Paris Fashion Week Men’s Brought Out the Stars On and Off the Runway

With the increasing normalization of gender fluidity, the concept of having a dedicated men’s fashion week has long started to feel outdated. So much so that many of the designers who debuted their spring 2023 collections in Paris over the past week showcased collections that were largely menswear in name only. Sure, there were nods to the traditional codes of masculinity. But there were also many men in traditionally feminine skirts and crop tops as well over-the-top looks straight out of a genderless sci-fi fantasy. Catch up on everything you may have missed, here.

Lola Leon and Jorja Smith guest starred at Marine Serre.

For her sixth anniversary of being a tastemaker of the scene in Paris, Marine Serre chose to offer her on take on France’s état d’esprit and invite a thousand outside of the industry to take it all in. As for those whom she invited to walk down the runway of the track-field venue, they included Lola Leon, who closed out the Olympics-inspired show in a catsuit covered in Serre’s signature moon print.

The professional athletes, families, and traditional models who preceded Madonna’s 25-year-old daughter showcased Serre’s commitment to sustainability via swimwear made of recycled fibers and up-cycled denim. Especially of note: the English singer Jorja Smith, whose dress was composed of straps of grommeted jeans.

Louis Vuitton’s latest Virgil Abloh tribute featured a surprise Kendrick Lamar performance.

Louis Vuitton menswear will forever be associated with Virgil Abloh, the late legend who was one of just a handful of Black designers to ever helm a major maison before his untimely death last November. The house has continued to honor him ever since, with its latest remembrance taking the form of a raucous marching band dominating runway before giving way to a more subdued performance from Kendrick Lamar. Wearing a crown of thorns designed by Tiffany & Co., the rapper remained seated front row while performing tracks off of his latest album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, and repeating the mantra “long live Virgil.” Next to Lamar was Naomi Campbell, who arguably had the best seat in the house.

Cara Delevingne really went for it with her runway return.

Having wrapped her stint as a seductive scammer in Selena Gomez’s Only Murders in the Building, Cara Delevingne walked her first show on the official fashion week schedule in years at AMI. Though it wasn’t so much a walk as a strut; fashion Twitter was agog at the way the 29-year-old shimmied her shoulders as she made her way down the catwalk.

Loewe offered a literal take on “going green.”

In an era when seemingly every brand is touting their purported love of sustainability, it may sound par for the course that Jonathan Anderson went green with his latest Loewe collection. Take one look at a photo from the show, though, and you’ll see that the designer’s approach was like none other. Everything from shoes to hoodies were infused with living, breathing plants that came courtesy of the Spanish bio-designer Paula Ulargui Escalona.

That wasn’t all: Anderson also nodded to fashion’s increasing focus on the Metaverse by adorning a number of garments with actual working screens.

Thom Browne embraced the jock strap.

Thom Browne has played with traditional codes of femininity and masculinity for years now, and this time, he did so with jock straps on jock straps with the mindset of “pushing it.” While most definitely modern, the collection was also a tribute to the past: Browne was inspired by mid-20th century couture, hence the salon-style numbered cards carried by a cast that was dressed in varying iterations of tweed. His love of the anchor motif was made more apparent than ever with the shape obscuring many of the models’ faces.

Casablanca revived the Yeehaw Agenda.

Casablanca’s Charaf Tajer upheld the industry’s tradition of inviting horses onto the runway with a cowboy hat-heavy show that felt like fashion’s version of a rodeo. Titled Futuro Optimisto (Spanish for Optimistic Future), the collection was a collaboration with Oaxacan artisans inspired by Tajer’s recent stay at a ranch in Mexico. Models channeled vaqueros in chaps and denim, and bullfighters in traditional embellished trajes de luces.

Celine’s Hedi Slimane returned the runway with a bold, bare-chested show.

Blackpink’s Lisa and BTS’s V may have caused a scene at Celine. But once the show started, all eyes were on Hedi Slimane’s pack of (occasionally shirtless) models resembling rock stars who swaggered down the runway. The designer returned to the Palais de Tokyo for the first time since his Dior Homme days, and he did so with extra attitude. His latest collection had a noted edge, featuring no shortage of black leather and some of Slimane’s skinniest ties to date.