Hues of blue, Oxford bags are stars of Paris fashion

PARIS, France - Junya Watanabe turned men's fashion blue on Friday with a collection in every imaginable shade while Maison Martin Margiela sparkled with a blend of daring and classic for spring/summer 2015.

Japanese designer Watanabe, who once famously told an interviewer he had no interest in the mainstream, kicked off day three of the Paris shows with a rich tapestry of blue mixing everything from patchwork and stripes to checks and floral prints.

In one look, a double breasted patchwork jacket was teamed with cropped trousers, slicked down hair, heavy drawn-on eyebrows and flip-flops.

In another, a hooded jacket was given big, asymmetrical pockets and worn with striped leggings.

Maison Martin Margiela, meanwhile, embraced both classic and daring for its latest collection.

Nude-coloured tops had panels heavily embellished with sequins and beading.

Other audacious looks included voluminous trousers on a bare-chested model and a jumper and long parka teamed with just underwear and two eagle tattoos above the knees.

Playful asymmetrical trousers came with one long leg and one short.

Another pair had each leg in a different fabric.

There was classic, too, with the house offering flowing parkas and trench coats, sleek suits and shirts in a palette of neutrals, navy, midnight blue, black and orange.

A day ahead of his Dior Homme show, Kris Van Assche also presented his own collection.

For his eponymous label, which is marking its tenth anniversary, the Belgian designer explored what he called the modern "hybrid garment".

"A pair of jeans isn't really a pair of jeans... shirts become jackets," he told AFP.

Van Assche, who went back to the 1980s and 1990s for inspiration with bomber jackets and narrow ties, said the modern man knew how to mix things up.

"We're no longer in an era when it's either elegant or it's sportswear," he said.

Looks included a grey bomber jacket worn over an olive green shorts-suit with a grey shirt and beaded necklace.

Elsewhere, Korean designer Juun.J, took inspiration from one of the world's oldest universities with his "Oxford" collection.

The designer's take on Oxford bags - wide, baggy trousers once worn by students - was teamed with top halves that were part-jacket, part-shirt, part-jumper.

Pursuing the Oxford theme, there were plenty of blue and white stripes, plus silver and lots of white.

Juun.J told AFP backstage he was "toppling" rigid boundaries between "classical suits and sports".

The collection was "classic but sporty. It's different from other sport looks. I wanted to show chic, real style" he said.