Paris Men’s 2 SS20
By Jo Phillips
Image left-hand side Le Silage
Loewe’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection is one of juxtapositions: cultural infusion contrasts with modern tones, satin pieces with denim outwear, long draping silhouettes with sturdy blazers and soft pastel theme with luxury golden tunic. Taking over the UNESCO World Headquarters (Maison de l’UNESCO) runway in Paris decadent details of ‘Lenin denim from Japan and hand-embroidered cotton from Bangladesh reflected Loewe’s sense of cultural blending to evoke a vision of harmony. Moccasins introduced their footwear and accessories to accentuate the designs with elements of functionality, adding a sense of totality to the collection. A range of playful accessories by the brand meddled together with the presentation and elevated the avant-garde take on defining classic-lavish, a genre that Loewe’s can invent with these masterpieces. Re-owned artist Hilary Lloyd collaborated with the brand in some of the featured designs.
Mihara Yasuhiro elegantly took advantage of the world heritage site by using its backdrop to flash his vibrant looks. The Japanese fashion designer presented a collection that explored his signature military style by adding MA-1 jackets and military cargo into the collection. Re-evaluating the era of ‘underground’, a time when individuality thrived without the fear of social judgement, he undoubtedly checked all the boxes. The military inspired motifs were perfectly balanced, heavy cargo with slim-fitting tops and over-sized outwear with skinny bottoms. The ordinary in his style emerged as extraordinary in design when basic clothing pieces combined with eccentric pieces of art and brought forward broadened the scope for individuality in fashion.
Sacai looked to no other than its own designs as inspiration for the Spring/Summer collection. Thoroughly presenting their original earthy tones, with an appreciation for tropical and side-striped shirts, military classics like M-65 and MA-1 dominated the theme. During a season of spring colours and warm hues, Chitose Abe, creative director of Sacai found beauty in layering. In a collection of gradients and asymmetry, it was the comfort of multiple drapes of fabric that really made a mark. Then there was yet another Nike collaboration with Nike LD Waffle shoe that looked elegant when paired with dark indigo and black denim. Sacai’s work was a reminder that even the most core of utility pieces can feel exciting in the right hands and with the right details, footwear and accessories.
There’s no mistaking a Dior show – chic tailoring, luxurious, full of swirling layers with just the right amount of flamboyance. But with their SS20 Collection, the clothing felt even more enhanced. English fashion designer Kim Jones collaborated with artist Daniel Arsham to reimagine the runway, executing their vision on a backdrop of pink sand. Models wearing a themed-series of clothing, muted tones and blooms of pattern dominated. The most surprising standout piece in their show? A cracked Dior logo shirt, for its debut of the brands versatility which took us outside of Dior’s signature formality. The accessories included timeless lily of the valley brooches and transparent shoes. The brand also teased their 3-D printed limited edition Saddle bag which was designed in collaboration with Rimowa.
Hermes designs aim to the working, contemporary men and women who want to reflect their passion in the clothing they wear, within and without their workplace. Buyers depend on their pieces that seamlessly blend into any setting. During their showcase in Paris, the brand blurred the lines perfectly, showcasing light pink, mint, mushroom and yellow pallets – diverting from their original style. And while much of the show was carefully crafted by creative director Véronique Nichanian, reinventing the house codes was an understandable risk. The fine-gauge knits and wide-bottom chinos stood out as some of the most captivating pieces for Hermes quirky rendition of the everyday work attire. But the standout Haut À Courroies and it’s incredible leather detail undoubtedly stole the show.
Wooyoungmi’s show was intended to be a polished and clean version of the ‘city pop’ era – but concluded to so much more. An ode to Seoul’s eccentric street style, creative director Katie Chung’s collection took us on a journey to City Pop. “For a long time, people thought it was uncool. Now kids have started listening to it again—there’s a whole underground City Pop thing going on,” she added, “of course, every revival looks different—boys are wearing it in their own modern way.” With beach-city-looks inspired by Hawaii, soft tailoring of the L.A essence or the palm tree graphic shirts, logos of Miami ruled their entire range supplying an odd form of originality. Some of the outfits like brown-and-white-checked oversize shorts paired with a fluid jacket perfectly demonstrates Wooyougmi’s aim of making profound creations out of unlikely pairs. The influence of K-pop artists on the Asian fashion scene is evident, and the brand is taking another step in the direction of bringing streetwear into the mainstream.
Balmain creatively brought its set back in time to the late ‘90s – bringing forth a wave of techno and geometric clothing to the Spring/Summer 2020 collection. Much like the millennial pop-tracks that accompanied the runway show, French fashion designer and creative director Oliver Rousteing presented a line of sensual, post-modern era clothing. With dazzling metallic fabrics dominating the silver glazed suits and galactic-styled jackets that hypnotised the crowd. The brand had gotten playful with sharp lines of details that contrasted with the smooth curves of intricate draping. Olivier Rousteing also collaborated with Kylie Jenner for the beauty looks in this collection.
Sensibility of deconstruction, asymmetry and a vision for conceptual fashion. Comme Des Garcons’s SS20 collection by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo disrupts the image of traditional menswear by fading the lines between gender with his supply of frilled dresses and skirts in his latest series. The raw seams, jacquard jackets and feminine curls possessing the main focal point on Garcons gender fluidity influence. Standout pieces like free-flowing shin length dresses and crumpled polyester shorts eased the translation of the spilt of man and woman designed attires. One might also notice the subtle addition of Nike Air Max 95 shoe, hinting at a potential collaboration between the two brands.
Hybrid tailoring is naturally alluring to the eyes, but Junya Watanabe’s collection for this show might have been the most ingenious combination of styles yet. It begins with a civilised collection of outfits that can easily build a robust wardrobe for a professional working man. As the show progresses, patches of saturated colours and patterns like a crumpled newspaper patterned shirt with comic illustration disrupts its clean start. Japanese fashion designer Junya Watanabe flaunts her gift of working with textures that grab the eye. The collection was composite of Carhartt, Gieves & Hawkes, New Balance and Levi’s, bringing together all the clothing choices a man can make in a day. As the show ends, Junaya’s collection stands out as a highly respected production for its authenticity and approach towards styling men in a unique way.
The title for Henrik Vibskov’s Spring/Summer 2020 collection was “Stuck Under the Surface,” a concept that the Danish fashion designer delivered with absolute success. Funny motifs crafted in rainbow colours were modelled alongside a set design of neatly stacked inner tubes. There were mixed-material platform heels aplenty, complementing the strange but sturdy clothing. His simplistic approach of using geometric patterns in a playful manner through his outerwear design might seem loud. However when matched with a suitable pair of pumps and accessories intelligently, you’ve got yourself a casual masterpiece for everyday wear.
Juun J a dose of gothic boldness firmly sets the tone of his collection, except instead of your go-to black, think a solid colour palette of grey, white and deeper shades of navy blue. Juun is predominantly known for his traditional approach towards tailoring and silhouettes which is why he did it best with leather jumpsuits, a noteworthy khaki flight suit and single breasted blazers. Accessories played an important role in elevating the runway presentation, especially the bags. From armband to crossbody multi-pocket bags, the pieces are tailored for men who values the function of their clothes as much as the style. The designer also debuted a redefined version of the Volume 3 sneakers for the upcoming season in white, black, yellow, pink and grey.
Acne showcased a number of looks that glanced on some off-kilter clothing styles in the form of appliqué, partial-contrast stitching and barrel sleeves. A further nod to Acne’s original style, progressive check blazers, formal shirts and trench coats. The collection was perfectly paired with trainers, clunky boots and contemporary mules. Creative director and co-founder Jonny Johansson upgraded some of the brand’s original styles such as the slouchy blazers in beige and light blue shades to balance some of the vintage-looking pieces he presented. With this ready-to-wear collection, there’s no better way to brighten up your summer workwear wardrobe.
