Cerruti's tough edge

There were no hard beats to pound the runway to when Cerruti showed their autumn / fall 2011 menswear collection at Paris fashion week on Friday. Inside a bright square space at the Cerruti headquarters, soft piano music instead filled the room; playing to the classical nature of the pieces and creating an elegance that contrasted against the suprise biker elements that crept their way into the collection.

And those biker elements? It started with quilted leather shoulders on an otherwise straight-and-narrow suit jacket. Then the tough, motorcycle influences became stronger, finding their way into slim-cut pants with zippers at the bottom and padded knees; and full biker jackets.

When Cerruti's fall 2011 man isn't going totally classic in three-quarter coats, or hitting the street with some tough edged leather detailing, he's turning the boldness up a notch in a slim-cut suit of shimmering pink - that leans more to glam-rocker than to flamboyant dandy courtesy of a crinkled finish.