The biggest men’s runway shows at Paris Fashion Week

An analysis of Louis Vuitton’s and Dior’s runways
Paris Fashion Week was full of stunning shows with some of the biggest designers in the world choosing to show their collections at this event, with the biggest runways this season being Louis Vuitton and Dior. With both houses taking on new creative directors with Virgil Abloh at the helm of Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones at Dior, their collections featured progressive thinking centered on refashioning the Parisian values of tailoring traditional menswear and the creative integrity of the personal point of view of the designers.
Virgil Abloh draws inspiration from Michael Jackson for the Louis Vuitton runway
Virgil Abloh’s second season at Louis Vuitton, as announced back in December, is inspired by Michael Jackson and is best described as different. Vuitton’s runway on Jan. 17 strayed further away from streetwear influences in this collection compared to his first collection at Vuitton. It is clear that Abloh is still struggling to find the perfect balance between luxury wear and streetwear. This collection looks all over the place and quite a few things are out of character for the brand and not in a “new and fresh” way, but in a “what is the point of adding it to the collection?” way. With that said, it’s clearly designed for the new luxury consumer. Vuitton needed to be revamped for the digital generation and that’s exactly what Abloh is bringing here. You can love it or hate it but Abloh has created a sense of community for his customers, by making you feel like you’re in the know and that you are a part of something bigger when you buy a piece of clothing from Vuitton, delivering exactly what the new consumer wants: identity.


The Michael Jackson influences were treated with surprising nuance as the collection was less about his fashion and more about the messages he put out into the world: peace, love, and making the world a better place. There were plenty of motifs of the world and characters in them within this collection with many tops featuring prints of people dancing or globes. More subtle nods included revamped American flag motifs, possibly a reference to Jackson’s “United We Stand” performance in 2001.


Overall, the collection felt mature. Everything was toned down, tighter, more succinct, and the references were intelligent. Great pops of colour were present, but I am glad that Pantone’s Colour of the Year, living coral, was not overused as the designers chose to opt for more greys and neutrals.


Kim Jones revamps Dior’s house codes for the modern runway
For his first fall/winter collection with the fashion house (presented on Jan. 18), Kim Jones has combed the Dior archive as well as the history of punk, bringing its original ideologies; exploring masculinity in a collection appropriate for a couture luxury house. The team that Jones has assembled for this collection is so incredibly talented, collaborating with designers Yoon Ahn from Ambush, Matthew Williams from Alyx, and visual artist Raymond Pettibon to name a few.


When you’re creating a new collection by referencing old couture style, everyone looks back to the house codes, which are specific patterns, prints, colours, symbols, and signature silhouettes that are synonymous with the label and have helped shape the identity of the label’s unique brand. Jones has looked at the house codes and literally taken what Dior used to do and brought it to the modern era with beautiful streetwear, sportswear, and luxury elements; the fusion of these styles is so clever and so beautiful.


The styling was super strong — masculine in the modern way (not in a macho way); how men of taste, men who care about their world, should dress. And that’s who Jones designs clothing for: people who aren’t about how they are dressed, but are about what books they buy, what records they buy, where they travel, people who live life as a style.
Again we see the inside-out suits from his debut collection, but this time accompanied with topcoats and made-for-winter ready fabrics, mixing warm wools with shiny satins for a luxurious contrast, but there’s still this young element to it all.


The geometry of the tailoring is sharp and clean and transferable to everyday life. The flow of the huge draped, tucked, and wrapped scarves is a great contrast to that and reminiscent of women’s couture. This collection is a fantastic extension of his pre-fall ideas.


Jones’s designs are the pinnacle of the streetwear and luxury wear combination trend. Working with streetwear designers to get those elements all while keeping the fashion so succinct, so rich, so beautiful. It’s no mean feat and is just leagues above others. Jones is incredible because he is able to synthesize everything that happens in a moment into a piece of clothing and does so in a soulful manner. This is one of Kim Jones’s best collections ever.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Feature photo courtesy of Vogue.