Dunhill: Creative director Mark Weston’s fourth collection for the British brand looked to explore and play with tradition and subversion. The archetypal British approach to dress is one that includes the street and the countryside; the high and the low. ‘It was about rediscovering sophistication,’ he said. ‘Elegance with quietness. I wanted to build on last season where we had those couture elements mixed with things that are more technical. Bringing the city and the country together. I love playing with that kind of contrast.’ The cords were 80s casual, but in Weston’s dressed up way. Cummerbunds were worn askew. Sinuous wrapped tailoring slackened the stuffiness of classic double-breasted jackets.
Ami: An air of elegance and sophistication flowed through the AMI A/W 2019 collection. In an almond carpeted room surrounded by matching curtains, designer Alexandre Mattiussi continued to build on his unique perspective on clothing for the real man, but this time upping the luxe factor. A voluminous drop shoulder coat was thrown over a slouchy cable knit jumper and teamed with cropped trousers in head-to-toe cream, while a tailored camel jacket was worn with baggy wide leg trousers and extra long scarf. Elsewhere, a neat leather bomber with shearling collar was worn over a roll neck and cardigan twin set, and boxy check blazers with chocolate brown cords.
creative director and brand co-founder Jonny Johansson looked to ‘the outside’ and counter-culture groups for inspiration this season. This manifested itself in jersey tops with purposefully imperfect ribbing, patched with images from the classic anatomical textbook Gray’s Anatomy. Chunky knitted jumpers and ponchos came with extra long fringes that almost touch the ground. Tailored jackets in jersey were cut close to the body, with small flowers trapped in see-through buttons. Rubber boots came with chunky industrial soles, while mini carry case bags resembled survival kits.
Givenchy: Seventies gloss met the cocksure attitude of the 1990s in Clare Waight Keller’s A/W 2019 Givenchy menswear collection – her first standalone presentation during the menswear calendar since arriving at the house in 2017. A floor inside the Palais Brongniart – an elegant Haussmannian apartment in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower – was laid with pools of fresh baby’s-breath. Guests sipped coffee in Givenchy monogrammed paper-cups, easing around clusters of mannequins draped in a series of exquisite, sharp looks. They underlined Keller’s retro-romantic mood for the house. The silhouette for suiting was lean, the line of trousers crisp – slim through the leg and gently flared at the knee. For evening, jackets were covered in micro-glass hand-beading. Daywear was given a couture upgrade too; a windbreaker in cocooning technical fabric had the sheen of moiré; checks were tailored into coats and jackets with mother-of-pearl buttons and occasionally embellished with leopard spots. This was hardcore chic.
Undercover: The recent focus for much of the Japanese label’s output has been the work of celebrated director Stanley Kubrick. Last season, Jun Takahashi cited the cinematic masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey as an important reference. For A/W 2019, he looked to A Clockwork Orange, resulting in a range of brimmed beanie-hats, velvet suits and large prints of scenes from the film placed onto hoodies and padded jackets. Shoes were made in collaboration with Dr. Martens and Nike
Vetements: The hype surrounding Vetements has quietened down since the brand moved base to Zurich, but designer Demna Gvasalia is now taking things in new powerful and thought provoking direction. Politically charged garments were worn by angsty street cast youths - oversized hoodies and t-shirts were emblazoned with button pushing statements, protective puffers with sharp angled edges looked placard-like, and anoraks came with exaggerated hoods hiding the wearers mobile phone use. Elsewhere, rucksacks were covered in spiky studs and long strands of coloured hair, and heavy buckled Frankenstein boots looked accessorised the collection
Pierre Hardy: This season Pierre Hardy looked back at some of his most successful shoe styles and reworked them for now. A classic Chelsea boot and slipper were revised in patchwork tan suede and super soft leather, while loafers and Derbies got a square toe update. The designer also continued to push his sneaker styles in new directions - moulded angular soles increased in size to uber proportions, laces became thick tubes and thick Velcro fastenings ran across fronts.
Alyx: Designer Matthew Williams presented his second catwalk show with a confident co-ed collection that seamlessly fused a streetwear swagger with high fashion know how. Models marched forwarded in lean leather trousers with voluminous shiny nylon windbreakers and sharply tailored jackets. Puffer jackets appeared in many guises - a longer length style in high shine nylon and another covered in a forest camouflage print, to name two. Cross body bags came with the designers signature industrial hardware, while backpacks were oversized and angular. The show also included continued collaborations with Nike on sneakers and Mackintosh on outerwear.
Ann Demeulemeester: Designer Sébastien Meunier got tough this season. As always romance was in the air but there was a harder, more rebellious mood - boys in bandanas marched assertively to a Sioux and the Banshees soundtrack in billowing silk shirts and oversized web knit jumpers teamed with slim trousers and buckled Cuban heel ankle boots. A khaki military jacket and caramel shearling driving coat were belted tightly to accentuate the wearers waist. Elsewhere, a leather zip up gilet was worn over crumpled blazer, while a louche dressing grown jacket came with a protective fur front.
Balmain Homme: The Balmain A/W 2019 show began with a parade of evening wear looks that reworked the classic tuxedo - jackets appeared with exaggerated shoulder lines, lapels morphed into hoods, trousers fastened slash-like around the waist; and satin stripes raced down track pants. Elsewhere, creative sirector Olivier Rousteing reworked parkas and bikers in boucle, while others came covered in scratchy Basquiat-like drawings. The finale focused on deconstructed tailoring in grey houndstooth - a blazer came with an integrated mink body, while another was spliced together with a leather biker. Skeleton cut-out sneakers, small circular sunglasses and baker boy caps completed the look.
GmbH: On the outskirts of Paris in a deserted warehouse, designers Benjamin Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik presented a tailoring focused collection of sleek powerful silhouettes. Things were more formal than usual with strong shoulder jackets and sculpted waist overcoats featuring statically placed harness-like straps. Body con tops covered in muscle defining patterns and the brand’s hammer and pick logo where teamed with tailored wide leg trousers. Elsewhere, cropped fleece tops were tucked into high waisted panelled carpenter trousers and jeans with double zip closure. Heavy duty boots and utilitarian toolbox bags completed the collection
John Lobb: This season, artistic director Paula Gerbase presented her A/W 2019 collection in an infinite forest installation of mirrors and pine trees. The setting nodded to the brand’s outdoor heritage - a group of walking shoes inspired by vintage styles found in the John Lobb bespoke archives came in a new suede and calf upper. The brand’s classic Chelsea boot was updated with a lightweight rubber sole. Elsewhere, new Oxford and Derby styles were discreetly decorated with punched and stitched patterns created using a unique tool from the brand’s past.
Officine Générale: Pierre Mahéo is a designer not concerned with the seasonal whirlwind of hard and fast trends, choosing instead to quietly build on his brand aesthetic. For A/W 2019 he continued to refine items from the Officine Générale lexicon – military inspired jackets and neat bombers were teamed with flat front trousers cropped at the ankle. A pair of slim cut washed out black jeans were doubled up with a matching denim shirt and wool blazer. A softly tailored emerald corduroy suit worn with a pale green cashmere roll neck and sleek leather boots exuded an air of casual elegance.
Thom Browne: The show space was wrapped in pale white bubble wrap and, in the centre, a row of mini maquettes awaited their unveiling. Models walked out cocooned in tailored bubble wrap shifts and mittens lined in fur. The show reached its crescendo to an alt-rock track by The Bubblemen – a side project formed by the members of the 1980s band Love and Rockets. Browne’s clothes had the elegance of 1940s couture. His signature plaid tailoring was given Joan Crawford’s Mildred Pierce shoulder and a lean tightness through the body. Standout were a series of surreal sartorial sculptures; almost ballgowns with swooping couture volumes, made up of swathes of tailored suits. They hung off the body from a single shoulder strap. High drama indeed
JM Weston: There was performative pizzazz behind the heritage shoe label’s presentation, dreamt up by JM Weston’s artistic, image and culture director Olivier Saillard. Guests congregated at the historic 1826 bistro Café de l’Epoque, where waiters, not only sporting Weston’s signature 180 loafer, also served up its ‘Very Special Orders’ bespoke offering of footwear on elegant wooden trays. Couture techniques have trailblazed onto the men’s catwalk in recent seasons, just look to Kim Jones’ incorporation of haute couture techniques into his menswear offering for Dior. At JM Weston, uppers were colourfully hand-embroidered by Lesage, or silkscreened with poems. The 17 models on display are essential for any menswear menu.
Jacquemus: Designer Simone Porte Jacquemus treated his guests to a breakfast feast before presenting his A/W 2019 collection. In a relaxed atmosphere models walked through the audience to form a tableaux at a table laden with bread and cheese. A utility shirt came with a delicate wheat sheaf embroidered on its chest, and an easy fit workwear suit was printed with faded rosemary sprigs. The letter ‘J’ playfully covered boxy pyjama shirts and short shorts. Elsewhere, chunky rib knit jumpers were teamed with baggy carpenter trousers, while lightweight puffers and cotton drill patched pocket jackets added to the outdoors mood.
Facetasm: The Église Saint Merri’s church in Paris’s 4th arrondissement played host to the Facetasm show. A heavy rock soundtrack filled the serene space as models marched past at a frantic pace. Deconstruction was the order of the day - the arm of a MA-1 pilot jacket appeared holster-like over a pinstripe blazer, while a pair of trousers came with bondage straps dangling from one leg. Elsewhere, a voluminous trench with a cutout back revealed its wearers undergarments, and a tailored overcoat was spliced together with a sporty anorak
Yohji Yamamoto: Dishevelled men walked at procession pace through the audience at Yohji Yamamoto, occasionally one would stare at another when passing. The mood was somber with military uniforms being deconstructed and reinterpreted in Yamamoto¹s unique way. Tailored overcoats appeared with parts eliminated to expose longer length shirts and oversized jumpers worn underneath, while gold buttons decorated the front of jackets and para boots were dipped in gold paint. Elsewhere, animal motifs were scratchily embroidered onto blazes with an amass of loose threads left trailing, and trousers came with web belt straps at the knee.
Birkenstock x Rick Owens: The renowned German accessories house and the legendary subversive designer celebrated the second iteration of their collaboration with a pop-up shop at Paris retail behemoth Le Bon Marché. The sophomore range features a whole host of styles with avant-garde Owens’ oomph, from Birkenstock’s Arizona sandal, imagined with gold and silver accents and velcro fastenings, to the new stompy Rotterhiker boot, with exaggerated tongue and industrial buckle clips.
Homme Plissé Issey Miyake: The venerated designer Issey Miyake still stays close to the development of the plissé line. He introduced the refined wrinkle-free separates – known the world over – into his mainline in 1989 and launched Pleats Please as a standalone collection in 1993. It has been having a resurgence of late, galvanised by the archive of early collections and collaborations with photographer Irving Penn circulating Instagram. It is about an ease of movement, both sturdy and soft. A/W 2019 marks the first time the Homme Plissé line, established in 2013, has appeared on the Paris schedule. The brand staged a dance performance with concept and direction by Daniel Ezralow. A fleet of dancers and gymnasts lunged and leaped through an athletic, recreational playground. First they darted across the room, pausing to swap over two button jackets and try on sculptural bags. A duo then performed on a tightrope, wearing wide-legged culotte pants. They marched in a range of beautiful separates, arms swinging in rapture.
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