Highlights Paris Fashion Week Menswear FW2015

Since Amsterdam Fashion Week coincided with Paris menswear we had to prioritize. And now that you’ve been reading all about Amsterdam’s latest fashion we’d love to give you an update on some of the Paris Fashion Week highlights. Out of all the menswear shows we’ve filtered some remarkable collections and trends. We left out the regular pin stripe, tweed suit, checks kind of returning trends and focused on what felt new. So here they are, the highlights for fall/winter 2015. Some surprising, others expected, some sophisticated, others just bizarre.

Show those muscles (sleeveless)

Ann Demeulemeester, Maison Margiela, Dries van Noten, Raf Simons

(Fl)oral fixation

Comme des Garcons, Dior, McQueen, Dries van Noten

Orange is the new black

Givenchy, Kenzo, Paul Smith

Double up (sweater + turtle neck)

Hermes, Christophe Lemaire, Les Hommes

Look mom, no pants!

Thom Browne, Rick Owens

Ethnic touch

Walter van Beirendonck, Givenchy, Dries van Noten

Woolen jackets

Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Junya Watanabe

Waistcoats

Dirk Bikkembergs, Maison Margiela, Raf Simons

Small bags (in surprising sizes)

Dirk Bikkembergs, Christophe Lemaire, Louis Vuitton

High waisted

Lanvin, Maison Margiela

Missoni Milan Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

On a catwalk ‘built’ out of a mix of printed rugs, Angela Missoni presented her F/W looks, also all about a mix of prints. Inspired by Trans Siberian travelers she used prints and colors you’d come across on this exotic journey. Prints ranged from holographic to geometric (some almost matched the tapestry) in predominant shades of blue, red and beige. Pieces varied from pleated pants, shirt and tie to more free spirited wrap tops and open coats. Large scarfs tossed around. Therewith Missoni overs a city chic style for every man. The family guy, the globe trotter and even the office clark (in knitted or woven, checked suits).

Salvatore Ferragamo Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

The FW Ferragamo collection is one of those reasons so many of us love winter fashion more than summer attire. Inspired by Crimean War soldiers it was rich, in so many ways. The materials, the layering, the colors and range of styles. The way in which Massimiliano Giornetti showed us how versatile men can look in winter. Whether layering a woolen vest on top of a leather jacket (or vice versa). Whether rocking a pair of pleated pants and a low V-neck T-shirt. Whether he’s wearing a teddy, a lammy or a trench. Checked or decorated with nature inspired things (like a large bison). The Ferragamo man is bound to look cool and collected. Especially with that playful, boyish hairdo and one of those XL scarfs tossed around. Oh and never mind the silly sunglasses. Massimiliano didn´t have long to celebrate his collection, though. He took the first flight out of Milan straight to Amsterdam. At the Marie Claire Prix de la Mode awards, held at Het Rijksmuseum, he accepted the award for Best Fashion House. Congrats on both Massimiliano!

Calvin Klein Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

At Calvin Klein we were welcomed by 44 looks. 45 outfits (including Zucchelli’s own) in just as much shades of grey (no, we won’t dare make that joke). Now we can’t say the lack of color never created a dull moment. The double breasted same suit seemed to be coming up three times, only a touch lighter every time. Same story with some overcoats and sweaters, but it was all good. At Calvin Klein you need to know it’s all in the details. Like a subtle and therefore chic leopard print that kept popping up. The perfect Nordic prints on some woollen jumpers. The high waisted trousers. The large chest pockets on some bomber designs and their super short fit. The fur collars and those high boots. Not to mention some of the showstoppers like the XL capes and those patent leather pants. Perhaps the show could have been more of a spectacle. Yet Zucchelli’s still left us with more than enough fashion food for thought.

Bottega Veneta Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

Colorful, yet never frivolous were the looks Tomas Maier sent down his Veneta catwalk. His clothes were meant to appear like they’ve lived a life, like an old friend, and due to the faded shades, they did. The looks also had a surprising touch, probably conveyed through the styling since the fashion items itself were quite ‘normal’. Baggy, elasticized-waist, worn in trousers and oversize jackets seemed plain, but combined with silk scarfs, double breasted jackets, two toned brogues, suspenders and perfect leather bags they got a certain appeal. Though the curly haired, careless, on the go models could pass as farmer boys Tomas Maier gave them a touch of luxury.

Prada Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

Dutchie Maartje Verhoeff walked the Prada show this week. Not in Miuccia’s latest menswear designs though. No, the 17-year old strutted around in Prada’s pre-fall womenswear collection. As, for the first time, Miuccia simultaneously showed fall menswear and pre-fall womenswear. “Gender is a context and context is often gendered,” read the notes, as Miuccia explained this genderbleding had been on her mind for a while. Yet in stead of what you might expect (women dressed up in smart suits) there was a clear division. The girls were elegant women, dressed in playful, yet seductive dresses, short gloves, bows and handbags included. The men were buttoned up in business chic, simple suits. What both styles had in common was their simplicity and elegance. But shades (gray, camel, navy, black) materials (nylons and tweeds) and details (waist belts, double breasted) had some common ground as well. It was a modest collection, but a strong one nevertheless.

Versace Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

No decoration, no color, no print. Just the soul of Versace: silhouette and cut. That was the message of Donatella Versace for her FW 2015 menswear collection. She envisaged the collection as a kind of ground zero, leveling the playing field for the future. It was certainly a step away from excess and ambiguity and gladiatorial camp as we have seen many times.

The color palette was a banquet of soothing neutrals. For all the designer’s insistence on cut, it was softness that dominated. A hooded mink coat and a Mongolian lamb backpack were its most extreme manifestations. Otherwise, jacquard-ed blousons and parkas had the comfy look and feel of blankets. The body-conscious cashmere knitwear in long cabled cardigans and even longer rib-knit tops, layered over leggings was lean and athletic. It took on an impressive masculine heft with oversized outerwear.

Dolce & Gabbana Catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

The message of love that drove the latest collection of Dolce & Gabbana couldn’t have been timelier. Love, family, community—the eternal verities that offer security when the foundations are kicked out from under us.

The curtains opened on eight real families in a tableau vivant, friends and colleagues of the designers’, from grandmothers to babies, adding a new spin to the idea of DNA. The images on the clothing featured other families, from Renaissance renditions of the Nativity to naive cartoons of the classic nuclear mum, dad, and two kids. The model casting was cross-generational as well. Regarding the fashion, there was the reassurance of the familiar: a three-piece suit in black brocade, some artfully distressed denim, an embroidered sweatshirt, a graphic tee. There was comfort, too, in tweeds, jersey pants, pajamas, lounge suits, rubber Wellington boots, and shoes that looked like a sophisticated take on pony-skin clogs. And everywhere there were the appliqués: “Amore,” “Famiglia,” “Love Forever.”

DSquared catwalk Fashion Show Milan Menswear FW2015

When two designers like Dean and Dan Caten mark their 20th anniversary, one can expect an over the top celebration. The duo did not disappoint — at least on the frolic front — with a great venue and live entertainment.

Heavy rain did not withhold guests from flocking to the Hangar Bicocca in Milan on Friday night, where Anselm Kiefer’s installation “The Seven Heavenly Palaces” served as backdrop for a fashion show. There was one recurring look — skinny denim pants with cowboy boots, plus outerwear options ranging from common puffers to lumberjack jackets inspired by the duo’s home and native land. This looked best when the Canadian mountaineer took on a rock ’n’ roll guise in parkas generously lined with fur and styled with matching trapper hats.

The highlight was a surprise performance by Mary J. Blige, who walked out for the finale dressed in an embroidered burgundy tuxedo, followed by the twins lip-singing to her rendition of U2’s “One.” It was her birthday, too.

Menswear London Catwalk Fashion Show FW2015

First up on the Fall/Winter 2015 menswear circuit was the London menswear fashion week. The most obvious trend was the strange resurgence of the 1970s, this time filtered through a hint of ’90s revivalism. With flared trousers, Bay City Rollers tartans, and Evel Knievel allusions. Still many other designers also picked up the autumnal color palette, shearling outwear, and raw, pale denim that defined that decade, often showing them in a slimmer, slightly more wearable iteration. An renewed exploration of wide, loose trousers, and a continued emphasis on plaid or tweed tailoring also marked the shows in London, as did references to the era-appropriate pop prep of British artist David Hockney.

Here are some highlights.

BURBERRY PRORSUM

 

J.W. ANDERSON

CRAIG GREEN

 

MARGRET HOWELL

ALEXANDER McQUEEN

CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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