Fall Winter 2022 – 2023 collections has been presented this week in Paris.
Last week in Paris was the comeback of the Menswear fashion week. A huge event and occasion for every designer, fashion-lover and people from the industry to gather, showcase and have fun around a common subject: Men’s fashion.
Men are getting little by little more exposure and interest in the fashion industry. Yet, body diversity on the catwalk and the inclusion of diversity is still very slow and not the main priority.
But for now, we will leave the place to the art of fashion and to the main and most important shows of this Parisian season.
Louis Vuitton
Since its creation, Louis Vuitton has been all about the “art of travel”. In this new collection, the notion of travel is experience through the big life journey we all go through. We grow up, dream, and experience life. This is our own personal journey. Yet some common points unite us on our way to a greater and better future.
The show was all about that, displaying common references to childhood while seeing adult men walking.
From the colours, to the accessories and the set, everything was combined to have and feel a wave of nostalgia and keep on dreaming. Drawing does not stop to a paper, it even goes on the wall and on the clothes.
Rosalia also, was a good match when it comes to the choice of the artist performing during the show. Her mesmerising voice and melody help us to dive into the brand universe and new collection.
For this new collection, Louis Vuitton has asked KidSuper: Colm Dillane to design and create something new. The result is outstanding and the Maison has not lost its DNA and culture. Such an appropriate and perfect fit.
One of the shows you must see!
Dior
Poetry.
It is what the show was about. If you have not noticed, there was a big screen displaying Robert Pattinson and Gwendoline Christie reciting The Waste Land from T.S. Eliot’s, combined with a live orchestra.
Through this new collection, Kin Jones, the Designer of Dior Homme, has made a reference to the past and some iconic collections of Dior. From Christian Dior to Yves Saint Laurent, references are multiples. Also, a reference to school and how it used to be. From the uniform to the colours and the shapes. Suits have been redesigned and reworked to match our current age. The world we know and live in, now, is made out of what has been done before. History, inheritance and great references. An ode to the past.
Skirts, transparency and shapes are making this new collection a successful and inspiring show. Dream in Dior is visible and present in all looks, with references to the Maison most unique and greatest savoir-faire. The embroideries, the silhouette, and Mr. Kim Jones signature, with the shapes, and looks construction.
A reference to the past and how school used to be, but not in a sad melancholy but in a poetic way. The soft and delicate colours chosen as well as the fabrics make this collection great and timeless.
Luxury brands are still doing good and Maison such as Dior are proving that Dreaming and what luxury truly means exists still.
Saint Laurent
Chic & Silhouettes. Saint Laurent Menswear collection has been compared a lot to the womenswear one. A sort of adaptation and transposition of the womenswear into the menswear.
As Anthony Vaccarello said himself: women can move to menswear and men can move to womenswear easily. Versatile but also blurred, the frontier between genders is slowly disappearing.
As a result, we saw men wearing dresses and clothes with an emphasis on their silhouettes. The chic of Saint Laurent but in a reshaped approach. We must admit that the scene and the staging have been participating in this progress and this evolution. Can we talk about virtuous circle? We believe so.
If you are in a quest of genderless, fluid or new ideas on how to dress this year, then the show gives you plenty of insights and source of inspiration. Chic and fluid. That’s it!
Marine Serre
Is the future of fashion currently happening?
Sustainability is nowadays an issue and a topic mostly discussed in every business. From classes at universities to specific and dedicated branches in companies and from the government actions to the laws and regulations put in place, it is clear that we must take some actions to preserve and save our planet. Fashion has been highly criticised over its impact on the planet and society at large.
Hopefully some highly creative designers are trying to prove that fashion can change and move forward. Leading the industry with ideas. Marine Serre has been a pioneer and one of the most known and influential fashion houses and designers to take the lead and offer upcycling collections.
This years’ collection is made out of recycled materials and reusable fabrics. No waste, no novelty in terms of raw materials. Making something new out of existing and old stuff. New collection, items, ideas and inspiration.
Once again, we have been amazed by the show presented during the menswear fashion week. Even though the catwalk was not only about men but more general, it has been a huge wave of creativity and insights to think about.
Rebirth, transformation, change, renewal, those words were meant to describe Marine Serre’s work.
Comme des Garçons
“Tailoring of the Avant-Garde”. This is the name given by Comme des Garçons to their new collection, presented in Paris.
Avant-Garde is a term used and employed to characterise something that is ahead of time. Something new, experimental and even marginal. It is about experiencing something new, a sort of entrepreneurial spirit at the conquest of a blue ocean. Originally used in a military context to define the first raw sent to identify and track the land before an assault, it has also been used to characterise an artistic and cultural movement.
Tailoring is an art and a branch of the fashion industry. It is about creating lines, silhouettes and specific types of clothes.
Comme des Garçons is, in some way, an Avant-Garde brand, used to surprise with its colours, shapes and design but also inspire and nourish this new man idea that we have and its characteristics.
This year’s collection is very surprising as it is not centred around colours. Instead, it is the return of black. This comeback is not only specific to this brand but has been visible over most of the fashion shows. We also were amazed by the work of the shapes, designs. We have been also intrigued by the majority of suits created.
The new man’s idea of the designer is clear: it is not about gender, not about clothes, but about you. It is about the character wearing the clothes. You merge with this collection. It helps you, being you, the one you want to be. Comme des Garçons!
Ami Paris
Renewal, repositioning, and redefining what Ami is. This new Men’s and Women’s collection presented in Paris is an introduction to a new adventure for the Parisian brand.
After years making the brand around Paris, and picturing the city, this collection is giving us some fresh thoughts about the brand.
New colours, no more logos and fluidity. These are the main changes operated by the creator.
This new collection, synonymous with the new position of the brand, took place for the first-time in the Opera Bastille. A lot of fresh and first time experiences which is nourishing this change the brand is operating (also check their new instagram feed).
However, something has not changed and an ingredient makes the recipe still reliable and comforting: the Parisian chic, BCBG vibe. Yes, we are not afraid to say it, but Ami is the perfect representation of the idea we have of the Parisian and chic style / cliché. We are glad to still find it in this new collection.
As it is the beginning of a new story for AMI, we are looking forward to seeing the next steps and advancements taken by Alexandre Mattiussi.
Maison Margiela
The amazing and Great John Galliano has, once again, revolutionised the fashion industry! Revolution and disruptiveness have always been the main elements of his creations. Maison Margiela is a sort of the perfect representation of it as it is known to be very disruptive and unique in the ideas, designs and shows.
We have enjoyed the shapes and the work around the structure of each look. Looking carefully we have seen very special pieces.
Gender was not the subject of this show. It was not only a menswear collection but obviously, the creations can be seen as fluid and non-gendered. You just need to dare wearing it! It is obvious that it has a strong link to the creator’s point of view and signature.
Acne Studio
Genderless, fluidity, non-binary… These themes are becoming more common in the fashion industry. Even luxury and very popular houses such as Saint Laurent are taking this path when designing new collections.
Over the years we realised what gender truly means and how complex the subject can be. The fashion industry is trying (trying, yeah…), to get along with this societal shift and to be up to date.
However some designers like to play with the meaning and code of masculinity. It has been the case of Acne Studio and Jonny Johansson’s creations.
For this new collection presented in Paris, the designer made the choice to not take the position of genderless but instead make fun of masculinity. Ultra masculinity meeting ultra femininity to redefine and reinterpret the complexity of the new man.
Presented in a ‘masculine’ environment: a cave, displaying muscular and tall men, the collection was offering some very feminine-associated pieces such as crop tops, skirts and mini-clothes.
2023 = free to be
The Menswear fashion week was a great source of inspiration but also representation of society at large. We got a lot of insight of what it is expected outside and what this year will be about: FREEDOM. Free to be, free to express and also free to trespass the boundaries.
The New Man was mentioned by nearly every single fashion actor presenting during this week. What masculinity is, what gender is, the boundaries and stereotypes have been studied and discussed. Men are no longer limited and fashion houses are moving forward. The time has come to make fashion even more free and creative. Liberty to create, to dress and speakout. Self-expression, confidence and judgements-free. These are the credos of 2023.
Are silhouettes back? We have to admit that it has been a huge thing and a common element that we saw on multiple fashion shows. From Dior to Saint Laurent, Marine Serre and even, stay tuned on this trend, maybe we’ll hear more of this sooner or later 😉
Poetry seems also to be THE theme of this year’s edition. Every house and brand tried to make a reference to the art of playing with words to create a symphony. A worded interpretation of the visuals they created or a visual representation of written art? We will never know, but what we can say is that art, in all its form, is nourishing and inspiring fashion. Sometimes boundaries can be blurred or even non-existents.
