Day 3 at Paris Fashion Week Menswear


Apologies yet again for being a day late with the blog post for Day 3 of Paris Fashion Week Day 3. Having said that, I was at my cousin's wedding and sometimes you have to put your family first even if you want to make something you love doing a success. Anyway I hope you accept my apology and we can all move on to what you should have all been reading yesterday, Day 3 in Paris. This was an exciting day for menswear, as there were some of my favourite brands showing on this day, Rei Kawakubo and the legend that is Comme des Garçons, the protégé of Kawakubo: Junya Watanabe. And finally, one of the most inspirational men in fashion who has had a few low points in his career, but also a man who fought to get black models on the catwalk which is something people seemed to have forgotten about, designing under Maison Margiela a Mr. John Galliano. Super exciting.

Junya Watanabe
Junya Watanabe's latest menswear collection was full of soul. As though everyone who attended the show had stepped into a Parisian jazz club in the late hours of the night and stayed until the early hours of the morning. It was full of swagger. Models were dressed head to toe in elegance, slim-fitting suits, the shiniest of shoes and Lincoln-esque top hats, at times even with fuzzy sideburns to finish off the look. What I loved about this collection was the fact it didn't have an innovative design approach with newly developed materials and construction methods, it was just purely well executed garments. Like a few other brands are doing at the moment, the majority of gentleman who walked in Friday's show were actually street-casted among the streets of Paris. It was the type of thing no one could choreograph the way they walked, the looks and gestures they give it was all wonderfully magnificent. The glasses I loved to, the shape of them was near perfect, really cool. Also the raw denim was a nice contest and was the reconstructed jackets. It's so incredibly hard to choose my favourite looks, but I will always try my best and here they are.



Junya Watanabe

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus
Again, a collection I feel the Charlie Hebdo attacks had affected this Paris Fashion Week Menswear. It seemed this collection was about the darkness and devastation death causes, as a 2015 take on the grim reaper opened the show two days ago. It was about the "Power of Ceremony" and garments featured that unsymmetrical symmetry so key to Comme des Garçons and that loose tailoring. As the show evolved, there was however a lightness to it, in both colour palette and restriction. A light at the end of the tunnel would best describe it, linking back to the Charlie Hebdo attacks, we all live in a community where good beats evil, no matter how long or painful the journey is, we get to our destination. Also in the collection was tattoo scripted stencil prints, body suits in bright lettering and designs which were beautiful to say the least. As far as I'm aware quite different to what Rei Kawakubo has done in the past. I'm 19 I could be wrong haha! A dramatic change from the start was when the white garments came out to Play, get it? A colour that predominantly represents all that is clean and what symbolises birth or maybe even re-birth and new chapter was what it felt like. What also played on the idea of death was the black armbands sported by some models, which in the footballing community shows remembrance of someone or a group of people. And to end the show an even mixture of both black and white, monochromatic animals and a very tribal inspired face mask towards the end also. It was a deep collection.



Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

Martin Margiela
Those who haven't already noticed the "Martin" dropped from the name, just like the "Yves" was dropped from Yves Saint Laurent when Hedi Slimane took the reigns. It shows a new generation and like in Saint Laurent's case, it's not necessarily a bad thing. John Galliano may have been an odd addition to the Margiela House but then again, that doesn't automatically make it bad thing, but more so interesting. You put John Galliano with any brand and you're guaranteed something spectacular, because John is an amazing designer. Just look at what he did with Dior for so many years before he was fired four years ago, but I don't want to get into anymore than I already have done. His couture collection in London a couple of weeks ago proved any previous doubt by fashion's elite. This collection we seen that much loved seventies vibes, and by god was that era executed well. In his first ever menswear collection for Margiela seen young and skinny, dandy boys dressed in leather trenches, brightly coloured zig-zag and floral prints. It's hard to complete a seventies collection without crossing over into hippy territory, but when you do it as well and as cool as this collection, who cares? Because I certainly don't. Again there wasn't very many clothes presented in this collection that I wouldn't wear, so I guess John Galliano if you're reading this, just keep doing you. Here are my favourite looks.



 Maison Margiela (John Galliano)

Well that is it for Day 3 at PFW Menswear, there was some great shows no doubt about it. What do you think about John Galliano designing for Martin Margiela, does he deserve it? Let me know in the comments below. Join me later for Day 4 in Paris, apologies in advance but it may be a late one.
The Wolf of High Street
xxx

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