Beyond the mouth-watering, show-stopping fixtures of the Parisian runways, clothes had a genuine feel of freedom imbued with a subtle air of poignancy. From Casablanca’s rodeo-inspired collection to the incredibly-crafted menswear presented by the likes of Dries Van Noten, Amiri and Louis Vuitton, fluidity run apace: volumes were tamed, with a gentle power that saw a panoply of offerings veering into the genderless. Which is why, as gender conversations become increasingly commonplace, Paris may have given a masterclass in hope-tinged glory. A glory, that is, that mixes inclusivity and prowess
COMME DES GARÇONS HOMME PLUS
Rei Kawakubo presented a small Spring collection in central Paris mid-way through Paris Fashion Week men’s. It felt like a vibrant departure from the house’s all-black sartorial proclivity, an aspect which was re-centered around sturd colour-blocking on elegant occasion dressing with a side order of impeccably tailored daywear. Kawakubo is an experienced designer with considerable tailoring skills. Her coats and pantsuits are cut with chic precision; a refined colour sense adds to the sophisticated style equation that many lust after. (Albeit the strong tailoring game, the clothes were hard to focus on due to a disturbing heat that awaited guests in the show’s space). She favours mature but not bourgeois, feminie with a hint of double-playfulness—think historical more than contemporary. She has managed to develop a modern eye for quick and neat construction, but never does it fall into the banal. Au contraire: for Spring, men look good in her clothes. One wonders why a designer of such talent doesn’t come out at the very end of a show. But this is just one of the many unresolved quandaries of fashion. For Spring, the designer focused on uniform-like outerwear, referencing strictness and poise. Double-breasted coats were cut with a distorted approach, while the sharp tailoring of pantsuits was mitigated by vibrant hues of yellow and blue. Elaborate, aristocratic wigs were suggested across the entire collections, where models had matching shoes or different colourways in the ensemble, worn over skin- tight pants. Elegant tailoring and occasion dressing seen to be back in full swing. It could be a good moment for Comme to expand the collection and exude other ranges, taking it beyond its constantly black level. It’s up to him, then, to push forward the gear of fashion’s evocative timeline.
Dries Van Noten
The classic structure of sartorialism, infused with a sense of loucheness and sensuality. A rumination between the need for protection, and the intimacy of up-close tactility. Dries Van Noten menswear spring/summer 2023 starts with the friction between these two forces; the refined, precious and intimate vs hard, robust outer layers that protect us from the world. Softness and solidity. The collection curates different archetypes of man; after-dark dandy, cowboy, garage scene grifter, sleepy daydreamer. Their mannerisms and codes are manipulated to form new interpretations of each stereotype. Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2023 touches on the Zazou subculture of Paris during World War II; the youth in their considered finery dancing their troubles away to swing jazz at the Pam Pam Cafe. The work of the avant garde 80s fashion world is explored, particularly the Buffalo style movement mixing masculine and feminine codes with joyous revelry. This informs the series of light, flowing patchwork shirt capes and uniformed suiting. The sense of the intimate carries through into flesh tones and a new emphasis on lingerie for men; silk vests with spaghetti straps, worn with classic pleated trousers. Silk smoking shirts with unstructured striped pyjama pants, loose and syrupy in their form.
HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE
The HOMME PLISSÉ ISSEY MIYAKE SS23 collection, Flowers and Vases, presented on 23 June 2022 in Paris at La Poste du Louvre, takes elements inspired by delicate flowers and robust vases. The collection is characterised by curved and straight pleats in the iconic pleated fabric, with twists and layers applied to the fabric construction. The design explores the contrast between flowers and vases, presenting a proposal that is both strong and delicate. simultaneously strong and delicate. The show was directed by Rachid Ouramdane, director of the Théâtre National de Chaillot, and the cast includes models, performers, and members of the acrobatic collective Compagnie XY. The show expresses the duality of the collection in a performance that manages to be at once dynamic, controlled and abrupt.
CRAIG GREEN
Craig Green’s men have identified a distant new summit to ascend, obscured far from view, but somehow ever present. Reflecting an uncharted and constantly adapting trajectory, their appearance shifts away from linear conventions, mining all that they know of themselves in order to move forwards. Committing to their invisible horizon, the baggage and decorations of many decades are individually re-examined and modified along their climb, from the soft glow of adolescent reminiscences, to the stark moulds of adulthood. Here, the essence of many ideals was extracted to form new prototypes that will benefit their course, whilst many others were shed but left hanging as symbolic reminders. Finally ending their introspection through storms of collective memory, historical paths are torn apart, breaking and inverting ornate templates to create sharp new devices that propel them onwards. Central to this process, a closely guarded set of tools are forged that remain sheathed but sat in plain sight, as unexplained instruments designed to assert a silent new strength.
LOEWE
Grass growing on cloth. Birds flying, fish swimming, water dripping and humans kissing on screens. The real and the digitally reproduced. Nature and technology meet within a glaringly white, mind-expanding environment. A collection that juxtaposes to entice new perspectives. A fusion of the organic and the fabricated, carried with the bluntly affirmative, matter-of-fact tone represents LOEWE’s Spring Summer 2023 collection. Shapes are reduced to their archetypal crudeness, standardised and then inflated, shrunken, sliced or left as they are. Staples include the bomber, the hoodie, the sweatshirt, the polo, the shirt, the trackpants, the shorts, the waxed jacket, the parka. Made in padded nappa, or ozone-treated cotton that makes them look as though they’ve been buried underground. The perfect and the worn out. Tech relics—earphones, a pen drive, a phone case—cluster on the leather coat. Chia plants and Cats wort grow on coats, sweatshirts, sweatpants and running shoes in a process perfected in collaboration with designer Paula Ulargui Escalona. Screens turn coats and tops into projection devices.
DIOR MEN
Through the Dior summer 2023 men’s line, Kim jones strives to explore the importance of private spheres and how they provide inspiration and guidance in the realm of creativity. From Paris to Granville – the birthplace of monsieur Dior – to Charleston* (in Sussex), where the artist Duncan Grant worked and lived, the artistic director of Dior’s men’s collections invites us to embark upon a fascinating journey through space and time. Once again, personal stories are intertwined throughout the défilé, connecting past, present and future. New forms of elegance are inspired by the sketches and post-impressionist works as well as the life of the British painter, while Cannage, the house’s iconic fundamental, is boldly deployed as subtle quilting on coats. The emblematic bar jacket is presented in semi-transparent silk organza, revealing a virtuoso construction that exalts the expert craftsmanship of the ateliers, underlining more than ever the link – at once unchanging and constantly in motion – that unites fashion and art.
SANKUANZ
The cycle of life and death never stops, and this constitutes the order of the universe. SANKUANZ SS23 continues the speculative exploration of life and death from its last season, realising deep integration of street style and high fashion in multiple ways. The sacred peak of Kangrinboqê (Mount Kailash) is the theme for this collection. The eternal spiritual destination, the loop of life and death in a fantasy world. The brand conveys its understanding of oriental traditional imagery in its unique aesthetics. The oriental cross-collar is used as an essential feature throughout the collection, accompanied with various choices of fabric and silhouettes, forming deep emotional connections with regional folk elements. With the modern deconstruction method of SANKUANZ, the unique shape of Tibetan robes is stunningly translated into fashion, the asymmetrical oversized silhouette exuding a rough and primitive power. The wrapping design of dresses is inspired by Tibetan monks’ robes. An extravagant number of folds are formed from wrapping, stacking and twinning of fabrics around the body, creating an original abstraction. The designer reinterprets the costume of the traditional Vajra dance, launching an aesthetic exploration of the human body with a three- layered silhouette with rich folds, portraying a perfectly powerful image with traditional ethnic clothing. The unique design language of SANKUANZ reinvigorates these ancient folk elements, giving them a whole new glamour and making them an integral part of modern fashion.
Hermès
Berlingot canvas, nubuck calfskin, crepe cotton serge, perforated leather, sunset tints, badge-like crests, a jacket-shirt teamed with a pair of shorts, parkas, light windbreakers, straight blousons, short-meet-round forms, anoraks, carrot fit trousers and so forth. Precise in its dandy glory, crafted with the refinement of the hand and the nonchalance of a mind that is free from barriers, the Hermes collection was revealed in the open-air enclosure of the Manufacture des Goblins. There, Cyril Teste, close partner of Veronique Nichanian, has conceived a gesture in the form of a canvas sliding out of the building, swaying slightly in the breeze before disappearing—as if diving—through a workshop window. Some seasons, the joy of sunlight makes all things possible. The focal point of the collection was soft tailoring, which is one of the Houses’ best assets. Coats were substantial, cut sharp and highlighted with brilliant colour combinations, such as off-white, quartz, lemonade, lagoon, shoulders were eased by a gentle attention to volumes, lines were perfectly aplomb and the attitude was poised. Another example of the designer’s fine cutting skill was a masculine blazer in grey teamed with neutral-toned trousers, worn with a bucket hat and sandals. It looked right. There were various good pieces in the collection: straight blousons in full-grain calfskin, hooded shirts in light technical satin and nuage crocodile; shirt-jackets in technical canvas with ombre checks. Yet, the piece de resistance was a series of boxy polo shirts of various lengths, made of a sensational crinkled linen and cotton with embroidered distorted checks. There were seriously glamorous showstoppers—if only the show’s style director would have dropped the incongruous, cold-fitting high necklines jumper hybrids worn with open-toed leather sandals. Perhaps it was intended as a freewhiling gesture to freedom and unconventional masculinity, which mired perfectly at the grown-up, forever chic allure of those perfectly-cut, opulent-looking staples.
Paul Smith
For Spring, Paul Smith referenced the sense of elegance London exudes; the lean, precisely cut daywear volumes he favours would have been at home in his wardrobes. Although he infused a modern, practical ease and breezy vibe into the collection, he stayed true to his dagger construction and tailored approach. Vibrant suits were standouts, offered either voluminous, box-like and billowy. Evening ensembles had a chic glamour too, with fluid lines restraining from sharp construction. Inspired by a day spent wandering around London’s galleries on the hottest day of the year, Paul Smith’s Spring/Summer 23 menswear presentation in Paris revisits the 80s art scene to offer a refined take on classic menswear silhouettes, as the collection presents a reinterpretation of traditional formal codes, reinterpreting classic ’80s tailoring and shirts with exaggerated proportions and a light colour palette of lavender, earth, grey, pistachio, powder blue, cobalt, clay and coral. The air is decidedly relaxed. Silhouettes are intentionally designed to amplify contrasts, with billowing outerwear, soft trousers and oversized shirts juxtaposed with boxy waistcoats, baggy Bermuda shorts and shorter trousers. The mainstay of formal menswear, the three-piece suit, is reinvented in a casual key in multiple combinations, including a waistcoat-inspired waistcoat, oversized Bermuda shorts, a belted jacket and a coat, while layering reinforces a sense of nonchalance and modernity. Traditional shirting stripes, typically found on vintage Oxford shirts, are subverted, mixed and matched and are used throughout the sportswear and technical garments, including an oversized anorak, a work jacket, a collarless shirt and a knitted waistcoat. Footwear also reinforces the contrast between traditional elegance and sporty modernity, with high-gloss leather loafers on a lightweight sole and classic sandals crossed over on hiking-inspired commando soles. Prints, on the other hand, refer to 1980s techniques and artistic mediums. For example, the ‘Hot Summer’ floral print, created with stencil and airbrush for a vaporous finish, is featured on shirts and outerwear, including a large trench coat. Similarly, the ‘Glow Polka’ print takes its cue from contemporary light installations and is featured on neon-coloured shirts and knitwear. The pictorial finish is another key theme, with the striped ‘Untitled’ print appearing on a soft double breasted suit and trench coat, created using an innovative combination of hand painting, spray painting and screen printing. The interaction between texture and print was also particularly important this season. Specially developed fabrics and innovative techniques were used to show the motifs with delicacy and value. The fabrics themselves emphasize the contrast between formal and casual, mixing traditional shirting poplin and worsted suit fabrics with light silks and technical nylons.
AMIRI
AMIRI’S Spring-Summer 2023 returns to Paris riding a dream. In the Jardin des Plantes, Mike Amiri conjures a world of endless possibility and childlike wonder. On a stage reminiscent of a blank canvas, this mindset becomes reality. Spring-Summer ‘23 represents a tangible reinforcement of the AMIRI world – one founded on artisanal instinct: of dreaming without boundaries. Transposing the pureness of Mike’s early creative expression to today, this ethos thrives on a grander scale, combining freethinking with a high-art skillset. As the artist’s workshop and the designer’s atelier become indistinguishable, AMIRI encourages you to draw outside the lines, to create free from the ritual codes of tradition. It’s no coincidence that this limitless philosophy was forged in AMIRI’s home of California: in the West Coast sun, imagery blurs, outlines dance and ideas born in fantasy are projected into a tangible reality. Translating this atmosphere and sensibility, familiar tailoring lines melt, as does a rich palette of alabaster, dusty rose and azure blue – sun-faded, tones mix and fabrics become mirages that shimmer towards the light. Relocated to Paris, the era of Mike’s formative LA years becomes the landscape: when everything feels infinite – energy, possibility, time. In this reimagining, transient memories dissolve into a singularly Californian story: of hitting the skate park and playing ball after school, before seeking maturity in stagewear and that playful transition into tailoring. Suiting floats with the weight and grace of jersey, and in return, casual shapes are crafted with the sophistication of tailoring. Pleated wide-leg trousers are reminiscent of baggy skate pants as cropped hems exposed midriffs in that distinctly 90s manner. Tucked in, blazers deconstructed and cut to a casual slouch, their seams removed to liberate traditional shapes and create flyaway volumes inspired as much by sportswear as stagewear. Lightness of volume mirrors texture: elegant fabrications traditionally so pristine, so prescribed – leather, silk, suede, cashmere – are imbued with new meaning, reworked through the season’s lens to inform a laidback and effortless wardrobe. Sophistication no longer means done up – it’s a flow, a union of casual and craft. California’s sports fields and skate parks are ever-present. Tracksuit silhouettes are reimagined in tiedyed silk charmeuse with drawstring hems, aged appliqué makes perforated football jerseys appear well- worn, their crocodile leather panels evoking shoulder padding, and shorts are elongated like those worn by punks and skaters alike. Vintage varsity jackets are sliced and spliced, patchworked to create ultimate reconfigurations as an ethereal bomber jacket is hand-embellished with crystal stars and chiffon clouds. Holding memories of summers gone and yet to come, each garment is treated with in-house fabrication processes, creating unique tonal gradients that appear bleached by the sun or lightened by water, as patchworking and repairing are acts of homespun self-expression. Multi-dimensional tie-dye compositions transform loose-knit cashmere into deep tonal pools and a deconstructed pinstripe suit in lightweight wool is sun-aged with the distinctive feel of a vintage tee
Casablanca
Casablanca is a contemporary luxury fashion house dedicated to protecting and promoting a holistic approach to design and craftsmanship. By collaborating with artisans the world over, in a bid to redefine notions of beauty for a new generation, Casablanca’s uncompromising dedication towards optimism and design excellence has led the Parisian house to be carried in over 300 of the world’s most prestigious stores and boutiques. The eternal hope of the spirit. Futuro Optimisto is harmony in creation. It’s knowing and believing that even the greatest storm can be a gateway for abundance. The deep understanding that all negatives can transform into a positive if you allow the vastness of the world to inspire the mind. The desire for a brighter future dissolves limiting beliefs and boundaries, elevating us to become masters of our own destiny — letting the beauty of the world unravel before us. The Spring/Summer 2023 Collection was broken down into three key touchpoints, such as Vaqueros, Phantastica, Nature & Architecture. The first epitomises saddles and chaps, the scent of singed leather under the midday sun. Riding through tall grass valleys alone. The vaqueros of the west coast of Mexico. The essence of freedom in harmony with nature. Earth tones of tan, leather and suede subverted into kaleidoscopic hues, injecting broad strokes of colour through a Casablanca lens. A surrealist take on life on the prairies where delicate ornament meets rugged utility. What’s more, Phantastica represents design opportunities in the mind that the eye cannot see. An expression of our reconnection with the land manifesting nature’s ability to heal the spirit. The infinite mindscape, the stretching of time and place, and the transcendence of self-limiting beliefs. Cosmic consciousness. A feeling of collective unity that tears away from traditional thinking. The free flow of nature meets the structure of manmade design The arch, an abstract symbol of strength.A complex prism allowing them to view the beauty of the world at a distance. Oceanic land-scapes unravel concealed allegories. Fantastical creatures inspired by the work of Pedro Linares–imagined by artisan-led workshop Zeny Fuentes y Reyna in Oaxaca—are a hallucinatory journey through the animal kingdom. The movement of the oceans, the evolution of architecture, and the unity of man and nature.‘Futuro Optimisto’, presents delicate lattice beadwork across dresses, tops, and skirts using an artisanal hand embroidery technique. Appearing on outerwear and denim is a new sustainable technique using a single thread of 100 percent recycled polyester. Silkwear remains an imperative staple across the entire collection, continuing to serve as a vehicle of Casablanca storytelling – this season illustrates psychedelic night skies in Oaxaca and custom watercolour interpretations of nature scenes by Oaxacan artisans. Casablanca jewellery doubles in collection offering, in the form of charm bracelets adorned in natural pearls, psychedelic mushrooms, horseshoes, cacti and natural stones, meanwhile, enamel necklaces and intricate beading decorate 18k plated earrings. The classic Casablanca monogram is omnipresent throughout the collection. Following the runway show, a special limited edition Casablanca t-shirt featuring a Zapotec poem written by acclaimed Mexican poet Natalia Toledo would be available on Casablanca e-commerce. All proceeds from the t-shirt will head to the Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca (the Graphic Arts Institute of Oaxaca), an institution that promotes the arts throughout the community and region, founded by Natalia’s late father, renowned Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo.
Casablanca
Casablanca is a contemporary luxury fashion house dedicated to protecting and promoting a holistic approach to design and craftsmanship. By collaborating with artisans the world over, in a bid to redefine notions of beauty for a new generation, Casablanca’s uncompromising dedication towards optimism and design excellence has led the Parisian house to be carried in over 300 of the world’s most prestigious stores and boutiques. The eternal hope of the spirit. Futuro Optimisto is harmony in creation. It’s knowing and believing that even the greatest storm can be a gateway for abundance. The deep understanding that all negatives can transform into a positive if you allow the vastness of the world to inspire the mind. The desire for a brighter future dissolves limiting beliefs and boundaries, elevating us to become masters of our own destiny — letting the beauty of the world unravel before us. The Spring/Summer 2023 Collection was broken down into three key touchpoints, such as Vaqueros, Phantastica, Nature & Architecture. The first epitomises saddles and chaps, the scent of singed leather under the midday sun. Riding through tall grass valleys alone. The vaqueros of the west coast of Mexico. The essence of freedom in harmony with nature. Earth tones of tan, leather and suede subverted into kaleidoscopic hues, injecting broad strokes of colour through a Casablanca lens. A surrealist take on life on the prairies where delicate ornament meets rugged utility. What’s more, Phantastica represents design opportunities in the mind that the eye cannot see. An expression of our reconnection with the land manifesting nature’s ability to heal the spirit. The infinite mindscape, the stretching of time and place, and the transcendence of self-limiting beliefs. Cosmic consciousness. A feeling of collective unity that tears away from traditional thinking. The free flow of nature meets the structure of manmade design The arch, an abstract symbol of strength.A complex prism allowing them to view the beauty of the world at a distance. Oceanic land-scapes unravel concealed allegories. Fantastical creatures inspired by the work of Pedro Linares–imagined by artisan-led workshop Zeny Fuentes y Reyna in Oaxaca—are a hallucinatory journey through the animal kingdom. The movement of the oceans, the evolution of architecture, and the unity of man and nature.‘Futuro Optimisto’, presents delicate lattice beadwork across dresses, tops, and skirts using an artisanal hand embroidery technique. Appearing on outerwear and denim is a new sustainable technique using a single thread of 100 percent recycled polyester. Silkwear remains an imperative staple across the entire collection, continuing to serve as a vehicle of Casablanca storytelling – this season illustrates psychedelic night skies in Oaxaca and custom watercolour interpretations of nature scenes by Oaxacan artisans. Casablanca jewellery doubles in collection offering, in the form of charm bracelets adorned in natural pearls, psychedelic mushrooms, horseshoes, cacti and natural stones, meanwhile, enamel necklaces and intricate beading decorate 18k plated earrings. The classic Casablanca monogram is omnipresent throughout the collection. Following the runway show, a special limited edition Casablanca t-shirt featuring a Zapotec poem written by acclaimed Mexican poet Natalia Toledo would be available on Casablanca e-commerce. All proceeds from the t-shirt will head to the Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca (the Graphic Arts Institute of Oaxaca), an institution that promotes the arts throughout the community and region, founded by Natalia’s late father, renowned Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo.
HED MAYNER
Hed Mayner is keen to make sure his clothes do not appear as overwrought statements of seasonal quirk. The proportion of an archetypal men’s suit jacket has been magnified, reviewed over and over so that it sits on the body like a found object. What Mayner has been doing for some time now is use the upscaling of a garment as a way of destigmatizing it from class, gender and formality. Sometimes Mayner will slice the back away from parkas, duffle coats and suit jackets, creating what he likes to call a two-dimensional look. It is something very direct and clear when seen from the front but there is a decadence behind. For this season, new textures and displacements have been added to the oversize cut. The sensation is one of cotton that is treasured; first decorated then washed, ironed and starched on repeat before it comes into contact with skin. This classicism is mirrored in the fine Italian suiting fabrics and the multiplicity of blue pinstripe linings. In the jewellery too is a homely rhythm – a nod to things that we collect and apply onto ourselves. Mayner is presenting clothes as wearable accessories.
