Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Art Direction Explained @ Atomic Gamer

A speech on this subject was given by Jonathan Jacques Bellette, Art Director for Deus Ex: Human Revolution, during the latest GDC. Here's an excerpt:

The game's concept and its art stand for both the potential and the danger involved in human augmentation and as such, blends beauty and unseemliness in almost equal measure. The characters in Human Revolution were the first big challenge, especially the main character, Adam Jensen. His two mechanical arms cry out to be seen, but creating a sleeveless default costume that didn't make him look, as Jacques-Belletete said, "like a douchebag" proved to be nigh impossible. The art team began with Renaissance fashion, co-opting the ruffled collars and puffy breeches of that bygone era wholesale, only to realize the resulting characters looked utterly ridiculous. The goal then became to create a hybrid of Renaissance clothing and present-day fashion and to that end, the art team drew inspiration from many far-out fashion designers. It was this approach that finally worked; the mixture clicked, and the result is truly spectacular. Both main and incidental characters are sexy, believable and fashionable and Adam Jensen is well, cooler than hell. Really-with his sunglass implants and Don Quixote goatee, if he doesn't become a automatic entry in the game hero pantheon, I'll eat my big velvet hat.