Paris Fashion Week and the duality of men’s contemporary wardrobe

Paris is known for its complexity and multicultural character, especially within the fashion industry. Every fashion week a lot of things, shows, and events are going on almost simultaneously. This time for the men's shows a lot of things were happening which at some point overcame fashion and surpassed the essence of showing a collection and the vision behind it. The old influential squad was back in the front row joining forces with celebrities and socialites. Suddenly a second show was happening before the actual show with fans screaming outside the venue for the arrival of their favorite stars and photographers were shooting people wearing the new collection before we even saw it on the runway. And yet that wasn’t enough. Fashion brands needed more media impact to boost their new products. Louis Vuitton proudly followed that kind of strategy by inviting Rosalia who performed during the Fall/Winter 2023 menswear show last Friday, creating a buzz around a headless brand that felt more like a noise.

Generally, Paris Men’s Fashion Week was divided between the past and the future, desire and sales, clothing and real vision impressing the crowd, and creating a meaningful fashion moment. Designers went through a lot of trouble having all these thoughts in their minds. How the new masculinity should look like and what the everyday man will want to wear? As an outcome of processing all this information, hybrid collections were starting to pop up and minimalism was spreading all over the City of Light like a sophisticated pandemic. A new polymorphism rose up in Paris, a wave that reformed collections in order to fit every man’s taste and preferences. Every piece that presented on the runway had a double meaning, waving the flag for the ultimate versatility which is highlighting the future of the modern wardrobe. A little something for everyone is this fashion week’s motto.

Exactly like Anthony Vaccarello’s collection for Saint Laurent. A similar approach with his previous Spring 2023 womenswear collection presented last September, only this time it was stripped out of colour and glamour. Vaccarello’s broad shoulders, long coats and bows were made in black and white in order to fit both men and women that will walk into the Saint Laurent stores next season. Or perhaps a non-binary person. Creative director’s approach was an ode to the two different sides of the same coin and a way to address to both primal genders in an outcome that didn’t feel unexpected behind the edginess of Paris' historic Bourse de Commerce that worked as the perfect show venue.

And from one astonishing space to another. Wales Bonner presented her last design effort inside the historic Hotel D’Evreux. Somewhere between the chandeliers, boiserie, and ancient wallpapers, the models came out wearing looks divided between casualness and formality. Adidas t-shirts have been paired with tux trousers crossing over with a finale that worked as a suit-making masterclass. Apparently, the black suit was one of Paris Fashion Weeks this season with designers like Hed Mayner, Givenchy, Bianca Saunders throwing spectacles to justify the big return of the man in black. Other times it had a contemporary approach like Hed Mayner’s take on the bar jacket and other times it worked like a means to an easy sale end, like Matthew Williamson’s black parade of opening looks.

In an almost black and absolutely simple season Kind of darkness and his children thrived. Who might that be? Rick Ownes is the answer to the question. Being simple and minimal it’s not just a product-centered tactic of selling items, it’s a form of art. Creating something realistic and effortlessly simple but not ordinary it’s not an easy job. It takes true mastery. Rick Owens proved that through a series of looks that changed the perspective of what minimalism can be. Sharp jackets with no buttons, extra seams, dramatic capes, and pointy shoulder bombers made their appearance on the contemporary and noisy metallic catwalk setting the bar high, like the glass heels that models were wearing. The show was opened by Rick Ownes’ protege and model Tyrone Dylan Susman while Victoria and David Beckham were sitting in the front row.

And from Mr Susman’s killer abs we went to a new (and surprising) killer collection. For his Fall/ Winter 2023/2024 Dior Men collection, creative director Kim Jones dived one more into the Christian Dior archive. More specifically he got inspired from Yves Saint Laurent’s years at the iconic French house (1958-1960). In order to do so, the designer stepped out of his collaborative safe zone and presented a solo show based on bold and elegant tailoring, rich couturish touches, and sporty details which were grounding the collection to the temporal. The cutted sleeves draped knits and skorts (a skirt meeting shorts hybrid) and top handle bags kept the balance between femininity and masculinity, giving a new purpose to Dior’s menswear line and absolutely defining the fashion duality as the ultimate way of utilization. Behold the new simplicity that lies infant of us ready to define a new pathway for the men’s wardrobe. Less complicated things and no more headaches for men.

That’s what also Jonathan Anderson had in his mind for this season. After a lot of experimentation, Loewe’s creative director chose to be a reductionist - something we first noticed through his own namesake brand JW Anderson in the show he threw during Milan Fashion Week. For his Loewe Fall/Winter 2023 collection the designer presented a pragmatic collection that equalizes femininity with masculinity and strips down the history of clothing following a pathway that leads to the future. In an all-white room full of Julien Nguyen artworks the designer played an interesting game full of contrasting elements. Angel wings were cross overing with devilish eyes, masculine long coats were breaking down the stiffness of the image by being styled with satin boxers, and the oversized bags obliviating the simplicity and temporality of the collection itself. In a product-centered season that's such a clever way to be simple. Sometimes focusing on the silhouette is all that a collection needs to be successful.