Paris Men’s 1 SS20
By Jo Phillips
Image on left-hand side Egon
Roger Dean’s artistry was fused with tailored pieces in Valentino’s SS20 collection, with his acid-sci-fi designs decorating bowling shirts, floor-length coats and hats. The trousers presented were a mix of the rainbow, tonal greys, beige and blues. This collection utilised tribal and camp prints and denim, and added a pop of neon to selected outfits. The looks were styled with micro-crossbody bags, dangling belts and slicked-back hair.
Dense layering dominated this runway. Varying shades of blue and black were the main colours of choice for Yohji Yamamot’s SS20 collection. Dark tones featured throughout the looks with faded pictures, text and illustrations printed onto the clothing. Velvet was used for extended-length shirting, knitted jumpers draped over loose pants and long-line jackets flowed over traditional changshan styled pieces.
Dries Van Noten pulls inspiration from the male archetype, calling his collection a “Archi-Fluidity”. The pieces included jeans, army pants, businessmen’s suits, soldier outfit, all with the additional twist of 70’s inspired bright and vibrant floral prints. Van Noten layered luscious contours of pattern and texture with an intense awareness of the sensual potential of adjacency, most notably on fabulous trench coats with in-built lining peignoirs in a yellow chinoiserie floral. A white parka lined in leopard worn with a camouflage fanny pack over floral pants was riotous. Hair has been styled naturally with most models sporting a longer wavy hair style. The collection is paired with black or white sandals or boots.
Vetements took over Paris’s biggest McDonald’s branch, the models appeared through the front door from a truck parked on the street. The “menu” for the fashion sitting was stamped in black on to the McDonald’s napkins. Gvasalia explains that the collection is inspired by Russian police wear, “I love uniforms. We wanted to design a Vetements uniform and kind of try to meme it into fashion.” The uniform inspiration had a twist, from showing oversized tops and jackets to sweatshirts and shirts with a straight and long silhouette running throughout the collection. Styled with accessories such as sunglasses, baseball caps and small pendant necklaces.
Known for his bold prints, Walter Van Beirendonck’s SS20 collection was no exception, with stripes, check and geometric patterns gracing the runway. This ‘Alien Vintage’ show was attire for the designer’s fantasy community of extraterrestrials, which is evident with exaggerated shoulders and arms. Plastic sheeting made his silhouettes distorted and alien, exactly what he intended the collection to do. Utilising all the colours of the rainbow, his designs were either monochromatic ensembles or a mixture of contrasting primary colours. Quilted tailoring, bodystockings, sheer and patterned trousers ruled his runway and created a cohesive collection. All styled with flat trainers, graphic caps, fishnets and colourful dots on the models’ faces.
Moody greys, blacks and blues were the main feature of Undercover’s SS20 collection with jackets, coats, blazers and trousers following the dark trend. Simple items were adjusted with subtle detailing and art stitched onto cropped jackets as well as creases used to look like spiders’ webs. Layering and tailoring were the biggest themes throughout the show, with all the pieces flowing from one to the next.
Titled ‘Tectual’, Rick Owens’ show loosely explored his Mixtec heritage and its relationship to the now in a troupe of metallic, sequinned and luminescent designs. Entrenched in a futuristic almost ‘glam rock’ feel, the long coats partnered with thick exaggerated heels gave off an essence of power and rawness. Working closely with British sculptor, Thomas Houseago (whose clay sculptures are situated in the Palais de Tokyo where the show took place) Owens’ fantastical and avant garde designs were rooted in an appreciation of origin and earth forcing us to confront our own role in the natural world and how our actions will affect the future.
Organic colouring is one way of describing Fumito Ganryu’s SS20 men’s collection. Inspired by the National Geographic instagram page his technical fabrics were adorned with prints of the sky, sea and clusters of trees. Thigh length shorts, long overcoats and a duffle coat inspired by the kimono ensured a break up in the proportions and shapes of the garments, complimented by strappy sandals and handbags with scenes from nature layered on top.
Experimenting with the genre of leisure wear, Clemens’ eclectic mix of cargo trousers, manipulated tracksuits and a series of Jamaican string vest inspired pieces were led out in unison to his film ‘The World Isn’t Everything’. Taking inspiration from migration and security queues at airports his vision is routed in the celebration of the human experience in the everyday. The collection featured his new back to front uniform shirts fitted against high waisted cargo trousers. His iconic asymmetrical tank tops and a gathering of hybrid garments collaged together marked a varied and stimulating response to social themes of identity and the collective.
Inspired by her family’s ties to a wagon workshop that produced intricate creations for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey, Bode’s ‘big top’ characters, slowly protruded down the runway in a blend of nostalgic sportswear, extravagance and workwear. A mixture of reproduced vintage textiles and standard materials, Bode explored the past retranslated in a way that would make the collection more accessible on the market. Rich golds, reds, browns, muted green, yellow and blue tones accompanied quilted flowing fabrics and deconstructed tailored items. Traditional artistic designs and garment making techniques like crocheting were also on display in a balanced visual dichotomy of past and present that was expressed to the most intricate of details.
Taking over Place Dauphine, “a square in shape of triangle”, lined with charming café’s and restaurants, the Louis Vuitton Fashion Show presented the audience with a gentle collection of easy shapes, wide fluid pants, pastels, flowers, and couture techniques passing by. Statement bags, straw hats and sunglasses were a running theme on this runway.
Greatly inspired by youth culture, group mentality and the emotion anger, Raf Simons Men’s SS20 show was perhaps a canvas for voicing the designers discontent with disposable pop culture and corporate America. His romanticisation of ‘teenage’ aesthetic and rebellion is made evident by slogans branded on the backs and fronts of his clothes. ‘STONE(D) AMERICA’ and ‘HOW TO TEXT YOUR TEEN’ were patched on to shirts, t-shirts and lab coats, this combined with the oversized protective gloves lifted the show with an almost cyber punk edge. The show culminated in a procession of some of Simons’ favourite outerwear, including leather double rider’s jackets, plaid and sleeveless boxy blazers.
