Five key takeaways from a scorching men's Paris Fashion Week

Paris - From a new masculinity to the controversy surrounding the Louis Vuitton wave, this men's Paris Fashion Week will be particularly remembered for the extreme heat that swept across France.

Louis Vuitton's wave

For his show, an ode to surfing and the ocean, Pharrell Williams recreated a sandy beach and a giant artificial wave.

This grand set, which had been in preparation for months, sparked controversy as it coincided with a heatwave in France.

On social media, users criticised the extravagance of the operation.

LVMH, the French luxury giant that owns Louis Vuitton, states on its website that the water used, supplied by Paris's public water company, will be “re-injected into the sanitation network via a closed-circuit system”.

Before the event, Williams had already faced criticism from students living in the university campus in the south of Paris where the show was held. Their daily lives were significantly disrupted during the show's preparations.

The venue had previously been privatised for another edition by the Spanish brand Loewe, which is also owned by LVMH, the conglomerate headed by billionaire Bernard Arnault.

"Reinventing masculinity"

Transparencies, lingerie references and very short shorts were prominent features. Several brands presented collections with a notable feminine influence. These ranged from Belgian designer Dries Van Noten, with sensual silhouettes in nude and aquamarine tones, to French label Egonlab, with its lingerie-inspired ensembles.

This edition is “a confirmation of the crossover between the men's and women's wardrobes,” explained Patrick Clark, fashion editor at GQ France.

Designers used silks, satins and transparencies to bring fluidity and sensuality to their proposals, a way of “reinventing masculinity,” Clark added.

Jonathan Anderson's collection for Dior was another clear example, particularly his fluid suits crafted from very light, almost transparent fabrics.

Traditionally, suits define the features of an ideal, strong male body and reflect a man's role in society. By incorporating silk, gauze and other lightweight elements, Anderson “is breaking the codes of the masculine and the feminine,” according to the journalist.

Inspiration: pyjamas

Another way of breaking codes is to introduce unexpected references, such as pyjamas, a trend that has already begun to emerge in previous seasons.

At Dior, Anderson lengthened these sleepwear garments to the knee, transforming them into a type of tunic. He also presented two-piece pyjama-style sets in a thicker, uniform-like fabric in shades of khaki, blue and beige, with black collars and piping.

British designer Sarah Burton also drew inspiration from pyjamas for an ensemble in her first menswear collection for Givenchy. It was a buttoned, two-piece set in a beige and blue check, paired with an elegant coat lined in the same fabric.

“We can speak of a pyjama effect, but a rather sophisticated, luxurious one [...] with this idea of lightness, transparency and layering,” stated Alice Feillard, director of menswear buying at Galeries Lafayette.

Water pistols and fans everywhere

The heatwave made its way onto the Fashion Week schedule, forcing designers and attendees to find ways to cope with the heat.

Fans were given out at several shows. Some were heart-shaped, as seen at the Institut Français de la Mode, while others, like at Dior, were personalised with each attendee's name.

French brand Egonlab was more original. They gave water pistols to attendees and, at the end of the show, organisers sprayed the audience.

More leather

The presence of leather was more pronounced this season.

Louis Vuitton offered trousers in this material in dark shades, paired with a matching jacket; at Dior, they were more of a camel colour; Saint Laurent used it for impeccable beige suits; and Spanish designer Sonia Carrasco included brown leather Bermuda shorts.

At Givenchy, Burton presented a series of tracksuits made entirely of leather in intense colours such as blue, fuchsia and yellow.

“Leather is becoming more malleable” to convey an idea of “flexibility, fluidity, lightness, almost like butter,” said Feillard, noting that these types of garments sell very well.

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