Men’s – Fire! Dries Van Noten AW20

Dries Van Noten‘s latest fashion is fire hot. First the Christian Lacroix collaboration that became an instant, historic moment. Now the autumn-winter 2020 collection for men, which is just wild. “It’s about enjoying clothes, dressing: using your sexual power to feel great.” Faux fur stoles (aaaaaaaah, the return of decadent chic!), rich velvets and satins, leopard prints, raw denim, chunky knits. The collection was rock & roll, Mick Jagger, New York Dolls, so many things. There were also a lot of loose silk pants and to a lesser extent shirting, the sensual mellifluousness of whose material wafted breathily against the stronger, harder pieces around them. The collection as well included many  menswear classics. The military bomber and parka, the long check overcoats and the burnished brown leather jacket were all hot stuff for outerwear lovers. Hawaiian-style prints on puffers, shirting, shorts, and pants, plus typically vibrant knits completed a collection that climaxed with some crystal-set lilac silk boxing shorts and a rush of rave applause. This mights be favourite collection of the entire menswear season.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Partisans. Yohji Yamamoto AW20

At Yohji Yamamoto, looks were layered and imbued with rough, “unfinished” details. Officer coats with imperfect embellishments, military berets and caps, unmatched patterns unevenly patchworked, knits were dyed and hand-painted. But there was something absolutely romantic about these rebellious-looking guys. Swaths of beautiful, printed silk floating alongside a few silhouettes were pure poetry. The 76-year-old’s idea to develop these figures as “Partisans” sends the message that he remains a true nonconformist. “I used to explain my spirit as anti-trend, anti-fashion. I kept saying I’m an outsider. Now the vocabulary is not enough. And I’m angry about what’s going on in fashion, so I have become partisan.” It’s a word that people today assume is political. “Or dangerous,” Yamamoto added.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – Performa. Rick Owens AW20

Rick Owens‘ show has always been a hot ticket in Paris. But in the last few seasons, his collections are receiving rave, nearly fanatic response. No wonder why – both his menswear and womenswear line-ups take you to another dimension. Tyrone Dylan Susman, Australian jewellery artist, Rick Owens’ studio designer and the brand’s face, opened the show in a one-legged, one-shouldered jumpsuit modeled after one made by Kansai Yamamoto for David Bowie in 1973. But where Yamamoto’s was a vivid pattern drawn from yakuza tattoos and kimonos, Owens’s was drably dun, and in the felty, blanket-like cashmere. Another highlights of this collection, which was all about elevated forms: the “monstrous” shoulders and the huge steel-fronted platforms (they might soon be selling as well in the men’s sector as all the Owens sneakers – if they aren’t already!). The designer talked about “graphics of exposed flesh” carved by his cut-out cashmere layers, and alongside those were the graphics of silhouette. Acidic colors on shearlings and motocross pants, screaming striped prints and hints of cleavage delivered via the deep-V tees so recently beloved by Rick himself were as well the big takeaways from the line-up. “I was a lot more introspective 10 years ago. And, you know, I think as you get older, you just get a little more reckless, more comfortable, more confident, more playful.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Men’s – There’s Optimism. JW Anderson AW20

For the autumn-winter 2020 season, here’s where you should go for the best coats: JW Anderson. At his name-sake label, Jonathan Anderson offers gorgeous blanket-wrap poncho-like coats, made in a number of variations: classic grey wool, in paisley print, in hounstooth… some come accessorized with heavy gilt chains swathed as belts (the designer also used them as shoe jewelry and as sewn-on half-necklaces). A pictogram of a house on fire, a print that appeared on knits and in the general imagery of the collection, was Anderson’s take on AIDS activist and mixed-media artist David Wojnarowicz, who sprayed these on derelict East Village buildings in 1982. Anderson is known for bringing almost forgotten art to the ambiance of his shows – both for his own label and at Loewe. But this rediscovery struck a deeper chord for the generations protesting against establishment intransigence in the face of apocalyptic crisis. It resonated in Anderson’s remark at the end of the show. Amid the anguish of the AIDS fatalities in the 1980s and 1990s – which Wojnarowicz documented, fought, and eventually succumbed to – “it felt like the end of the world,” the designer observed. “But it wasn’t. As much as some of it’s really heavy, there’s an optimism. There will be a solution.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.

Organic. Rosie Assoulin Pre-Fall 2020

For her lovely pre-fall 2020 line-up, Rosie Assoulin looks back at her classics – think statement sleeves, zesty colors and eveningwear that’s never fussy – and not only. The designer’s obsession with all things organic – from food to fabrics – has lent a softer touch to even her fanciest stuff of late. The collection’s “picnic plaid” cotton suits; raw-edged linen dresses; convertible cable knits (they became Instagram’s obsession the moment the images went live); candy-color, 100% vegan sandals; jacquard pieces woven with exotic fruits and their prices-per-pound. She added that this wasn’t hand-picked farmer’s market produce; the flatness of the material was instead a clever nod to our strange new habit of ordering groceries online. Another highlight: a floor-length, drop-waist shirtdress in crisp ivory poplin. To make it look even more sophisticated, the designer added extra volume with darts and tiers around the hips, creating something of a low pannier. Thumbs up for the fantastic look-book photos by Stevie Verroca and Mada Refujio!

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.