If the fall 2012 men's shows in Paris this week were any indication, we might be damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Although, I'd be delighted to see a little more Paul Smith or (John Varvatos, an American designer who showed off his collection a week earlier in Milan) styling amongst the masses, it seems it might potentially be coupled with a dose of absurdist Thom Browne humor.

Paul Smith's showing was a manly nautical theme. Colors were subdued but there were hints of flash, like lightning in a stormy sky. I'm particularly fond of the fluorescent yellow and orange t-shirts layered under chunky sweaters and cozy peacoats. The fluorescents were treated like the silver lining to a heavy, dark, masculine silhouette.

Just a hint at the cuff or a little peek-a-boo at the collar. It's just enough to turn your head and make you curious about the wearer.

But to welcome experimentation is to welcome the unknown and there's bound to be those who jettison past daring to outlandish and they will find good company in Thom Browne.

The designer offered up a view of men in tailored kilts and maxi-length pencil skirts as well as beefed up silhouettes of cartoonish male figures.

We'll ignore the fetish headgear (and the unfortunate flash of merkins, i.e. pubic wigs) and concentrate on the mash-up of color and style. Who knows how Browne, who is terribly dapper and a little like a quirky Tom Ford, will translate the items into garments that will be stocked in retail outlets.

However, through his absurd perspective, Browne offers an intriguing play on masculinity. A "girly" pink and green sweater that seems inflated with testerosterone gone wild faux muscle and tailored skirts embellished with items that resemble weaponry or protective warrior gear.

Meanwhile, Kenzo and Dries Van Noten offered hints of color in ways that would be refreshing and not at all scary walking toward you on a city sidewalk. The clothing is cut in clever ways to accentuate the male form and there were enough details to make you do a double-take.

And, it's just a preference, but the colors seemed at their best when they were minimal and unexpected. The slim cobalt blue pants, the painterly dust coat, the orange loafer paired with a tan suit, the deep burgundy suit, the cranberry ombre grandpa cardigan at Issey Miyake.

It's curious that the designers mentioned are American, Japanese, Belgian and British. Maybe the tide is turning from blah-blah jeans, khakis, polos and button-ups to something ... anything ... else.

I'd vote for Kenzo subtlety but I wouldn't be mad about some Thom Browne eccentricity.