The aftermath of the Paris attacks was acutely felt at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, with many designers questioning the future of fashion in a growingly uncertain world, and honoring their beloved city. Document went backstage to take a closer look at the offerings for Men’s Fall/Winter 2016.
Dior Homme
Set in a futuristic skate park with striking neon red accents, Dior Homme taps into its refined tailored heritage, adding an ode to 90’s skate, rave, and punk culture. Suits received an updated fit, as the typical slender jacket was paired with flowing wide leg trousers; other traditional suiting made for great texture to the eyes with tattered juxtaposing red threading or thin; and statement outerwear from Perfecto-influenced overcoats, to oversized quilted puffer coats, bringing the cool to compliment the well refined.
Raf Simons
Raf chronicles youth adolescence in his latest collection. Clothes looked exhaustingly distressed, sloppily oversized in the best way possible, and uncared for; this was done intentionally to get the dark emotional mood across, reinforcing the beauty in imperfection.
Off White c/o Virgil Abloh
Just when you thought you could pigeonhole Off White as simply a streetwear brand, Abloh shines his creative hand and strong sartorial eye while still never forgetting what people look to the brand for: the ultimate cool factor. The double collar shearlings were a huge hit, the ease obsessed herringbone outfits, and the final fray edged overcoats.
Y/Project
A fluidly genderless collection, with divergent points of reference, the latest Y/ Project collection further explores a variety of oversized silhouettes such as the snake print hooded bomber jacket, cool textures such as oversized frayed denim, and experimental ways to repurpose the use of denim in jacket and pant shapes.
Dries Van Noten
As the curtains rose at the Grand Palais, it revealed an assembled army of the F/W 2016 Dries Van Noten troop. While militancy was a strong message and point of reference, the collection had a certain softness to it. Coats were softly deconstructed, crushed velvets and crinkled silks were fused into many layered looks, and the most luxurious of furs were used as coat collars, scarves, and full coats.
Mihara Yasuhiro
In remembrance of the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Mihara Yasuhiro delivered a poetic reflection in his most recent collection. The clothing was skillfully battered and bruised, using techniques such as burnt felt, knackered knits, worn in denim, and a beautifully dusted color palette.
Hermès
Hermès offered a very casual-cool, nonchalant collection of highly covetable garments, including a strong selection of leather outerwear guaranteed to elevate an outfit. The unexpected pops of turquoise, rose, mustard and burgundy gave way to a series of enduringly chic all black outfits, surely a crowd pleaser.
Balmain
Olivier Rousteing proclaimed, “Paris is the City of Light and I want to bring back those lights.” Referring to the tragic terrorist attacks of 2015, he delivered an incredibly embellished collection, full of crystals, embroidery and gold braid fit for Prince Charming and Liberace alike. Maybe he’s onto something: perhaps a little escapist dressing up is just what the times are calling for.
Kenzo
Equal parts 70s leisure suit wearer and 90s raver, Kenzo’s F/W16 man is, in designer Humberto Leon’s words: “all about self-expression. There’s no time to be shy about who you are.” Leon and design partner Carol Lim delivered a fresh, slightly psychedelic collection, rich in patterns and textures, featuring well-cut baggy pants, oversized sweaters, and perfectly comfortable suits.
Louis Vuitton
Kim Jones’s collection focused squarely on Paris, crafting a collection that was all at once a homage to the history of the city and brand, yet looking towards the future. The palette was distinctly muted, tones of camel, khaki, steel grey, navy and a some pops of white, while the detailing was complimentarily utilitarian with a hint of dandy sensibility.
