Interestingly women’s hemlines are the ones to watch when recession hits.

With most designers opting to pull hemlines down to the floor it seems that Hugo Boss has decided the opposite is the best way forward for men’s apparel. This new collection brought forward bold sailor inspired designs with tiny shorts, pleated pants and sleeveless vests. Similar to the designs of Jean Paul Gaultier and continuing on from his much commended sailor themed designs, representing Hugo Boss, the suit maker, designer Bruno Pieters, a true fan of David Bowie, continued on with the nautical theme using a red and white palette with macrame hat hangers an abundance of sailor’s stripes. Pristine and clinical tunic-length shirts in sheer cotton where coupled with short shorts and accompanied by cropped jackets cut short in the back. Heavy metal sequins continued the scale like marine theme and heavily embellished buttons set off tailored jackets. The only thing that couldn’t be confirmed was if the designs included anchor-like cufflinks, something which would have surely set off any of these statement outfits.

The palette featured not only strong black and white silhouettes but also deep blues and reds too. The masterfully tailored clinical suits were worn by lean models who along with their sharp jaw lines carried harsh swept over hairstyles, small dark round sunglasses and black skinny ties. The skinny tie was the only accessory giving a nod towards the current economical climate. Reflecting uncertainty, trends confirm that ties are certainly not as wide as they were a few years ago but in comparison Hugo Boss’s shorts do appear to be considerably shorter.

Is this something the traditional Hugo Boss fan will be happy to wear? Although Hugo Boss very much continued on the theme of traditional conservative dress a certain element of playfulness was evident in the designs, something that saw both a slight breakaway from traditional conservatism and a motion towards mischievous creativity. The collection was received positively from fashion critics who praised both the color palette and theme. It will be interesting to see if these sailor style designs will weather the current turbulent and unsettled economic waves.