Is street style losing importance? Is women’s fashion the future of men’s fashion? Does the dandy return? FashionUnited asked itself these questions after the presentations of the men’s collections for autumn/winter 2023-2024.
The influences of workwear and streetwear are waning. It seems that working-class or street looks no longer inspire the privileged world of fashion to daydream too much. The value of work has fallen into disrepute. “With a coat that retails for 800 euros, you want to be smart and dressed and not think you can find it in a streetwear wardrobe,” summarizes designer Naomi Gunther at the Tranoï Men fair.
So the men’s collections for Fall/Winter 2023/2024 are once again liking the suit, which comes in different variants depending on whether you’re looking at Fursac, Dunhill or Colm Dillane for Louis Vuitton. This new aesthetic is inspired by the skills of Savile Row tailoring, as evidenced by Grace Wales Bonner’s collection. She has worked with Anderson and Sheppard, one of the world’s leading bespoke tailoring houses.
Tailoring is regaining value in men’s fashion
“JW Anderson set the tone in Milan by sending models down the runway with rolls of fabric to commemorate the design process and get back to basics,” says Mad Magazine. At the same time, well-known brands such as Prada and Givenchy opened their autumn/winter 2023/2024 shows with suits, making them a must-have. But instead of using the word ‘suit’, perhaps one should say ‘tailoring’. Given the creativity in reimagining the classic three-piece suit in cuts, materials and more, it makes perfect sense.
Last season, FashionUnited wrote about the the feminization of menswear and wondered about the evolution of his wardrobe. Indeed, for summer 2023, several avant-garde brands offered skirts, dresses, jewelry, heels and sequins for men. The 2023/2024 autumn/winter season shows that the logical consequence is not so much men in women’s clothing, but men who are committed to gender-fluid fashion. That is, a wardrobe that can be worn by both men and women.
There were quite unexpected combinations to be seen: jacket and pants with a crop top at Sankuanz, shirt and tie under a drape at Louis Gabriel Nouchi, waist belt at Dolce & Gabbana, chiffon shirts at Steven Passaro, a skirt over pants at both Dior and Givenchy as well as Walter Van Beirendonck. It remains to be seen to what extent this will also be the core statement of the upcoming Fashion Weeks for women. Incidentally, it is noteworthy that Parisian men’s fashion resolutely paves the way for joint catwalk presentations. At the beginning of this phenomenon, some industry experts argued that it was about becoming more visible as fashion week is seen as more important for women. Today there is more and more female presence in the men’s shows.
The men’s collections for autumn/winter 2023/2024 anchor (gender) fluid tailoring
This mix is clearly embraced by Alexandre Matiussi, the founder and artistic director of the Ami brand. “Prélude, Ami’s Fall/Winter 23 collection for men and women, is another step in defining an increasingly modern and vibrant wardrobe,” reads the press release. “A collection that perfectly represents the Parisian, man or woman. This season, Ami’s winter is getting lighter: the materials, colors and cuts are all very soft, fluid – I would even say almost romantic.” Already the most coveted piece in the collection is a long unisex coat that hugs the body lines adapts without giving this structure. Certainly a must-have for next winter, both for women and men.
The finesse of modern dandyism
Luke Derrick, who presented his collection at the London Show Rooms during Paris Fashion Week in January, pushes the boundaries of the luxury men’s wardrobe with perfectly tailored pieces, “Clothes for men who want to make it,” wrote The Face magazine of the clothes .
He revisits the aesthetic of the modern dandy, a type that had become obsolete under the influence of streetwear but is reclaiming its place in menswear for this Fall/Winter 2023-2024 season. This is evident, for example, in the presentation of Anthony Vaccarello, who wraps the famous Lavallière – a bow tie by his predecessor Yves Saint Laurent, which was originally intended for women – around male necks.
Among the emerging talents is Spanish designer Arturo Obegero, who was featured at the Fédération de la Couture et de la Mode’s Sphere showroom. His style may have seemed dated when US rap ruled the catwalks, but the coming winter is giving his “Homme Fatal” a new lease of life. It’s a type that’s based on the femme fatale: “I wanted to rethink this sexist term from the 1940s, the film noir era in Hollywood,” he says.
The Chinese designer Sean Suen creates a completely different scenario. He wanted to get away from the “confusion and bustle of life in a modern cultural city to explore the culture of the Yi people,” an ethnic community devoted to animism and shamanism, in the vast mountains of Daliang in China, according to the press release . Sean Suen hopes “that one will think about the intrinsic quality of self-awareness through the prism of an ancient oriental culture.”
Fashion is sometimes more profound than it appears at first glance.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ