Last Tuesday, at 6 p.m., a few hours before the highly anticipated Louis Vuitton show, Paris Fashion Week begins in a much calmer manner, at the Palais de Tokyo, with the first fashion show by the Japanese brand Auralee.
Founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai, the label took the time, before entering the official calendar, to establish its universe in the landscape of current men's fashion.
Going against the grain of many young designers who want to go too fast, too far and organize a show before even having delivered (and sold) a collection.
Because Auralee's strength is to create a changing room.
At their home, no matter the season, you will find a well-cut but never ordinary suit, a shirt made from the right poplin, impeccably cut jeans from premium Japanese denim, heavy wool coats with the right volume, sweaters in alpaca and other mohairs…
Also read: Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton: once upon a time there was America
In short, the wardrobe of the contemporary man, with the right amount of attitude and creativity (in the color palette, in particular) to avoid falling into the banality of mass market brands.
This first show confirms the promises made on previous occasions, when the name and address of the Auralee showroom were still being exchanged secretly among insiders.
It is right, in the clothes obviously, but also in the styling, in the nonchalant look of a jacket closed with just the top button, in the combination of jeans and a shirt (very beautiful) checks, in the wash of a work jacket, in the superposition of a long coat and a technical jacket or a hunting jacket and a sleeveless down jacket, in the contrast between bright colors and those more earthy.
Refreshing.
Clothing is also a question at Lemaire.
This season, the French brand has changed the decor of its fashion shows, previously presented in large outdoor spaces.
Sarah-Linh Tran and Christophe Lemaire thus preferred the privacy of their offices on Place des Vosges.
The furniture was replaced with a raised white podium.
A format that perfectly serves this subtle wardrobe for men and women, allowing the public to better see the care given to this collection, the hard work on the cut and the fabrics... “
We thought it was the right time to organize a fashion show in this space which accommodates all our professions, including the studio and the workshop
, explains Christophe Lemaire.
Of course, the stylistic dimension is very strong in Lemaire's identity, but above all we have a different way of doing fashion.
The creative process is as important to us as the result.”
Lemaire is above all a wardrobe of sophisticated essentials to which, each season, new versions are added, always subtle improvements, almost imperceptible to the eyes of novices but which change everything for those who wear them.
The work on the tailoring is remarkable: wider jackets whose construction is marked but the fall is wonderfully languid, like the coats and pants cut short to highlight the boot... We want these implacably precise suits.
Enhanced with western shirts and bolo ties, winter 2024-2025 is teeming with desirable pieces, from perfect leather jackets to multi-pocket jackets in powder pink washed denim, and large crescent bags worn on the shoulder.
Lemaire's sometimes ascetic spirit gains in sensuality in the image of second-skin knitwear, dresses falling slightly on the shoulder... “
Why can't I meet a girl who only wears Lemaire?
», asks a user in a comment on the Instagram livestream.
Arouse desire, instructions for use.
Lemaire winter 2024 collection Lemaire
Going to see the fashion show of a luxury house without an artistic director is a bit like going to dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant without a chef... Moreover, at Givenchy, which fired its designer Matthew Williams in December, the guests take their seats around tables set up in the historic salons of Hubert de Givenchy at 3, avenue George-V.
The collection, signed by the studio, unfortunately proves the need for a captain when trying to steer a ship.
There are certainly beautiful suits cut from beautiful wool, but very quickly the proposition runs out of steam.
It is difficult to understand how a cat's face ends up embroidered on a jacket or printed on a tank top, why the sleeves of coats are cut out or even the idea behind these Queen Elizabeth II-style head scarves at Balmoral... Faux military jackets fur are certainly very pretty, they should not be enough to do the business of Givenchy, which urgently needs a clear vision.
Givenchy winter 2024 collection Photo: Alessandro Lucioni / Gorunway.com
Having a vision is the key for a young brand that must find a place in an overcrowded market.
Botter doesn't have this problem.
For several seasons, the duo (and city couple) composed of Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh has continued on its merry way, mixing Caribbean culture (they are both from Curaçao) and demanding but also frankly desirable fashion.
For next winter, they are pushing the cursor a little further, emphasizing know-how, such as these very successful patchwork coats and suits.
Above all, this wardrobe is undoubtedly the most wearable ever presented by the couple, with its washed leather workwear pants, its slightly oversized peacoats, its acid-colored bombers and its shirt-tie duos worn under sports jackets.
And at a time when blokecore (a trend which consists of dressing like a football fan off the field) is a hit on TikTok, we promise a bright commercial future for this collaboration with Reebok, notably diverting the sponsor Carlsberg from the football jersey. 1990s Liverpool.
Botter winter 2024 collection Botter
Sport is also the common thread of Wales Bonner's collection, presented at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts on Wednesday evening.
No wonder its collaboration with Adidas now represents the heart of its business.
This time, she revisits the Superstar, one of the German equipment manufacturer's flagship sneakers, which is sure to be a hit... For the rest, the young (and brilliant) Briton, accustomed to cutting-edge cultural references, here appropriates the codes of American university locker room, with its sweaters and varsity jackets, its short Barbour-style jackets, its tracksuits worn under a long coat.
“Last year, I spent a lot of time in the United States, at Howard University,” she confides, smiling, backstage.
The way the students dress there inspired me.
And that’s what stands out in this collection.
A truly successful version, particularly the flannel jackets and suits (made by Anderson & Sheppard, Charles III's tailor).
The only downside: in wanting to show the full extent of her talent (which is undeniable), Grace Wales Bonner sometimes remains too academic...
Wales Bonner Winter 2024 Collection Wales Bonner
Thursday morning, an appointment is made at 10 a.m., Place du Palais Bourbon, at Rick Owens' place.
At home, really.
The American, accustomed to parades at the Palais de Tokyo with white smoke, fireballs and deafening music, has chosen this season for a refined staging, within the walls of his Parisian apartment (currently under construction).
Among the hundred journalists who are lucky enough to sit in the Californian's living room, there is excitement.
There is something exceptional, moving, in seeing these clothes which resemble nothing else so closely, stripped of all artifice.
Of course, what Rick Owens does is not for everyone but, as divisive as it may be, he has managed to conquer a crowd of faithful like few current creators.
They should rush to the stores in a few months, for this sublime return to basics.
Titled Porterville, Owens' hometown, the collection replays the classics of his career, pushing them to their limits, exploding proportions and the very notion of what a garment is.
On the feet, spectacular rubber boots like balloons or the legendary Geobasket, launched in 2010, which paved the way for the fashion for XXL sneakers.
On David Bowie's Warszawa, these men like no other advance in step.
Behind the impressive pagoda shoulders, the sculptural silhouettes in fabric wrapped around the body and the wool astronaut suits, there is also clothing, real ones, with an unparalleled mastery of fabrics: the oiled and cracked denim of the jackets, the perfectos in ultra-thick skin, the tousled alpaca on tunics and jumpsuits, the ultra-technical nylons are remarkable.
If Rick Owens has been criticized in the past for multiplying the effects in his shows in order to rush the spectator, this bare-bones version impresses with its virtuosity.
Warm applause for a unique creator in the landscape.