones and string soled shoes, with totes filled with vegetables in tow while Etro’s grass runway took it one step further not only turning out models in earth tones but in soy and cotton mixed garments with an underlying Celtic aesthetic.

Even Gucci , known more for glamour was swept up by the green epidemic, also embracing soy in their signature V-neck t-shirts and knitwear and turning out safari suits, pea coats and biker jackets in natural cotton, their raw look was on of the most novel offerings of the season. They also replaced their sleek ties with floral printed soy scarves.

These three weren’t the only designers to turn their sights to nature, flamboyant floral prints and bold colours were the signature of the season. Spring 2011 may officially go down as the return of the gallant clothes horse, the dandy man. Only this time round his edges are a little harder, think the Scarlet Pimpernel meets John Lennon meets Malcolm Mclaren.

Colour, pattern and rambunctious combination’s of both were by far the most exciting revelation of the season. Jil Sander did it best and yes you guessed it, designer Raf Simon’s was inspired by nature, however his inspiration was communicated far less literally than the aforementioned designers. Apart from the one floral print in the collection one could easily have missed the association all together. Lurid technicolour hues were the go for Simons.

Prada also had heady bursts of colour throughout its working class inspired collection and Moncler Gamme Bleu infused their sportif look with dynamic coloured prints. Kenzo’s man was also unafraid of a good floral or highlighter block coloured jacket and Roberto Cavalli the king of prints was not about to be left behind. Cavalli’s coloured suits and silk animal prints did not disappoint. Mother nature, however appeared in a different form at his show, she rained all over the designers 40^th anniversary parade, reminding us that when it comes to outdoor runways she is the one with the power to make or break the show.

Colour was a welcome trend this summer as was print. But the dandy look dominated the collections, invading cuts as well. Suiting was sophisticatedly soft across the board apart from the usual few who stuck to their minimalist and futuristic tailoring, Ann Demeulemeester and Calvin Klein to name two respectively. At Kenzo the tailoring got so fluid that Antonio Marras sent Joana Preiss and model Hannelore Knuts down the runway in the menswear and they pulled it off in the same sartorial savvy as the men who walked alongside them.

The collection most notable for cut went to Dior, where Kris Van Assche’s progressive approach to cut prevailed, jackets morphed into shawls, fabrics where draped and sliced and t-shirts were given asymmetrical hems to finish the look.  His dominant silhouette brings us right back to the dandy man, deep v-neck kaftan style tops, which were also notable at Jean Paul Gaultier. These tops gave way to the darker androgynous look that acted as the alter ego to our colourful dandy male. Think midriff tops, Givenchy’s skirts and wide legged shorts, proving the modern dandy man’s appreciation of women is alive and kicking in more ways than one.  The Spring 2011 man proves that we live in a modern age where the borders of gender are more malleable than ever.  On the catwalks the power struggle is a purely peaceful blend of enigmatic aesthetics.

Other notable moments included head to toe whites at Ann Demeulemeester, in fact pristine whites in general should be noted, Hermes, Dior and Givenchy also did it well. Burberry‘s military bad boy was also a stand out of the season; the strong juxtaposition of the fabrics and signature garments of both the biker and the officer was by far the best and most wearable costume drama of the season. Jean Paul Gaultier took fashion forward literally, with his psychedelic prints that turned truly celestial when seen through 3D glasses, even his models were sporting the new trendy eye wear. The term futuristic fashion just got a whole new meaning.

So that covers the cut, the colour and the chemical free rinse that topped it all off and the few notable media moments that embellished the experience. And when it’s all wrapped up in one neat little package, from the florals to the suiting and all the highlighter colours and dark femme cuts in between, it has to be said that Spring 2011 will go down as the arrival of a new look; Beau Chic.