Borderline
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Philippe Dubuc pushes the limits of masculine fashion
by SIOBHÀN O'CONNOR
Wearing a modern, Brazilian-style black shirt with tapered sleeves and a modestly ruffled front tucked into his charcoal suede and denim pants, the perfectly coifed but rugged Philippe Dubuc looks good. So good in fact that it would take two less than three guesses to figure out that this man is a clothing designer himself, responsible for some of the finer garments available to men these days. The local créateur, who's been designing his DUBUC Mode de vie menswear since '93 and now also designs for women, has taken a few more risks than usual this spring, proffering unique and beautiful styles all the while preserving the very masculine, classic look that has come to be his trademark.
While he hates the term, he admits that his clothes are geared toward a "young, urban professional who either is or wants to be stylish; someone who is in touch with his environment and knows what he likes." Though Dubuc has always been interested in elegance and sensuality in menswear, he cites these qualities as the biggest new movement in men's fashion this spring. "Elegance and sex appeal are back," he says. "But they're paired with modernism and attitude. I'd say these are all things that have always been important to me as a designer. In my own collection, I've adopted really fresh, light colours and fabrics, as well as a bit of Latin gypsy chic." Using lighter-than-linen cottons, the DUBUC spring collection is varied and includes knee-length shirts reminiscent of Zen monk attire, off-centre button-downs, pimp-like trench coats, as well as sexy, loose-fitting pants that almost call to mind hospital wear, but in a good way.
Excited by the perceived eruption in popularity of men's fashion, Dubuc has an interesting take on the matter. "I think it can be explained pretty simply. Men are more open today than ever before, and I don't just mean in terms of fashion. Men's roles are changing a lot, something I think has a lot to do with the women's liberation movement. It's had a really interesting effect on young men in particular; as a result they're willing to take more risks, they're allowed to be more sensitive and refined in character and in style."
Instead of feeling limited by the obvious constraints in designing for men ("there are fewer categories of garments to play around with"), Dubuc finds the challenge refreshing and uses the idea of androgyny to subvert the stuffier conventions of menswear. "Androgyny is something I have always exploited, but only to a certain extent," says Dubuc. "Women have always borrowed from men, whether it be for fashion or women writers at the turn of the 20th century who dressed as men in order to get recognized for their work. It's still very new and fresh for men to borrow from women. So I do that: I destabilize men, but I never go too far. I like to be borderline, while always maintaining a very masculine edge. I'm not here to put men in dresses. That's not what I want to do."
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