Backstage after the show of the season so far, a tanned and towering (the boots) Rick Owens said he feels deeply uncomfortable having a fashion show during a time of war, so he thought long and hard what to show or say this time. Even while he mentioned a bitterness, it did not show: It was a master class – let’s call it elegant sleaze as this show added a whole new layer to the designer’s repertoire – a Victorian elegance with high waisted pants and shoulder-based tailoring using exclusively developed mohair broken twill by now Zegna owned super mill Bonotto. The fabrics were often matte shiny and gave a men’s couture feeling and elegance which was new in the Owens universe. It’s often like brutalist architecture in clothes.

The last modernist in fashion?

Owens’ desire to find and create new forms and shapes is unlike any other designer working in 2023. What started as a Neapolitan shoulder in his jackets years ago has become its own exaggerated Owens rise.

The news?

Lots of great wearable pieces not just for Owens acolytes and fans or himself but regular men as his signature flight jackets in nylon, the high waist pants and black tailoring.

Who would know?

Owens is also at the forefront of the ecological fashion train using otherwise useless pirarucu fish skins which he buys from Brazilian tribes to help them make an income from something that would normally be discarded. The skins are used throughout the collection.

The soundtrack?

“Back in my early Los Angeles days I had to climb up a ladder to get into my space and this was the soundtrack of my life for years,” Owens explained referring to the Cult’s master track “Brother Wolf, Sister Moon”