Alexander McQueen at Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2019
Sarah Burton takes inspiration from Francis Bacon and photographer John Deakin for spring

Mood board: Sarah Burton’s oeuvre is always centred on tailoring. For S/S 2019 she showed an exquisite collection alive with the spirit of painter Francis Bacon and photographer John Deakin. Such strong, complicated, artistic men who inhabited the drinking dens of Soho dressed with a blasé formality. Burton’s focus was on hybridised classics ripped apart at the seams and redone. She proposed razor sharp tailoring, beautiful embroideries and hard masculine silhouettes.
Best in show: Much is said about the deconstruction of archetypal menswear – Dries Van Noten added optic prints to military shapes, Raf Simons cut away the innards of fine Crombie coats to reveal their lining. Virgil Abloh made sportswear sartorial at Louis Vuitton. We have seen a breaking down of rules, the blending of worlds and of garments. Here that idea was rigorously executed with a tailor’s eye. Sleeves on coats were slashed open, shirt cuffs sliced away. The line of the models was long and taut. Jackets in wool silk were slashed and then pieced together with military coats.
Soundbite: ‘I wanted it to be very male,’ Burton said backstage. ‘We were looking at Bacon and his relationship with George Dyer… I wanted it to be powerfully male. There is a sense of vulnerability but also a sense of strength, confidence and danger.’ Tailoring is the backbone. Jackets with strong shoulders. Deakin’s insouciant photographs of Bacon’s inner circle guided the mood. Double breasted styles are slashed at the waist – a colossal cavalry twill trench is belted with cut sleeves as if to create a kimono. Trousers are wide. Cotton silk jacquards and embroidered in silver gunmetal draw on the works of Deakin. Standout are the fine thread paint brush swooshes that appear over the front of evening suits, the threads running loose like the artist’s imagination.§
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
These are Dover Street Market’s jewellery designers to watch, exhibiting at the London store all summer
In a special exhibition, Dover Street Market London is highlighting 36 emerging jewellery designers to know – shop our pick of their pieces
-
A street-like Pune clubhouse celebrates the ‘joy of shared, unhurried experiences’
A brick clubhouse in Pune by Studio VDGA reflects the fluidity and openness of the Indian way of life with a series of welcoming plazas, courtyards and lanes
-
Glenn Martens’ thrilling Maison Margiela debut was a balancing act between past, present and future
The Belgian designer made his debut for the house last night with a collection that looked towards medieval decoration for a new expression of opulence
-
Art meets perfume in cross-disciplinary fragrance series Nez 1+1
Talents from film and fragrance come together to create Ansongo, the latest scent resulting from a creative matchmaking project by perfume revue Nez
-
Haute Couture Week A/W 2025: what to expect
Five moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2025 in Paris (starting Monday 7 July), from Glenn Martens’ debut for Maison Margiela to Demna’s Balenciaga swansong. Plus, ‘new beginnings’ from JW Anderson
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want’: Paul Kooiker photographs the students of Gerrit Rietveld Academie for Acne Studios
Heralding the launch of a new permanent gallery from fashion label Acne Studios, the celebrated Dutch photographer’s new body of work praises the bravery of ‘people who choose to go to an art school at a time like this’
-
‘I’m surprised that I got this far’: Rick Owens on his bombastic Paris retrospective, ‘Temple of Love’
The Dark Prince of Fashion sits down with Wallpaper* to discuss legacy, love, and growing old in Paris as a display at the Palais Galliera tells the story of his subversive career
-
The standout shows of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: Hermès to Craig Green
Wallpaper* picks the very best of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026, from Véronique Nichanian’s portrait of summer in the city for Hermès to Craig Green’s return to the Paris runway
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 24-29 June, Paris Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the French capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors