ESQUIRE:Paris Fashion Week's Most Wearable Clothes

It takes most designers a number of seasons — and pitfalls — to land in Barneys New York. But after the store saw Alexandre Mattiussi's first Fall/Winter collection a year ago, in Paris, the buyers didn't only want to sell what they saw, they wanted his line — which is called AMI, after his initials and the word "friend" in his native French — as an exclusive.

Looking at the shows in Milan and Paris, it can sometimes be hard to determine how all these clothes (and expert styling) actually fit into your normal, American-man wardrobe. And while it's clear that Mattiussi, who honed his skills at Dior, Givenchy, and Marc Jacobs, has technical and artistic expertise, you're not thinking about that when you look at his collections. Instead, you'll wonder how many days in a row you can wear that perfect striped sweater, already a hallmark of the label, or whether anyone will notice you've swapped out your khaki chinos in favor of a dusty pink. Also: Orange. You'll want to start wearing orange.

Fashion Week kicks off in Paris tonight. There, the concept of "wearable" sometimes gets pushed aside, as everyone gets justifiably excited about how brash clothing can become with each season. Mattiussi's collection works so well because it joins these two worlds, offering clothes that not only look great, but seem right for this particular time. We don't need research to tell us that Americans and Europeans are staying home more, spending less, and wanting items that are not likely to feel old after six months of wear.

And while department stores rely on people to refresh their wardrobe each season, right now they also need people to buy stuff. Period. Looking at the two AMI collections last year, it's obvious why Barneys wanted AMI for themselves — because they thought timeless, masculine clothes would sell (and they did). So, even as the classics never get old, we're looking forward to Mattiussi's collection for the opposite reason: This is one designer who's able to make the classics feel new.

The latest collection of AMI Alexandre Mattiussi, and all the statement-making clothes we see in Paris, will be chronicled in the slideshow below...

Read more: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/ami-alexandre-mattiussi-fall-winter-paris-2012#ixzz1k1kzGMWg