Paris showcases Botter's Caribbean couture and Lemaire's elegant, practical fashion

The second day of shows immediately set the tone for Paris Men's Fashion Week. Judging by the first autumn-winter 2024/25 collections presented in the first days, quality and creativity were the order of the day, redefining the codes of men's fashion. The playful inventiveness of the young Botter brand and Lemaire's passionate and meticulous work on cuts and silhouettes are just two examples.

Botter continues to enrich his design and evolve his “Caribbean Couture”, as proclaimed by a slogan embroidered in white on a black shirt. Each season, the brand takes its style a little further, modernizing the great classics of men's clothing.

The wool suit jacket was transformed into a blouse or worn inside out, with a zipper all the way to the back. The white or black cotton overshirt, with tweed cuffs, replaced the jacket. It was tucked into a pair of pants, layered over another shirt buttoned up to the neck and adorned with a tie. The back of the trench went up the back and hung over the shoulders like a cape.

The collection was also livened up with total tapestry looks, consisting of suits and shirts made of the same floral fabric, as well as other fun details. For example, thick knit hiking socks that double as elbow pads, or tweed patches on the knees of trousers, while a hybrid model featured a work jacket with large chest pockets, which extended to the bottom until becoming a classic houndstooth check version with its own pockets.

The two Dutch designers at the helm of the brand, Lisi Herrebrugh, whose family hails from the island of Santo Domingo, and Rushemy Botter, born on the island of Curacao, also brilliantly infused their collection with the multiple references of their culture. making coats and jackets in a patchwork of vertical strips of masculine fabrics with irregular edges. The sports thread was still present, with t-shirts and sweatshirts in vibrant colors and a new collaboration with Reebok.

The same goes for the theme of ocean protection, so dear to the duo, who once again warned of the damage caused by pollution with a very effective logo-slogan that hijacks the emblem of a major oil company. The word hell, dripping in red, was emblazoned beneath a red-edged yellow shell on the front of a hoodie and a pair of gray-black jogging shorts with holes.

Lemaire organized his show internally, at his headquarters on the Place des Vosges, in the heart of the Marais district. “It was the right time to welcome him to the place where we work, because Lemaire is all about style. We wanted to focus on what we do with passion in clothing, and also on this place, which presents a collective way of working in the fashion. We are lucky to have everything on site: the workshop, the offices and the studio. This is important because we believe that the process defines the result,” explains Christophe Lemaire, who runs the brand together with Sarah-Linh Tran.

Women and men with long, flowing hair invariably wore the same clothing. Total multi-layered looks that freely combine different pieces and materials in a single tone-on-tone shade. The show opened with a light palette of natural tones (beige, off-white, etc.), with knitwear taking center stage, from second-skin silk knitwear to cozy wool jumpsuits and legging-like tights. Models with slippers or ballet flats and pleated crepe tunics, accentuating the spirit of 'classical dance'.

Playing with the contrast between the intimacy of the domestic sphere and the more unpredictable and sometimes hostile outdoors, the duo imagined versatile silhouettes in which they wore silk or cotton pajamas under a coat, with large, warm and comfortable wool socks, while that the coat took on the appearance of a bathrobe. The interior and exterior were skillfully mixed, with great attention, as always, to the sleeved pieces. “We worked a lot on the technical aspects, for example using a magnificent Japanese nylon that looks like silk,” continues the designer.

It's all about attitude. The cardigan could be tied at the waist in yet another layer, or over the shoulder to give it the shape of a shoulder bag. The large khaki raincoat matched perfectly with the slightly worn denim shirt and rolled-up pants. The large cable sweater worn over her shoulders became a protective scarf. A large wool collar protruded from the leather jacket under the raincoat and reached just above the ears.

Tailoring and outwear come together harmoniously to form a single look in these monochromatic, sophisticated and timeless looks, in which fantasy is banished, with some exceptions. Silver pendants gleamed on a sweater or shirt, while some shirts had laces fastened around the neck with a decorated metal buckle, in the manner of Western ties. A folkloric vein took over the collection at the end of the show, with thistle-print checks with long fringes wrapped around the waist and ethnic embroidery decorating jackets and coats. A novelty in Lemaire.