by Lois Geal
Ciao Milan, bonjour Paris, let’s recap Men’s Fashion Week.
After four days of high end luxury, craftsmanship, and undivided creativity, Milan has offered us a lot, and we’re ready for more. We’ve got some big names this season, including another Louis Vuitton show by Pharrell, Rick Owens, Dior Homme, LOEWE, Givenchy, and a whole lot more.
Despite the icy temperatures and sluggish economic climate, there was a sense of positivity at Paris men’s week this season. For Autumn/Winter 2024, everything goes.
“It’s more about the archetypes of masculinity: the office boy at Prada, the cowboy at Louis Vuitton, the skater boy at Loewe, the apocalyptic warrior at Rick Owens,” says Vena Brykalin, editor-in-chief of Vogue Ukraine.
The underlying theme, notably at Loewe, was a new kind of masculinity — one that is playful and sexy.
Designers embraced the no trousers trend that has proliferated on the womenswear catwalks. The front row reflected the mood, featuring handsome actors and singers: at Kenzo, One Direction’s Zayn Malik; at Loewe, new house ambassador and Fifty Shades star Jamie Dornan as well as Josh O'Connor and Andrew Garfield; at Dior, Nicholas Hoult.
“Gentlemanliness is an expression of character,” read the notes for Givenchy’sFall/Winter 2024 collection, designed by the French fashion house’s staff in the wake of Matthew M. Williams’ departure from the brand.
The communal line offered a study on the “new gentleman,” through the lens of the House’s founder, Hubert de Givenchy, whose wardrobe can be divided into two dichotomous characters: public and personal.
On the runway, Hubert’s blouse blanche, which he famously wore in his studio, was reimagined as a workwear top, in both sleeved and sleeveless iterations. The famed designer’s formal uniform came to life in the form of suits and coats cut with arm holes under their sleeves, referencing his love for capes. Many of them appeared in sapphire, a tone that Mr. Givenchy famously used it as a substitute for black.
Male models walk the ramp sporting haute couture by the world's most respected fashion houses and designers at a prestigious event in Milan, Italy.
As Milan Men’s Fashion Week, which ran 12-16 in January, drew to a close on the 16th January, following hot on the heels of Florence menswear trade show Pitti Uomo, which ran on 9-12 January, there have undeniably been plenty of high-drama fashion moments.
Gucci kicked off Milan on Friday 12 January with creative director Sabato De Sarno’s first menswear collection, which followed the same stripped-back presentation as women’s last season. De Sarno even mirrored some of the same catwalk looks, including striped leather jackets, bejeweled collar knitwear, navy bomber jackets and Jackie handbags.
Across the catwalks, glitz and glamor was mixed seamlessly with tailoring for a fresh new approach to dressing. Skirts, shorts, briefs and tights all subverted traditional ideas of menswear, as designers played with proportions and styling.
At Prada on Sunday 14 January, creative director duo Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons transported attendees to a nature-infused office, where grass and leaves were visible beneath a glass floor. Guests watched from wheeled office swivel chairs for added authenticity.
JW Anderson's menswear collection, shown on Sunday 14 January ahead of womenswear in London next month, took inspiration from the 1999 Stanley Kubrick film Eyes Wide Shut — specifically the set design executed by the director’s wife, Christiane Kubrick. Her paintings were printed on to knitwear, and the designer even collaborated with her on a short film that premiered after the show.
Many of the autumn/winter 2024 collections for men’s Milan and Paris Fashion Week exuded a timelessness — clothes with the longevity to justify big investments.
Edited by Emily Duff