Two weeks of menswear shows in Milan and Paris have just come to an end. Sadly we weren’t there in person this time and, to be honest, it was nice to watch in the comfort of our own homes rather than endure the circus but then again, we kinda missed that too… We saw long coats, short dresses and tons of tailoring but what really caught our eye? Here are some of our favourite runway looks.
Hermès
The whole Hermès show was (unsurprisingly) a masterclass in working with leather but the coat from the opening look in particular was just dreamy and you know it will feel as beautiful as it looks. They also showed some very covetable knitwear like this boxy terracotta one.
Ami
Casting himself as the king of the double-breasted, Ami’s Alexandre Mattiussi played a blinder of a show with blast-from-the-past older supermodels (men and women) wearing countless versions. Whilst Charlotte Rampling stole the show when it came to stellar runway presence, we loved the ease of this outfit with its broad shoulders and tone on tone palette
Louis Gabriel Nouchi
Louis Gabriel Nouchi likes to tell a story through his collection, and this time he chose American Psycho as the theme for his show. Whilst we are a little unsure whether a serial killer is the most tasteful reference point for a collection, we very much approve of his inclusivity – he was one of the very few designers showing on a range of sizes and ages. Asymmetry played a big role in this collection with many one-shoulder designs and semi-transparent fabrics which aren’t easy for a lot of guys but, like in this outfit, he managed to make it look masculine.
Dior
In this collection, Kim Jones paid tribute to Yves Saint Laurent and his time at the house of Dior. Mixing traditional tailoring with more contemporary sportswear to beautiful effect, the clothes were wearable and desirable. Shearling was everywhere in Paris but we particularly loved this faux sheepskin knitted version worn with a Dior saddle style bumbag.
Officine Generale
Runway shows are often about fashion fireworks and the noticeable return of the suit in many presentations lead to tailoring that was beautifully made but rather over-proportioned for real life. Go-to brand for understated Parisian chic, Officine Generale, opted to tell the same story but with gorgeous suits that would actually work on a day to day basis. This one in mid grey tropical wool was a winner for us.
Zegna
Zegna seems to be a bit out of the limelight but they are always reliable, delivering contemporary and wearable menswear that is more about real life than the runway. This season Alessandro Sartori worked on classic Italian style while playing a little with colours, silhouettes and textures. This lemon jacquard knit was a winner for us.
Gucci
Designed by the in-house design team, this collection lacked the fireworks associated with Michele-era Gucci but instead was inspired by the Tom Ford years with references to the 70s and 80s. The result was calmer and perhaps a little safe but we very much liked this beautiful teal coloured DB blazer worn with baggy pants. The bag is a bit too much 80s gym kit though…
J. W. Anderson
Here’s a designer who is really hitting his stride, both here and at Loewe. For his eponymous brand, he revisited some of his early designs which challenged (at the time) what we thought of as menswear. Now in a post-Harry Styles age, those frilled shorts barely raise an eyebrow. But you know we love a pink sweater at The Editors so this had to be the piece we would choose.
Louis Vuitton
Colm Dillane (founder of KidSuper) debuted as the house’s first designer of the post-Virgil Abloh menswear collection and worked with Louis Vuitton’s in-house team to deliver a collection full of splashy colours, patterns and oversized suiting. While varsity and puffer jackets continue to be a staple in their menswear collections, we loved this coat styled with wide pants the most.
Saint Laurent
Reworking classic YSL womenswear looks which in themselves were originally reworked mens looks lead to some seriously beautiful clothes destined to be worn by Timothée Chalamet, and this exit is the way to do black tie. Shame it was all modelled on very nervous looking slim teenagers though.
