Paris fashion week: Designers keep menswear utilitarian and chic

Utilitarian chic and quiet luxury were the two key overarching themes at the recently concluded Paris menswear week.

The Spring Summer 25 edition saw less drama and more practical dressing, with a variety of lightweight, breathable and wearable pieces. From crisp blazers, knit vests and jumpers to workwear inspired jackets, easy trousers and camp collar shirts, most showcases nodded in favour of masculine elegance inculcating ergonomic elements.

Clinical whites, sandy beiges, olive greens, dark blue and black besides a hint of metallic hues appeared on the runways of brands like Hermès, Dior Men, Ami and Officine Générale with an interplay of layering and accentuated by kicky accessories. Hermès menswear show, on the other hand, was a delightful dialogue on summer layering, from the chore jackets thrown nonchalantly on the camp collar shirts to the printed co-ord sets. Dior Men by Kim Jones, meanwhile, saw an artistic alliance with ceramicist Hylton Nel, which resulted in studded outlines, artistically peppered on footwear and tailoring.

Here are some key trends that emerged:

Chore jackets galore

Workwear-inspired blazers and jackets, lightweight multi-pocketed parkas in technical fabrics, (which were also seen at Milan earlier) made their presence felt on the Parisian runway. It’s all about the patch pockets this season as seen on chore jackets at Hermès, Dior Men and Officine Générale.

The classic tailored suit may not be completely out of fashion but an open collar workwear jacket and languid trousers seem to be growing popular. Robert Pattinson at Dior Men’s show also showed up in a Nehru collar open jacket worn with a pair of matching trousers.

Surrealist forces come into play

Trompe-l’œil prints and embroideries, which trick the eye and beg for another look, made their presence felt like never before. For instance, at Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, designer Rei Kawakubo sent out jackets embossed with imagery of layers of unbuttoned shirts and more jackets. Ditto at Acne Studios, where jeans were printed with keychains that appeared as if they were dangling from the waist. At Ottolinger, a bodysuit was printed with a shirt, a tie, and a blazer.

Double breasted tailoring is here to stay as well. Louis Vuitton’s show saw slender double-breasted coats and suits with the straight or flared sculpting of trousers.

The classic double breasted suit did appear on many runways but in an open button, easy breezy and relaxed format, seen at Junya Watanabe, Hed Mayner and Amiri. Especially worth mentioning are the DB upcycled jackets at Junya Watanabe. Amiri’s showcase underscored the ease and freedom imparted by relaxed tailoring. The brand’s signature double breasted jacket was half lined and lent a generously proportioned dropped peak lapel. It was soft tailoring at its best.

Heritage revival

Through the season’s travel-centric magnifying glass, the Louis Vuitton collection infused the emblems of the maison with sensorial and textural impact. Inspired by the surfaces of skin, the embossed branded Monogram appeared on tonal constructions in ready-to-wear. Evoking animal skin, the Damoflage, the new classic spliced from Damier and camouflage, was adapted into a “Snake-o-Flage: motif inspired by the graphics of python and realised in textiles. At Dior Men, several looks offered a thoughtful homage to Dior archive womenswear designs: pleated trousers that evolved into wrap closures.

Print Charming

From horse and swirling harness prints seen at Hermès to the floral and botanical prints at Kenzo, it was a season rich in luscious motifs. There were plenty of ikat and folklore prints spotted at Isabel Marant as well.

Manish Mishra is a Delhi-based writer and content creator.