Melissa Flox M

Rick Owens

Images courtesy of OWENSCORP

There were pieces that had serious innovative potential — Rick Owens’ inflated rubber pull-on stretch boots, for starters, were a pleasing delight — but you’d hope there was still room for more of that wacky spirit in this strange world. There was an overall sense of sophistication, evident in the sartorial classicism (almost exclusively fuss-free), in the ladylike elements of gently-volumised tailoring, and even across designers’ take on retail-ready numbers, which embodied sensitivity to industry insiders who prefer understatement. What’s more, slightly puffed shoulders on classic pockets, zippered hems and asymmetrical shirting flowed generously across the catwalks, adding further points to creativity’s departure. Which is why, in a season heavy on the pared-back romance, younger designers make for sweet but cool counterpoints. And as fashion once again looked to its archives and personal narratives, it’s intriguing to see how creative minds continue to shy away from volume and drama, pulling out all manner of outlandish sensitivities and opting to eschew avant-garde pieces to have a subtlety akin to something out of an Impressionist painting of Parisienne jeunne filles. What really makes these designers a subject to watch, though, is the way their elegant instinct make them think out of the functional boxes of their Milanese and Americans counterparts, compressing all the prettiness of a collection into a cohesive outing: a scarf a model can realistically shove into a coat, flats teamed with longline coats or a kilted skirt with bustle flounces paired with a crisp-cut white shirt. Despite the flat bonus-tracks of the season, there were memorable efforts that could nicely slip into a man’s wardrobe next season.

Wales Bonner

Images courtesy of Wales Bonner

Wales Bonner’s Fall outing was one such example: titled Dream Study, the collection emerges from a dialogue with Howard University’s Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, depicting opulence by way of athletic silhouettes that reflect Howard’s sporting legacy, while Nappa leather aviator jackets, corduroy varsity blousons, and satin baseball jerseys enrich the academic wardrobe. Here, collegiate tailoring is issued with utility pockets, while relaxed knitwear comes in cashmere yarns with gold fastenings. Heritage checks and wool duffle coats meet hip-hop staples: silver-embellished Timberland boots and a reprise of the Adidas Originals Superstar in exotic crocodile-embossed leather. Meanwhile, the partnership with Savile Row tailors Anderson and Sheppard produces silk-trimmed tuxedos, melange cashmere double breasted coats, and cropped trousers in bouclé tweed.

LGN Louis-Gabriel Nouchi

Images courtesy of LGN

A sartorial research that extends to LGN LOUIS-GABRIEL NOUCHI’s wardrobe, where tuxedos are tailored with the LGN signature tailoring, featuring strong shoulders, cinched waist, and defined hip structure. What he did on the stylistic side wasn’t rare: 19th century aesthetics were translated into long, voluminous coats resembling capes, but the fluid and see-through pieces — which harken back to the intimacy and luxury of glamorous receptions — felt redundant. But perhaps, in a collection, a simple throughline could nicely echo in an emphasis that rolls in a refreshing slate of essentialism, where things get pared down to the max.

Acne Studios

Images courtesy of Acne Studios

Acne Studios is a case in point: Fall 2024 featuring the gothy, experimental Yves Tumor, presented an ode to denim culture, serving daring offerings teamed with a rebellious streak. Here, menswear motorbike archetypes are subverted with a kitsch sexiness, mixing psychedelic prints and club culture. “Denim, inherently, has a rebellious aura. It’s provocative, it’s rugged,” says Jonny Johansson, Creative Director, Acne Studios in the notes. Contrasted proportions, worn with playful experimentation, felt very much now: low-waisted, high-waisted, skin-tight and oversized.

Dries Van Noten

Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten

A slouchy verve that ran through Undercover’s slew of staples, and stretched to Dries Van Noten’s outing that nodded to the “elegance of the unexpected”, even though the tailoring template had no much distinction than most of its peers. Staples had definitely a classical rigor about them, but if made for a complete wardrobe. There was delicacy in the balance of the crisp suiting and functional separates, but the most (if we must name it) “encouraging” aspect of the collection might have been a poised layering with a tongue-in-cheek volume play as a result.

Loewe

Images courtesy of Loewe

And what harmonious results Jonathan Anderson produced for Loewe, whose constant pursuit is to harmonize the irregular, adding a streak of cool to the sinuously-crafted pieces that Anderson blends every season: Breaking away from formality, a wealth of characters become the central focus, with a restlessness running throughout. Lots of quirk goes on in there, which, in part, lacked stylistic cohesion. But kudos to Anderson for the lovely interplay of Fall offerings that are attached one to the other: shoes to socks, socks to trousers, trousers to jacket or coat, belt to waist, in an attempt to impose rather than propose, much like “what happens in the collaged reality we are all living in.”

Junya Watanabe’s vision sits closely to Anderson’s technicality, with a knack that nods to small gestures and puts in sharp relief the severe frivolousness of some of the sartorial code paraded across menswear today. The designer’s focus, as always, was on volume and cut. Blazers were heavily structured, waists were cinched and jackets had a more practical swagger, thanks to the pairing with oversized denim pants, simple coats and accessorized by hooded toppers.

Images by Christopher Yellen

Rigor is this season’s stock in trade, but if teamed with a a bit of fun, a new sense of utility-wear abounds: that of Botter, where designers Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrug reflected their cultural background for Fall (his, Curaçao; hers, the Dominican Republic). At first glance, the results were effortless and focused on wardrobe classics, and with this lineup the key elements were the clothes that had a sports-like appeal that added a dose of cool to their all-wearable — and commercially covetable — essence. Moving onto more hype-filled territory, the fashion system’s conglomerates love investing in (drumroll, please…) hype.

Louis Vuitton

Images courtesy of Louis Vuitton

But Pharrell William’s outing for Louis Vuitton for Fall leaves us in a state of perplexity: is it one of them worth getting excited about? Really excited, if you’re the kind of customer who can appreciate an embroidered texture, a perfectly cut trouser, a knee-long coat or a Western-inspired hat. Williams’ collection was a clever diffusion of Cowboy Americana: workwear touches, attainable buzz and opulent fabrics, with a fresh spirit that collided with his musical flair and the house’s sartorial polish. But despite the creative and community-like spectacle, references looked too literal and far from avant-garde. What was really notable, however, was the collection’s thumping energy. Not only in terms of offerings (parfleche blankets and scarves were created with artists and artisans of the Dakota and Lakota nations) and silhouette (shirts appear in cowboy Monogram jacquard, cowboy lace, Western prints, or soutache embroidery on chambray) but also on proportions. 

All in all, timeless classics are the Frenchman's ideal wardrobe, embodying — like their Italian counterparts — an exercise in poise and seduction. “Don’t reveal too much!” Jonathan Anderson told me in Milan. “Leave them wanting more!”. And just like that, I very much believe the French abide by that mantra.