Ann Demeulemeester Spring/Summer 2016 Paris

Sébastien Meunier is ready for his moment in the sun. Having kept a low profile in his first year as creative director of Ann Demeulemeester, he finally showed his true colors in his third men’s collection for the brand.

Its familiar dandified jackets and coats came with brightly colored removable linings, adding a more playful edge to the label’s Goth-tinged aesthetic. Less successful were the whisper-thin pants in orange and Kelly green were worn over or under black leggings.

Signaling the new, stripped-back feel, a sleeveless jeans jacket formed a dazzling white rectangle against a flowing orange-and-black tunic, while pants in a lattice of sheer fabric popped against a nude top embroidered with gilded flowers.

Titling his collection “Two Suns,” Meunier said he set out to inject a fresh energy while keeping the Belgian brand’s poetry intact. “Step by step, I need to show my own art and my own soul,” he explained. “I like a very clear message. I also think that today, people want something bright and efficient visually, something that is direct.”

While this collection was still a work-in-progress, Meunier seems to be lighting a promising new path.