It’s been a week of surprises, celeb front row appearances (Usher, Lucien Laviscount, aka the plot of Emily In Paris, Rosalía, etc.), and stellar menswear shows. Following Pitti Uomo and Milan Men’s Fashion Week, the fashion set ascended to Paris this week to continue taking in the F/W 23 collections. This season menswear pushed the bounds of the binary and focused on sharp tailoring, and the Paris shows continued those themes. From Rains’ avant-garde puffer coats (and 3D printed puffer boots produced by Zellerfeld) to Ami’s sleek, neutral monochrome collection centered on the basics (and incredible coats), there was something for everybody.
From Bianca Saunders’ Playful presentation and Saint Laurent’s high-luxe showing at the grand Bourse de commerce museum to the highly anticipated Louis Vuitton men’s show spearheaded by KidSuper — our fashion team had some thoughts.
Ahead, our fashion team discusses some our fav shows and highlights from Men’s Paris Fashion Week.
WALES BONNER
“Grace never fails to amaze me. Her curatorial approach to presenting a collection is nothing short of extraordinary. This one collection paid homage to the Sorbonne 56, featured paintings by renowned artist Lubaina Himid, cowrie shells, and raffia plume mixed in with traditional Saville Row tailoring — not many designers can pull from so many sources and yet present a collection that is totally realized and cohesive.” — Shelton Boyd-Griffith, Fashion Editor
“British-Jamaican women in menswear seem to be winning lately and Grace Wales Bonner’s FW23 was nothing short of extraordinary. Entitled “Twilight Reverie,” honoring the national Jamaican football team, her designs were true to her signature tailoring and had touches of Jamaican heritage all throughout. Guests to her show included Usher and Kendrick Lamar in the front row, which made for an even better ambiance to the already well-curated show.” — Kerane Marcellus, Fashion News Writer
RICK OWENS
“There are few designers working today that have a complete aesthetic universe, and Rick is one of those. You distinctively know a Rick show when you see it. It’s dark and moody, it challenges the binary, it oozes sensuality while also having an undertone of the extraterrestrial. For F/W the tailoring was everything. There was this brown cowhide, sharp-shouldered take on a bomber jacket — I want it now! — SBG
“With his muse, Tyrone Dylan opening the show once again, Rick Owens’s FW23 collection was another show filled with Avante Garde ideations and fantastical, dark themes. With sharp pointed-to-the-sky shoulders on pieces and textures like snakeskin and nylon puffer material made for a luxurious runway.” — KM
SAINT LAURENT
“Sleek, Parisian, cool! Like this collection perfectly sums up what you think of when you think of a refined Parisian gentleman; you know it just has that je ne sais quoi. THE COATS! Long leather trenches, impeccably tailored overcoats with sharp shoulders, oversized pinstripe suits, delicate blouses with bows in luxurious silks and satins, monochrome color palette. Very grown-up chic.” — SBG
“The fashion house Saint Laurent designed some of the most gender-fluid and gorgeously assembled clothing designs for menswear. Huge bows covering slender necks and effeminate silhouettes hanging on models created a resurgence of wearing what you want regardless of gender identity.” — KM
BIANCA SAUNDERS
“Bianca has proven to be a force and one to watch and my god did this show prove even more why she’s such a force. The collection was presented like a performance art piece with a strong offering of great tailoring, formalwear, knits (like the creme set above). — SBG
“Another British-Jamaican woman in menswear Bianca Saunders has used this collection to pay homage to a beacon in Jamaica, comedian Oliver Samuels. Constantly highlighting her Jamaican culture while juxtaposing those sentiments with minimalist and well-tailored designs is something she’s become a bit of an expert at. She’s used similar silhouettes throughout her design career, making many of her pieces easy to distinguish. Now, she’s expanded on those shapes and translated them into new meanings playing with texture and movement.” — KM
LOUIS VUITTON
“While I have mixed feelings about Dillane’s appointment as guest designer (I personally think Bianca or Martine would have been better choices), overall it was a pretty solid show. Some nice tailoring, great bags, and suiting, and the playful spirit of Virgil throughout. Kudos to the LV men’s atelier for their delicate approach to maintaining the legacy of Virgil and his wonder emporium.” — SBG
“Guest designer Colm Dillane from KidSuper has proven himself a well-adapting creative director for the Louis Vuitton Men’s show. He’s made it clear that he has a playful eye but also an eye for detail in this collection, with models donning whimsical coats and bags while being structured at the same time. Hopefully, Louis Vuitton will continue to have guest designers to stretch the talents of designers we know and love.” — KM
DRIES VAN NOTEN
“Who does print like Dries? Absolutely no-one. On top of that, not to be biased, but Dries just has and continues to have menswear in a chokehold. It’s always impeccable tailoring, the masterful juxtaposition of prints and textiles, and a touch of the unexpected. This season that off-kilter element was a dash of athleisure with mesh jerseys. I’ll take a Dries sports jersey for my Super Bowl parties!” — SBG
“Papa Dries,” as Amanda Murry @londongirlinnyc says had a show filled with perfect flowing trousers and perfect tailoring with darts sitting just in the right place to fall on a model’s body naturally. His ability to make anything seem luxurious is a talent in and of itself. Dries is a beloved designer among fashion’s elite and has proven himself worthy of that honor once again.” — KM
