Paris Fashion Week ended on a high note on Sunday. Along with the big names, many brands stood out during the last weekend of autumn-winter 2024/25 shows, with collections capable of renewing men's fashion, based on a multitude of cultural influences from all corners of the world. These included American brand Winnie, Japanese brands Kolor and White Mountaineering, and South Korean brand Wooyoungmi.
For her first show on the official calendar, Winnie chose the American Library in Paris and presented a collection inspired by jazz musician and surrealist poet Ted Joans, one of the few African Americans who was part of the Beat Generation. Wearing round glasses and fur hats, models strolled through the book shelves, looking right at home. Comfortable with suits, joggers and jeans cinched at the waist with a belt.
Without frills or special effects for the brand founded in 2018 in New York, where its clothes are entirely made. Designer Idris Balogun, a Nigerian-American who won the Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the 2022 LVMH Awards, gets straight to the point with clothes made to be worn and with a certain sense of appeal. With a wool hat tucked in his pants pocket, a tie sticking out of a coat, a small scarf tied around his neck, a sailor jacket and a beige three-button jacket open over a pink cable-knit sweater, his wardrobe is undeniably stylish. .
The designer, who trained with London tailors on Savile Row after graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology, went on to work for Burberry and then Tom Ford, where he was director of menswear and bespoke tailoring. In other words, he is an excellent tailor who prefers natural fibers and exceptional materials, and pays great attention to finish and detail.
Observe the hand-sewn buttonholes, the double collar of an ultra-chic jacket, the fine wool drawstring trousers or the jacket with four side-closed pockets. The little tweed jacket was perfect, the flowy pants were loose enough, and the trench coat fell impeccably. The test was a resounding success for this debut at Paris Fashion Week.
Kolor brings together two opposite worlds, utilitarian clothing and formal clothing, very chic and glamorous. Retro style includes waistcoats, pleated trousers, tartan shirts and milraya velvet suits with elbow patches for an even more vintage effect.
Designer Junichi Abe reflected on the key pieces of the men's wardrobe, how they evolve and how people appropriate them, adding their own touch. Taking advantage of the current trend for durable clothing and recycled pieces, he made pants and jackets from what look like old cotton canvas and worn denim.
Dirty, torn, covered in paint stains and frayed, they gave the clothes a used appearance. A piece of denim jacket or a piece of old fabric was inserted into a blouse or the lapel of a jacket with large visible seams. A canvas jacket with four pockets seemed to be sewn onto a quilted jacket. A mechanic's overalls with a comfortable t-shirt.
At the other end of the spectrum, some classic garments were ennobled with perfect cuts. Beautiful khaki and navy blue trench coats decorated with gold rings, or banker's pants sewn at the ankle with shiny pin heads, while rhinestones or embroidery illuminated a collar and a string of gold coins embedded in a belt.
White Mountaineering explored the theme of travel. Whether it was a walk, a motorcycle trip, a trip around the world by train or a business class flight, Yosuke Aizawa imagined a man willing to face any challenge, thanks to a complete and versatile wardrobe, both formal and highly technical. .
Windbreakers and waterproof jackets had pockets, as did the nappa jacket. The lightweight anoraks were easy to throw on over suit jackets. Large parkas and down jackets protected from the cold. Small coats matching pants in high-performance fabrics for men's clothing. The Teddy jacket and the sweater with the large W logo are made from ultra-fine wools.
In addition to these sober and techno-sports looks, the brand also proposed warmer and more colorful outfits, among which magnificent jacquard sweaters – its specialty – stand out, as well as shirts, outfits in different shades of tartan and even very comfortable sneakers with different linings. tones, for example. outdoor clothing. The large canvas travel bags were also available in a variety of colors, while the square wheeled suitcases, which were carried by hand, were only black.
Wooyoungmi, who also likes to mix styles and create a dialogue between the Far East and the West, this season presented a very easy and wearable collection with a Korean touch. Madame Woo, that is Woo Young Mi, the founder of the fashion house, who took over as creative director in March 2020 after handing over the reins to her daughter, had the good idea of drawing a portrait of the Seoulites, not fantasized through Western Clichés, but as they really are, through “an international urban style, fused with an instinctive and very personal way of dressing, typical of the inhabitants of the South Korean capital, whom everyone thinks they know, without having never been there,” points out the house.
The designer imagined a businessman wearing a collarless wool jacket over a gray suit, or even a polo shirt, as well as denim ensembles under an austere black coat. One student wore a parka and a long-sleeved rugby shirt with the ParisSeoul slogan, with flannel minishorts, or paired a bright tweed jacket with a pair of baggy denim shorts. For a night out he wore a shiny black tracksuit with stripes on the sides, which he wore without a shirt.
The girls also personalized their shirt-and-tie uniforms, swapping their college suits for a pair of jeans and a suede jacket or a pea coat over a miniskirt, for a very preppy look. A silk scarf tied at the front like a tie or with a Lavallière knot completed the look with a retro hat.
Copyright © 2024 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
