The most recent installment of Paris Fashion Week Men ended a few days ago in the French capital. The Fashion Weeks of Milan and London that took place before were a bit of underwhelming and, unfortunately, this season, Paris was on trend. The main issue was that we could see a lot of the same over and over again: odd layers, rushing, “deconstructed” garments and very undefined pieces. And, while this may be something interesting to see once, twice, five times, twenty times, after thirty times or more, it simply becomes redundant. Just like seeing simple, classic suits on a runway becomes boring a few shows in, so does seeing “anti-fashion, unconventional” pieces. It’s even worse, given that suits are something you can actually wear.
Moreover, we’re seeing what seems to be an endless stream of “down” looks. The clothes more often than not look raggedy, they are bland and the overall styling goes for a sad aesthetic. Yes, this does reflect the society of today, but at the same time, it’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Most people who are sartorially interested want clothes that make them feel great, that give them confidence and power and the clothes we’ve been seeing on the runways of the world for the last few seasons are just the opposite.
The problem is that it’s not even clear how one is supposed to react to these clothes. They’re all a bit grungy, a bit punk, but they’re not really punk. Most clothes simply look like what a child thinks punk is. They are like caricatures and it’s not really working. In many ways, it feels like the hipster trend is done in extremis.
Another thing that is a clear trend is the fact that most labels offer clothes that are simply not of interest to anyone. An oversized crop top in some odd color is not something most men would put on. And it’s not an “artistic statement” either – let’s be clear about that. What’s so deep about a crop top? The message is basically “You don’t get it – therefore you’re not smart, therefore you should learn from here who you should be.” It’s just a way of patronizing men.
A good runway piece is something that is wearable, something that is highly creative and interesting. We’ve seen it done so many times by Dolce and Gabbana, Armani, Tom Ford, Hermes, Alexander McQueen and many others. The truth is that it is hard to keep it fashion and creative and new and fresh and to do it a few times a year, but that’s why it is a hard field to work in. The Dior Men spring-summer 2020 collection which was presented during this PFW was so fantastic and gorgeous that most other collections cannot even be seen as “collections”. Balmain, Lavin, GmbH and others were also good.
Surely, there are many looks and even entire collections that look good, that are interesting, creative and everything a runway show piece should be, but those have sort of become like diamonds. They are rare and you really have to look for them.
Yes, grunge can be done right, punk can be done well, deconstructed can look good, but at the moment, most of what we’re seeing is quite poorly thought through. In this sense, it is interesting to look over the fence and check out the newest women’s collections. While most men’s runway presentations are like a people-of-the-swamp show, in womenswear, the situation is quite the opposite. Indeed, the state of menswear is a reflection of the world of men today: tired, bored and depressed, but fashion does have the power to change things.
There is a lot of amazing menswear to be seen these days: Clothes in boutiques are very often more creative and cool than those on the runways and we would love to get to see more excitement on the runways of the world.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
A look at London Fashion Week Men Spring-Summer 2020 (And at the runways world at large)
A look at Milan Fashion Week Men Spring-Summer 2020
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think of the men’s runway shows of Paris and the world? Do you like the garments that usually get presented? Why? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!