Cowboys Versus Aliens Versus Anxiety: Paris Men's In A Nutshell
At Paris Men's fashion week, things got... sentimental. There were rumored farewells, new beginnings, and clues that conveyed a yearning for flight-over-fight from these very daunting of times.
Some are calling upon us to saddle our horses, others are prepping to weather the (snow) storm, and then there are those that are looking to leave our life as we know it – or even the world at large – behind altogether.
Shaggy furs on utilitarian outwear in purples, yellows, and plaids, as well as cartoonish accessories, or even just a benign travel motif all communicated somehow this escapist, at times even survivalist fantasy – away from a society in disarray.
There were both humorous and rather solemn approaches to this, all of which were engineered to provoke their spectator to care about the future, feelings of dread included. It's an acute and gripping premise the couture and women's events later this month would be damned not to follow up on – however their outlook.
Paris Fashion Week Men's, in Bullets:
Acne Studios
Acne Studios doubled down on what we saw in Milan, too, which is that designers have yet to tire of the Western theme. There were denim shirts, sheepskin, and big brass belt buckles, interspersed with sun-bleached office attire and pin striped two-pieces.
Auralee
For those in the know, Auralee's been a reliable favorite, season after season. Others may deem it a sleeperhit, a gem hidden in plain sight that helped both define and defy the movement that was quiet luxury. With no words, founder Ryota Iwai – who was inspired, here, by a close friend's personal wardrobe – exclaimed that a restrained code of dress is not a fad, but an art form.
Bianca Saunders
Canadian tuxedos, sculptural pleating, and some of the sleekest lace up leather shoes I ever did see, walked down an otherwise bare-bone runway at Bianca Saunders.
Charles Jeffrey Loverboy
Loverboy loves theatrics, and this draggy display of layered tartans, sparkly tweed two-pieces, and huge cable cardigans does said propensity justice.
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus
Rei Kawakubo's CDG-subline presented, amongst other things unconventional but impeccably tailored military coats with color-blocked styling and checks beneath, decorated helmets, and perpendicularly-bent footwear.
Dior Homme
For what was whispered to be Kim Jones's last Dior show, a blindfolded model descended a beaming white staircase, in a black silken ensemble that set the tone for an army of elegant opera getups, with occasional blush, blue and beige accents appearing between the largely achromatic line up.
Doublet
As its name would come to foreshadow, the Japanese brand had a real thing for matching tops and bottoms, and seeks to see us strut the streets in sets of pink, violet, or green come fall.
Dries Van Noten
This season's menswear showing – designed by the Dries Van Noten Studio team, directed by Julian Klausner – went all in on big bows, bigger shoulders, and dark eye makeup. Head scarves, florals, and feathers lent it more androgynous, even pompous qualities that indicate a compellingly camp path ahead.
Hermès
Despite internet antics trying to tug at the prestige of the French luxury house, Hermès stands firmly on the grounds of what it's most renowned for: Leather. For nearly 40 years, Veronique Nichanian has been in charge of their menswear, and in 2025 still, does her handwriting read as tasteful and highly covetable.
Issey Miyake
At Issey Miyake, models pranced in masterfully constructed outerwear that was draped over single-tone outfits, from which they peacefully unwrapped themselves in a choreography that was nothing short of poetic.
Isabel Marant
With this recent resurgence of cowboy and 70s fashion, Isabel Marant's neo-boho is due a second coming. Her brushed knits, relaxed flannels, and canvas trousers evoke both modern and vintage traits to fit a French urbanite's vision of Americana.
Jacquemus
Some believe Simon Porte Jacquemus has fallen victim to an identity crisis. I'll have to sit with this a wee bit longer to determine a verdict, but I will say that, yes, most garments here are stronger within individual looks than they are as components of a collection that, here, lacks cohesion – odd, seeing as his better work's lauded for exactly that, the worldbuilding.
Junya Watanabe
Best described as a jumble of lumberjack, construction worker, and law firm clerk, Junya's fall/winter 2025 envisions a closet that's equal parts traffic cone, country gingham, and LinkedIn profile pic.
Kartik Research
Carefully interweaving regional artisanship with a sensibility for what of-the-times men want to wear, Kartik Research cooked up a comfy, earthy palette of field jackets, patchwork jeans, and beaded blazers.
KidSuper
KidSuper's latest was fashion storytelling at its finest. Bizarrely proportioned and distressed trenches, quilted pants, and shrouded faces drove a post-border vagabond narrative that articulated a collective desire for escapism.
Kiko Kostadinov
Similarly, Kiko Kostadinov hung models with ornamental, flowing fabrics, to sweep across a leaf-covered catwalk in large shawls, split-toe boots, and slouchy leather bags that conjured up a kind of esoteric wanderlust.
Lanvin
Peter Copping's Lanvin debut was bejeweled, mature, and – to some delightfully un-trendy, others annoyingly un-buzzy.
Lemaire
Speaking of, soon-to-be-parents Christophe Lemaire and partner Sarah-Linh Tran's creative journey doesn't abide by what is hot or hyped – not in 2025, not before, not thereafter. Instead, they've always trusted in their senses to tell what is timely but timeless, worthwhile and alluring.
Rick Owens
What was perhaps more surprising this time around than his characteristically eery clothes, was Rick Owens' collaboration announcement with Rimowa.
Sacai
Sacai's Chitose Abe is known for her love of contrasting combinations. Aside from trinket-y accessories, shearling and rope-fastened ski attire plus UGGs, the Japanese designer took to Carhartt workwear staples for a range of asymmetrically constructed leather, knit, and nylon puffers.
Saint Laurent
Thigh high boots, and shoulders broad enough to get stuck in a door: Saint Laurent's menswear show came late – past the dates of the official schedule, actually – but my gosh was it worth the wait.
Undercover
For autumn, Jun Takahashi prepared crop-fitted suits, tartan cloth, and embellished gardener gloves opposite floral pajamas and granddad sweaters.
Louis Vuitton
Pharrell has done his due diligence when it comes to understanding that Louis Vuitton is, at the end of the day, an accessories business – and boy, oh boy did he pump out some good ones.
Walter van Beirendonck
The ever-eccentric Walter van Beirendonck leaned heavily on humor, longing, and a refuge from earth even, with disguising fringe hats, E.T. fingers, and what one may interpret are UFO pilot jackets with sewn-on messages by extraterrestrials.
Willy Chavarria
For his first ever Paris Fashion Week gig, Willy Chavarria offered up exaggerated point collars, velvet tuxedos, and animal print adidas sneakers. It was an impassioned tribute to his cultural and aesthetic roots, to the literal tune of J Balvin and other sensational live music performances.
Yohji Yamamoto / Y-3
While the Japanese designer's Y-3 project with adidas was a blend of the athletic and the avant-garde, Yamamoto's namesake drew a more somber yet touching picture, with intimate moments of models exchanging coats, hugs, and holding hands. Symbolically, there was a sadness about the shared embrace of the finale looks, as they walked arm in arm toward the shadowy backdrop, in their protectively upholstered suits – though I'd like to think there was a hopefulness there, too.
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