Milan’s minimal menswear mood was abandoned in Paris
An ode to elegance at Saint Laurent and workwear reworked at Givenchy, as the autumn/winter ‘23/’24 menswear season wows in the French capital.
While the Milan menswear shows may have kicked off the autumn/winter ’23-’24 season with a minimalist message, the tone in Paris was anything but.
At Givenchy, designer Matthew M. Williams’s men’s offering began with statuesque black suiting tailored by the maison’s couture atelier, before the collection split, literally, into spliced looks that deconstructed workwear archetypes.
Building upon a formal silhouette, the creative director heavily layered combinations of functional work and sports grab with a punk sensibility. Single looks mixed shrunken hoodies in marled jersey, denim shorts, zippered chinos, distressed camo pants, chore jackets, puffer vests and shredded flannel shirts, albeit all finished with sturdy work boots.
The striking result was a contemporary exploration of subgenres of dressing that will no doubt appeal to a youth audience. Fusing form with ease, Williams merged dress codes rather than simply rebelling against them.
At Saint Laurent, designer Anthony Vaccarello’s first menswear show in Paris was an ode to Yves-era elegance. Presented in the round within the Pinault family’s Tadao Ando-designed Bourse de Commerce art museum, with Charlotte Gainsbourg on piano, the sensual collection, dominated by long, lean lines, was as strong in silhouette, as it was fluid in its finer details.
The designer spoke of no distinction between his men’s and women’s collections, and in fact many of this show’s funnel necked, oversized jumper dresses – worn atop trousers – were an extension of his last womenswear show. Pussy-bow shirts, transparent silk blouses, smoking jackets and block heels – all signatures of Yves Saint Laurent’s tenure – featured heavily, along with a riff on the founder’s patent infamous Belle De Jour trench, worn by Catherine Deneuve in the French film classic.
But it wasn’t all formal finery, Vaccarello also elevated the sweat pant, which was worn under dandyish, floor-length coats, for a casual update on the classic tuxedo, before he put some skin in the game with plunging cowl-front silk shirts that were expertly folded into their cummerbund. The collection, while romantic, had a refreshing rigour.
Both opening shows were widely applauded.
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