The blur of fashion shows continues, with Versace's couture show last night signalling the end of the menswear shows in Paris. The French capital hosted Hedi Slimane's first menswear show since his groundbreaking time at Dior Homme, while Dries Van Noten broke the mould with my show of the season.
As the perfect antidote to Milan's bulky outwear and a surplus of volume, Valentino offered a collection that was nipped and tucked in all the right places. The 1960's of London that inspired the design duo were not so swinging, overlooking the energy that coined the phrase to focus on the decade's sharp tailoring. Traditional suiting, peacoats, Macintoshes and capes were given an edge with leather panels at the waist- in tune with the prim, yet not too proper, style that the brand have perfected in their womenswear collections. A pixelated houndstooth and geometric quilted fabric were other modern takes on the era, along with thick-framed shades a la Michael Caine. The cut was superb, its complex precision emphasised by the use of checks and tweeds, especially in the coat-come-cape to the top-right.
The slim silhouette favoured at Prada was jilted at Raf Simons, with a collection that rejected where menswear had been going, or rather staying, the past few seasons. Trousers were baggy, with the top half not being much more fitted. Shirt cuffs and collars were open to match artfully-mussed hair, flourishes matched by interesting neck ties. Simons cast away neoprene and bonded fabrics that had become favourable with so many, replacing them with traditional wools and cottons. He played around with traditional elements- the knit that resembles houndstooth from afar was in fact a pixelated cartoon of Puss in Boots. Cartoons popped up in the use of logo-like embroidered graphics hidden in question marks on the chest of tailored places- another nod to where menswear has been venturing of late.
Some change was afoot too at Lanvin, but Alber Elbaz couldn't let go of some fashion favourites just yet. Oversized, raglan, sport shapes in neoprene and bonded fabrics featured strongly throughout, as they have done for many a season, but Elbaz and creative director Lucas Ossendrijver cleverly referenced the shape in tailoring, dropping tailored sleeves off the shoulder for a rounded effect. The effect was not so desirable when done in softer outerwear, often simply looking sloppy. Some baggy trousers made the final cut, but the shapes were predominately narrow and often neatly creased. The popular neon sneaker has lost no favour at Lanvin, its popularity strengthened by the appearance of some questionable moon boots. The emerging trends in quilting and tweed also made appearances in a collection that balanced experimental design with commercial luxury.
In what was the show of the season in my opinion, all these burgeoning trends united at Dries Van Noten. Jackets were soft on the shoulder, trousers generous in proportion, collars open, tweed flowing and quilting growing. Yet this show looked nothing like the others, for the attitude was devil-may-care, and its fabrics truly natural as opposed to technically so. Socks were textured mohair, paisley prints came trimmed with tassels, double monk straps were made rustic with wooden soles, while navy pinstripes were more Mick Jagger than Mafia. While Raf Simons may have laughed at current menswear trends, Van Noten actually changed them. If previous quilted coats looked too geometric and nineties, here they were relaxed in paisley parkas- a more accessible form of the trend. The collection also had an edge- the expected seventies nod to denim was painted to look like leather and the knitwear looked more like luxury sleepwear than homespun hippy threads. What I loved about this collection was that it gave you so much to soak up, thirsty to see the next look, desperate to feel the physical textures of the many fabrics and to examine the special details- unexpected linings, hidden buttons, hand-sticthed embroidery.. It put imagination back on the table.
Meanwhile at Saint Laurent, the nonchalant vibe came in a more predictable format. Models came down the runway dressed as what they actually were- boys in indie bands with fashionable aspirations. There were skinny suits, leather bikers, check shirts, oversized knits, cuban-heeled boots and some narrow scarves- standard uniform for Hedi Slimane's obsessions. In fact, this show looked more like a styling gig, with the individual pieces often of bad taste, after all, sequinned argyle knits and Dalmation coats sound more like something you would find in the children's department of Next, as opposed to the (once) great fashion house of Yves Saint Laurent. For his first womenswear show, Slimane raided the archives of YSL and it would seem that for his first menswear offering, he just raided his own.
All that being said, there's nothing wrong with defining a personal style and sticking do it. After all, it's worked pretty well for Rick Owens, whose dark army stomped down the runway once again in those leather hi-tops/boots that have gained a cult following, along with everything else Owens puts out there. His urban warrior this season came by way of the Ice Age, and brought with him a shade of tusk to marry the favoured black, Neanderthal hands donning gloves of fawn fur, and of course, the heavy boots, this time with a hiking sole to aid Big Foot through the snow. There was something delicate to Fall's boy though, many of them sporting long wispy hair, while others wore their cottons back-to-front, collars open to reveal the nape. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a show at which to spot trends, for Owens is a trend all in himself.
Another trendsetter who dances to the beat of his own drum is Ricardo Tisci. The candle lit catwalk at Givenchy suggested a return to his long-lasting obsession with religion, but this time the worship was more cult than Christ, stemming from the inspiration of a place that has long fascinated the designer, America. It suited the label's mainstays of printed tees and sweatshirts, now emblazoned with neoclassical imagery and offered in taffeta, leather, velvet and cashmere. The hefty shoulders of American football players inspired more couture sportswear, with leather and suede panels laced together by hand with intricate braiding techniques. Many legs were bare on the catwalk like on the playing field, while the others were covered in slim tailored trousers. The sporty raglan sleeves translated to tailoring, sharply traced with metal zips and mirrored by the necklines of collarless coats. Crisp shirts with matching ties were other elements of polish, in contrast with the bulky quilted bombers tied around the waist. It was a show of contrasts, and while we didn't exactly know where we were going at some points, that can be half the fun.
The destination of Kim Jones' creative journey at Louis Vuitton's was a little more obvious, the designer having recently returned from trip through the Bhutanese cloud forest of the Himalayas. The usual result of such inspirations were there- parkas, duffel bags, animal hides and prints, but their execution was the inventive part. The spots of a snow leopard were mimicked in the mink peeking through holes punched in a cashmere coat, while a graphic knit of a the same animal came courtesy of the artist brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman. The duo also designed a 'Garden in Hell' print of Oriental flora and fauna, which when cut into a tux, looked unfortunately tacky. The now very clear trend for checks prevailed even in the mountain tops, with Bhutan's own checked patterns being used for slim suits worn under quilted parkas. Jones' skills in cut were evident in a seamless cocoon coat, with his soft tailoring of belted coats particularly desirable. Cashmere beanies and logo-emblazoned rucksacks were the perfect accessories to Jones' stylish traveller, with the cufflinks carved from stones taken from Mount Everest epitomising his creative take on luxury.
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