The fit: The Givenchy Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear show was an intimate one. Held salon-style at its Parisian headquarters, the collection was designed by the Givenchy studio—Matthew M. Williams' final collection was for Pre-Autumn 2024. To be honest, even without the hand of a known creative director, the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection felt a lot more refined with just enough injections of playful modern nuances.
The entire collection was based on founder Hubert de Givenchy's personal wardrobe with elements that he had a penchant for. The use of the colour sapphire, for example, was adopted because de Givenchy adored it as a replacement for black, while cut up armholes of outerwear were an ode to his penchant for capes. Tailoring was central to the collection—although trousers could have done with a little bit of length adjustments but I'm just nitpicking—with suits and tailored outerwear making up a bulk of the collection. And in true Givenchy style, the shoulders were strong and cutting.
The details: Fun came with the way that an archival cat motif was incorporated into some of the looks. It was done tongue-in-cheek as a oversized parka that featured a number of the cat faces seemingly drowning in their own fur, and in another, the fur took on the form of a shearling jacket-cape hybrid. In look 18, it became a mini shearling crossbody that was paired with a tank featuring the print.
What was quite a stunner, especially up close, was the closing look's jacket. Beautifully ornate, the jacket was a reminder of the kind of craftsmanship that the design studio is capable of, and one that had been sorely missed on the runways.
Three exceptional looks: Look 2's interpretation of the studio's blouse blanche as a workwear staple; the double cardigan styling of look 13; and the closing look.
The takeaway: Not all luxury fashion houses need to infuse some semblance of streetwear into their designs.
View the full Givenchy Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
The fit: Within the realm of menswear tailoring, the structures and limits are palpable, owing to the time-honoured techniques of not only constructing a suit, but also in the idea of tailoring as a garment of authority. Chinese designer Sean Suen recognises this. His eponymous label's Autumn/Winter 2024 collection—and also, pretty much his entire repertoire thus far—tapped on the conventions of tailoring by referencing the period where Western tailoring began being adopted by the East.
There's an undeniably rebellious take on tailoring, and I'm not even talking about the one look where the model revealed some derrière. Traditional menswear silhouettes were deconstructed before being spliced together, creating asymmetrical shapes that formed beautiful drapes. At the heart of it was a '50s-led reference with wide ties and geometric prints indicative of the period.
The details: While the tailoring was, in every sense, contemporary, Suen included mandarin-collared suiting. But of course, they were also rendered in more contemporary styles—the first outing saw elongated sleeves with an oversized bodice with equally oversized patch pockets.
On a number of looks, Suen piled on the waistbands. On a number of occasions, they took on the appearance of a visible ribbed knit layer (akin to that play of visible boxer waistbands) while others were more literal interpretations of a double layer of trouser waistbands.
Three exceptional looks: Look 2 and its spliced collar and draped asymmetry; the obvious old-school reference of look 11 but made fresh; and the regality of look 27 that had tie bars used as lapel pins.
The takeaway: There are always ways to move around the preconceived confines of menswear, and Sean Suen is becoming quite a master at it.
View the full Sean Suen Autumn/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery below.
The fit: Dries Van Noten can do no wrong in my eyes. There's consistency in his design aesthetic—you can definitely tell a Dries Van Noten piece even with the brand steering away from obvious logos and branding—but Papa Dries offers something new every season.
For Autumn/Winter 2024, the man known for his play with prints and proportions, kicked things off with a string of dark tailored looks. Each felt different and at times disjointed from the one before—yet that was the unifying narrative. The collection was a play in the unexpected and of juxtaposition. There was no telling what the next look would be as he moved from a cuttingly tailored suit worn almost rock-and-roll-like with a fringed, long scarf, to a deconstructed jumper worn over a languid, long coat.
As the darks became increasingly punctuated by textures and infusions of muted colours, Papa Dries revealed a sudden spate of his signature prints and colour-blocking. But at the same time, they remained washed and pared back in intensity.
The details: There was a studied use of garments in non-traditional ways. Jumpers were worn either unzipped from the side or completely cropped with zippered hems. Leather was used as mock-neck tops, while shirting and a number of jackets were fastened with brooches and pins for a rakish drape that was simply sublime. Long opera-like gloves took on many different forms and added edge to some of the simplest tailoring and combinations in the collection.
But at the end of it all, everything was wearable—a key Dries Van Noten element.
Three exceptional looks: Look 9 that I honestly wanted to wear right there and then off the runway; look 24's brilliant use of textures and draping; and look 53 that's a combination of both.
The takeaway: Whatever Papa Dries has been doing to keep his creativity constantly fresh yet consistent, I want it.
View the full Dries Van Noten Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
The fit: Kenzo was my last show for day four of Paris Fashion Week Men's and after a rather exhausting day, it personally wasn't as exciting as it ought to be in the moment. The venue was spectacular, however. Held at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the space offered a brilliant backdrop for an Autumn/Winter 2024 collection themed around the cross-cultural exchange of the origins of the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise.
Thankfully, artistic director Nigo opted to not be literal with the inspiration—there weren't obvious nods to the films nor were there prints done in collaboration with the franchise. But rather, he chose to incorporate the Asian influences of the Star Wars lore and references into the silhouettes. Outerwear had semblances of sci-fi with knot fastenings adorning the front.
The details: The silhouettes may not have been severe or fashion-forward, but the prints added some punch to the entire collection. A woven pattern inspired by Japanese hikeshi-banten fireman's jackets appeared on everything from suits to workwear, while a number of different tiger motifs were rendered in jacquards and embroideries.
Three exceptional looks: Look 6's more extravagant coords that featured the collection's more standout motif; look 30's streamlined tailoring; and look 50 that felt more Kenzo by Nigo.
The takeaway: Elevated and streamlined, yes. But where's the fun?
View the full Kenzo Autumn/Winter 2024 collection in the gallery below.
