The Men’s looks continue to flow out of Paris Fashion Week and it has been a strong current. We have picked our favourite shows- Louis Vuitton and Rick Owens- to give you a detailed account of the collections and runway performances.
Louis Vuitton
The Men’s Louis Vuitton show was incredible. The brand always pulls sensational surprises out at their hat and this year’s Paris Men’s show was a top tier performance. Starting with the retro set design created by French filmmakers Michel and Olivier Gondry, the show was built for success from the get-go. Inspired by memories from their childhoods, the set was supposed to capture ‘Formative Moments’ that make up a boy ‘s initial stages of life. The set was super effective in setting the scene of the show.
The collection came with a performance from sensation, Rosalia, which had viewers hyped. She was seen singing, dancing and parading around the runway kitted head to toe in oversized Louis Vuitton. Turning up the tempo she jumped on the retro yellow car which parked next to the pop-up home set-up. Louis Vuitton had hyped the audience before they had even debuted any of their new collection. That is how you do it, in our opinion.
The looks lived up to the amazing atmosphere which had been created. A co-collaboration between Colm Dillane and Louis Vuitton for AW23 was evident from the moment the founder of KidSuper stepped out amongst the Louis Vuitton team. His creations included his famous artwork of patchworked faces on leather casualwear and accessories. They were super cool and vibrant, and we loved the hybrid pieces of his work merged with the Louis Vuitton monograms. Retro 70s floral prints also found their way into the looks, complimenting the set they walked through.
The items were insanely cool with lots of nods to the past evident as inspiration. The show which had models chaotically pacing through bedrooms and living rooms was made-up of almost 70 looks. Louis Vuitton covered a huge amount of ground in the collection. Surrealism was evident in the designs which made the fits super eye-catching and intriguing. War-time inspired pieces were shown on runway models such as aviator hats, piff helmet hats, leather gloves and camouflage prints which fully covered jackets and trousers. Rugged denim, biker jackets and hoods cropped up on stage as they predict to trend in AW23. Puffer styles, ribbon-tied trousers and fringe lined suit jackets also made popping appearances in the show. However, long slim-tailored coats definitely dominated the looks as well as classic cut suits.
Rick Owens
The grungy glamour aesthetic continues its way in AW23 menswear with Rick Owen’s latest collection. A designer with a powerful story behind him, Owens managed to work his way up the fashion industry in unconventional manners. From dropping out of art school to working for knock-off production factories, he found his way to Paris where it all changed. Establishing a romantic relationship with boss at the time, Michele Lamy, she managed to give his designs exposure and so his legacy as a fashion designer began.
He has kept his rebellion roots and they are always paramount in the design of his clothing. Showcasing at Paris fashion week this year, his collection was no exception to his inspiringly classic Rick Owen’s Style. However, the collection took a ‘Victorian’ influence which was unpredicted but well-received by audience members. He stated he took inspiration from the reign of the Queen during the 19th century and wanted to show a modern take on ‘elaborate modesty’ which was so paramount at the time. Stating the significance of masking sensuality was so elaborate it almost had the opposite effect. His play with historic styles and grunge sub-culture influence created some innovative and visionary designs.
He experimented with Victorian silhouettes and pieces from the time period such as cloaks. Pencil skirts, platform gladiator boots and puffer jackets all made their way on to the runway in his full-black looks. The cow-hide spike shoulder jackets appeared one after the other and pieces were deconstructed into their simplest forms to give an experimental element to the collection. The range of looks consisted mainly of black pieces and otherwise a dark muted palette was used. Slicked hairstyles and blocked face paints added to the grunge aesthetic of the clothing.
Words By Erin Wilson
