Rick Owens
We have said it before and we will say it again. Presently, Rick Owens holds the most powerful men’s wear show in the world. Powerful in terms of leading trends, being copied and bravely going into new directions every season. Owens has made the Palais de Tokyo his home and clearly no other designer gets his permits as easily signed off from the museum board and the City of Paris as Rick. From the Vertigo-imposing scaffolding show last summer to building gas-fire Burning Man scenarios, Owens has his way. With this show he added another highlight. At the Musée d’Art Moderne has been an amazing sculpture show by Californian artist Thomas Houseago who is not only collected by Brad Pitt but also François Pinault. Houseago’s centerpiece Armageddon sculpture in the fountain outside could easily be from Owens himself so he cleverly used it as centerpiece to anchor his show. This time, Owens interpreted the American Dream and put it on heels. Perspex platforms were on all the models that wore mega evening wear as in a yellow embroidered jacket, fencing tunics, burnt metal long coats with exaggerated pockets. Owens was all about tailoring.
Burned metal leather and fencing tunics at the Rick Owens show in Paris
Paul & Shark
An interesting addition on the schedule came from Paul & Shark and American designer Greg Lauren. Together they staged a small fashion happening where Lauren combined his Californian denim vibes with this polished Italian boating brand’s codes. It looked fresh and might bring Paul & Shark into new territories.
Paul & Shark: An interesting addition to the Paris Fashion Week schedule
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton took over an entire square next to Pont Neuf to hold its men’s show. Virgil Abloh radiates a refreshing “kid in the candy store” attitude with his designs. He happily uses the best artisans in the world to give shape to his utopian vision of tailoring meeting architecture. Yes, we mean that, some models literally carried architectural models on their backs. With professional skateboarders in the casting and a light gardening theme, Abloh managed to enthrall.
Gardening inspired clothes and models wearing architectural models on their backs at the Louis Vuitton show
Yohji Yamamoto
Nobody cuts better loose silhouette, heavy cotton canvas suits than Yohji Yamamoto. Sticking to his guns, many of the jackets were embroidered with open thread guitar motives. We all know that Yohji is an obsessed rock jammer.
Yohji Yamamoto at his best: loose fitting canvas suits and embroidered jackets
Dries Van Noten
Dries Van Noten is sporting a new moustache. Maybe he wanted to underline the fact that he was inspired by one of Germany’s greatest directors Rainer Werner Fassbinder and many of his 70’s movies like Querelle. Achtung Digital is never happier than when a directional designer like Van Noten uses German culture to articulate his ideas. And it showed. Beautifully tailored double-breasted jackets with big shoulders and red pants made this a sexy subversive men’s moment.
Dries van Noten drew inspiration from German 70’s movies director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
It wasn’t a show but the day closed with a wonderful and moving tribute put on by Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld for the deceased designer at the Grand Palais called Karl For Ever. Performances from Lang Lang, a Tango combo from Buenos Aires and Pharrell Williams with stage acting from Tilda Swinton, Helen Mirren and Cara Delevingne brought back vivid memories of Germany’s greatest fashion designer ever. And there was stuff to be learned: Karl was given the famous Choupette by model Baptiste Giabiconi to care for while he was away for a few days. But when he came back, Karl said: “The cat lives here now”. As much as everyone misses him in the industry, Achtung Mode does even more so because it was his strong support from the moment he discovered us that helped us grow to where we are now. Danke und Gruß an da oben.
Title image: The houses Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld put on a big event at the Grand Palais in memorial of Karl Lagerfeld.
