Debuts and departures at the menswear collections
From front-row felons to emotional goodbyes, Stephen Doig rounds up the goings-on at Paris men’s fashion week
The comeback
Roman heritage house Brioni has had its share of tumult; the appointment of social media star and former fashion buyer Justin O’shea as its creative director raised eyebrows due to his lack of design training or tailoring experience, only for him to unceremoniously depart six months later (after a global rebrand to boot
– no easy task to unpick). But after several rudderless months, new designer Nina-maria Nitsche’s first collection was a lauded return to form; alongside the most exacting tailored pieces, crafted by Penne-based artisans who must train for more than seven years to perfect their skill, were new bespoke eveningwear proposals that were astonishing in their craft. A crushed velvet, eggshell shaded tuxedo bore silk lapels riddled with tiny slashes, like feathers, and embroidered with birds to echo a Chinese tapestry (detail, above right). It showcased the peerless skill of a house that has been in the shadows for too long. The spotlight’s on now.
The fond farewell
Kate Moss said she couldn’t hear her cue to step onto the catwalk, so loud were the cheers: Kim Jones’s departure as head of menswear at Louis Vuitton meant his final bow – flanked by Moss and Naomi Campbell – brought the house down. His has been an 11-year tenure that married modernity and sports-influence with the traditions of the storied maison – his swansong a sentimental greatest hits collection. Gauzy transparent fabrics from seasons past, adventurer attire (from this Attenborough enthusiast) and the most covetable soft-shoulder cashmere coats you’re likely to encounter. His new role hasn’t been announced, nor has his successor – but it’s going to be hard task keeping up with the Jones.
The new suit shapes
That baseline of a man’s formal wardrobe, the suit, has been subject to some degree of scrutiny of late. Kris Van Assche at Dior Homme took the template of the house’s 1947 Bar Jacket for women and applied it to a man’s wardrobe, narrow on the torso with strong, sculptural shoulders. At Berluti, Haider Ackermann created narrow, slickly cut suits in saturated colours such as copper and baby pink with cropped trousers showing off stomping military boots.
The unlikely muses
There was something of a rhinestone cowboy on the catwalk at Dries Van Noten, with a hint of Nudie Cohn’s rodeo tailoring in the fringed shirting and studded jackets. At Stella Mccartney, the designer referenced the knits and Modish suits of her famous father, as well as her Savile Row training days in a series of Prince of Wales check tailoring.
The material boys
Silk pyjamas were once derided as the attire of Hugh Hefneraspiring pensioners; now they are a probable option for eveningwear (the dinner shirt’s terribly stiff and starchy anyway). Brioni have created a pair in soft gold, while Sarah Burton at Alexander Mcqueen upped the ante for after-dark attire with beautiful silk pyjama suits dotted with Japonaise beaded embroidery.
The touch-and-go moment
The setting for the Hermès show – a 17th-century former monastery cloister dotted with pyres that burned as the wind howled – was certainly eerie, but the real heartin-mouth moment came when the wind changed, driving licking flames and embers towards the models proceeding through the Wicker Man arrangements. The poor fellows soldiered on gamely, with nary a singe to those beautiful cashmere sweaters and leather coats.
The front row furores
Topshop heiress Chloe Green is on a mission to prove that her Hot Felon (for that is his official title, having gained celebrity thanks to a dashing mugshot) Jeremy Meeks is The One, debuting him proudly on the front rows of Cerruti and Balmain – perhaps he’ll plump for one of their tinselly silver tops to meet the in-laws. At Dior Homme, Karl Lagerfeld made his first outing with a new snowy beard, while the show opened with Cameron Alborzian, the male model who shot to fame as Madonna’s paramour in the Express Yourself video, and the Berluti show peppered its front row with Call Me By Your Name star Timothée Chalamet and Isabelle Huppert, the actress keeping shades on at all time to maintain those glacial Parisian fashion credentials.