PARIS (AP) – Paris Men’s Fashion Week was in top form Wednesday for its first full day of runway collections that celebrated a dynamic season by showcasing brands such as Dior, Vuitton, Loewe and Givenchy, which bounced back after pandemics.
Here are a few highlights of the fall-winter 2023-24 shows:
A TALE OF TWO GIVENCHYS
Guests in clunky heels navigated the cobblestones to enter the historic Ecole Militaire estate, past a giant, minimalist black “GIVENCHY” sign and guests drinking ginger and detox tea. The refined vibe suited the reduced white decor.
The collection itself was more difficult to define. It could be described as a tale of two Givenchys.
The first was a display of cutting-edge minimalist tailoring that designer Matthew M. Williams said “has different hands” – and was created in collaboration with the fashion house’s atelier.
The other was a story of underemployment: an aesthetic – inspired by the painter Lucien Freud’s painting of a coat over paint-splattered work boots – that dominated the 52-look show with its urban style, haphazard layering, sharp colors and deliberately mismatched outfits.
The brief burst of monochromatic suits that opened the show ushered in a welcome new direction for the house under Williams’ tenure. It’s a shame this theme wasn’t developed more as the show progressed.
The suits had sharp lines, neatly highlighted shoulders and cut waists that turned the silhouette into an elongated hourglass. They were – said the house – “defiantly unfulfilled at the seams”. The black gloves gave this look a playful, sinister quality.
“The world has a lot of options for everyone,” Williams said. “That’s what’s so beautiful about Givenchy: a brand that makes short-sleeved shirts for … young people, and then there are people who want to buy couture tailored jackets. It hits the whole gamut.”
BLUEMARBLE EXPLORE IDENTITIES
Bluemarble counts actor Timothée Chalamet and singer Justin Bieber among its fans. Some excited guests in the front rows asked if designer Anthony Alvarez was making a statement with his fall offering about how religiously he has become a brand.
His stunning display inside America’s cathedral was a quintessential melting pot of streetwear, tailoring and cross-cultural, rural references.
Alvarez, who was born in New York and has Filipino, Spanish, French and Italian roots, uses several of his identities as a stylistic rehearsal. The brand name itself is global, borrowed from the iconic photograph of Earth taken by the Apollo 17 crew in 1972.
Faded blue jeans and bright yellow loafers paid homage to that decade on Wednesday. A cozy gray marl knit emblazoned with the brand’s name and spearheaded a myriad of shaggy, multicolored retro looks that felt part Woodstock, part Yeti.
But there were also clever moments, such as the mask motifs that appeared on relaxed sweaters and suggested questions about the nature of true identity.
COOL RETENTION BY BIANCE SAUNDERS
Bianca Saunders’ third show in Paris had a minty fresh vibe.
It came from a minimalist, often oversized, aesthetic that could effortlessly jump between cultures and subtly channel her British and Jamaican origins.
Flashes of color, like a bright neon blue T-shirt, met an otherwise pared-down collection that was cool precisely because of its restraint.
The first look, a look at a tailored suit, infused with clean, sanitized lines to design minimalism—or what the house says is that Saunders “addressed the tension between tradition and modern.”
Other moments were fun and thoughtful, like the oversized gray coat worn by the model with big bangs that fell over his eyes.
Saunders, winner of the Andam award, is one of only a handful of womenswear designers to be a welcome addition to the Paris calendar.
SAINT LAURENT CHANNELS BLACK
The house that redefined women’s fashion with men’s tuxedos in the 1960s has gone in the opposite direction this season.
Designer Anthony Vaccarello translated the dark, elongated silhouettes of Saint Laurent’s women’s wardrobe into a gender-fluid and aesthetically precise fall men’s show.
Still, the 46-piece collection, while rich in black, was sometimes weak on new ideas.
Leather coats in the style of “Matrix” that spread on the floor, with recognizable Vaccarello’s exaggerated shoulders, found their place with slicked back hair and sunglasses, but also tuxedo coats and collars tied in luxurious bows that are associated with the era of new romanticism.
A shiny, black leather bow contrasted with a matte black wool coat was typical style for the Belgian-born designer, but still one of the highlights of the show.
The front row was notable, and included French actress Beatrice Dalle, in an oversized tuxedo coat, peeking out from under black shades.
Jenna Ortega, star of Netflix’s hit series “Wednesday,” was photographed arriving in a black hooded dress.
LGN BECOMES PSYCHO
In keeping with tradition, rising French designer Louis Gabriel Nouchi once again based his collection on the theme of the book.
This season, Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho spawned a fun, if sometimes overly literal, interpretation of the themes in the famous story of the deranged, murderous CEO — who may reside in every American businessman (the writer suggests).
A white shirt look was completed by the killer’s shiny black gloves, while a double-breasted woolen jacket and an androgynous full-shoulder long skirt reminiscent of the 1980s was worn by a model with a (fake) bloodstain on her face.
The shroud — a torch-red fabric that ripples tightly across the body — evoked the cellophane in which killer Patrick Bateman wrapped his victims.
Colors included blood red, white and black to evoke the office, as well as what the house called “city bank” blue.