Paris Fashion Week Men’s: The Roundup

 

The best till last?

There’s no denying that Paris Fashion Week is perhaps the most anticipated ‘week’ of the season. From the magnetic roster of exhibitors to the electric atmosphere, each season it feels like we’re building up to something that climaxes in the French capital.

For A/W17, Paris brought us some decidedly new feeling styling from Balenciaga, Kenzo and Pigalle’s extreme layering to everything that went on at Vetements.

The superimposition of major league fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Hermes on to the creative eccentricities of Walter Van Beirendonck, Rick Owens and Anne Demeulemeester, makes this event the exemplary showcase of the range and eclecticism of design today.

This massive melange and conflicts of style makes it tricky to refine and restrain into trend and themes but there of course recurrences, even if in the most abstract of senses. From popular fabrics to trim and detail repetitions, here are our top 5 ‘trends’ from PFW.

Back to Brown

After a considerably lengthy leave of absence from the hot list, brown (in all its tones) has reasserted itself for A/W17. From London to Milan to Paris, this classic shade is making its muddied mark all over again. At Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Margiela, Lanvin and Acne, it seamlessly returned to the scene. The other most noticeable colour story was the dashing of red that pretty much weaved its way throughout PFW with real emphasis at Dior.

 

Long Lines

Paris gave some very elongated lengths across outerwear and knitwear, particularly at Balenciaga and Kenzo. For the latter, amazing calf-length cable knits in ombre pastels presented some clever styling opportunities. Length in overcoats showed prominence at Valentino, Issey Miyake, Dries van Noten and many more.

 

Velvet

Mainly in the trouser department, velvet was smattered across the collections in both crushed and pressed examples. From Berluti to Haider Ackermann to Louis Vuitton to Walter Van Beirendonck, it’s clear that the fabric is a menswear must have for next winter. Baggy combats at Juun J and total suited looks at Berluti show the diversity of its application for A/W17.

XXL Volume

Exaggeration of shapes and individual pieces was a consistent theme. Balenciaga gave us outsized scarves, Juun J a voluminous trench, Off-White massive trousers and Lanvin amplified silhouettes, while Dries van Noten expanded the shoulders with boxy long-line overcoats.

Panelling

From patches it looks like things have moved on to panels. The elegant treatment of textural contrasts gives new dimensions to jackets and trousers with the occasional use of applique. Pigalle, Junya Watanabe and Loewe had the best renditions, showing how complexity in design can create and prowess in craft.