The men’s shows at Olympus Fashion Week skewed toward hyper-masculinity, a fitting balance to the feminine looks that are dominating the week.

Polo Ralph Lauren menswear returned to the scene with cool black style and stalwart tweeds. The look ranged from rocker to rocket scientist. Jackets and pants were deconstructed versions of staples, bringing a fresh air to classic pieces. At David Chu, khaki cords were strong with quilted outerwear and colorful tweed blazers. Dark suits with sharp tailoring rounded out an Anglophile, yet American look for fall.

Harry Jacobson’s semi-parodic depictions of risktakers had titles such as “Montana Man” (in a rugged vintage corduroy jacket and jeans made of pima cotton) and “Daredevil” (with a nubuck motorcycle jacket and goat suede cape, worn with buckle boots).

John Bartlett showed off clothes inspired by the New England wilderness, including wool mackinaws, long johns, and some startlingly enormous boots. He also incorporated accessories from Ghurka, where he took over this year as creative director. Michael Wesetly’s clothes were masculine with a lighter touch. Suits had a full silhouette, befitting a wearer such as Shaquille O’Neal or Phil Jackson, but with floral touches.

Kenneth Cole displayed military and aviator styles that emphasized broad shoulders and narrow waists, in a palette of grays and browns. Messrs. Cole and Bartlett, among others, brought out lots of large bags – one Bartlett model even carried a load of lumber in a log carrier.

John Varvatos led with signature outerwear, such as leather flight jackets and canvas military pieces. Slender suits paired with workman’s boots contributed to a feel of the models as street toughs (with size 30 waists). His Star USA line had an image of prep school with a hard edge. Tweed jackets were worn with shirts that looked like they’d never seen an iron, paired with limited edition Chuck Taylors.

At Thom Brown, models in ice skates sported narrowly cut suits with clever details such as vintage ski patches and Velcro closures. Short pants coyly showed off a little leg and sock suspenders. Loden Dager, whose show was held aboard the salvaged light ship turned-bar the Frying Pan put on view clothes that call to mind Abercrombie & Fitch with a smirk. Lacoste was a notable exception to the drabness on display elsewhere, with splashes of trademark bright hues all over its collection. The brand – long embraced by the street as well as the country club – returned the compliment by bringing street elements onto the runway. Parkas and bucket hats pulled low conjured up images of old school b-boys and b-girls.