BEIJING, May 17 -- In the 2010 fall season, there was a shift away from the pretty boy types characterized by slim shoulders and rectangular body shapes. Instead, we saw the emergence of the inverted pyramid type - broad shouldered and buff.
And looking at films for the past 50 years, the male protagonist is often broad shouldered, buff and tanned.
Taking the James Bond series as an example, the male stars fulfilled the physical ideals of masculine men with their chiseled chests.
Contrasting shades, dissimilar fabrics and detailing have been used to give the illusion of broader shoulders. Interestingly enough, these changes were made on the classic men's wear item - the jacket.
Unlike women's wear, there have been minimal changes to men's jackets.
True, we had tuxedos for black tie affairs and double and single breasted business suits to choose from, but we have not seen how jackets could be constructed from more than one type of fabric and using the detailing on sleeves to create an illusion of the masculine man.
Take the 3.1 Philip Lim Wool Coat for example.
The use of a lighter shade for the sleeves stood out against the darker blue panels, creating the illusion of broad, large shoulders.
Again using the disparity of the palette, latte brown sleeves stood against dark blue front panels, giving the jacket a softer look.
But if the use of colors does not convince you that the classic men's wear is undergoing subtle changes, Neil Barrett's combination of wool, linen and leather should persuade you otherwise.
We especially love the Junya Watanabe Man's tk jacket which had a white trimming separating the panels from the sleeves.
It draws attention to the model's shoulder wings which is the typical reference point of our shoulder width.
This is especially good news for smaller built men who want to epitomize the masculine look.
