Benedict Beards
Winter is now upon us, which means the influence of the January and February Winter collections of Paris Fashion Week will be coming into the wardrobes of many, whether they know it or not. Some believe that such extravagant events have no effect on them. However, unless you’re living in the North Pole or with one of those families that make the BBC for staying dressed in the 60s, you are almost definitely affected. We can’t simply choose to exempt ourselves from the decisions of the world’s top designers. As Meryl Streep explains frankly to Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada: “You think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.” Put more nicely, high fashion does not exist in a vacuum and, over time, influences almost all of us.
To explore how fashion affects us, it’s best not to start with the latest fashion week but rather to focus on the last fashion week concerning our current season: the Menswear Fall/Winter 2024–2025 last January. High fashion needs time to enter the street market. This show kicked off with ‘Masculinity’ by Mark Ronson, a song composed in order to set the tone for Sabato De Sarno’s line, which intended to explore this exact concept. Sarno did this by focusing primarily on the suit. Masculinity was explored through this collection rather than being questioned, as Vogue magazine itself wrote, “a man in a skirt on the runway isn’t the grand statement it was two years ago. The radicalism is gone and the message is clear…” Therefore, masculinity was explored less in its concept and more in its form and shape, most notably its silhouettes.
Is this the return to slim-fitting clothing?
Wide and baggy cuts may seem to be keeping their relevance in everyday fashion as they are with designers such as Dior and Dres Van Noten, who showed off their models in elegant yet flowing ensembles: their trousers whose hems rarely avoided brushing the floor. However, Hermes stood out for all the right reasons; their designs, though remaining elegant, were much more tailored, and the trousers, drumroll please… were slim. Is this the return to slim-fitting clothing? After all, fashion has been known to enter a ‘20 year cycle’, and circa 2005, we saw the return of slim-fitting clothing and even the rise of the iconic yet controversial skinny jeans. The models of Hermes were strutting down the runway in slim-fitting trousers that were both flattering and gave complimentary attention to the vast range of wide upper body garments, which, although fitted and tapered, made the men’s shoulders broader and flattering. So, what does this aesthetic shift for menswear that Hermes and others have set in motion mean for men’s fashion generally and on our campuses? The main shift to be noted is this: from subversive and baggy to fitted and flattering figures.
The trend of more traditionally flattering figures does not stop at menswear. The Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024–2025 also explored more cuts and fabrics, which were naturally more becoming to the female figure and were most notably conveying a sense of ‘elegance.’ With the revival of interest in the regency, thanks to popular shows such as Bridgerton, an interest in antique (classical/greco-roman) aesthetics and clothing that once inspired such a period have made a comeback on the runway. As Maxine Eggenberger from Whowhatwear notes, “the designers who show at Paris Fashion Week think we should all aspire to be goddesses this year”. Similar to the menswear, the womenswear was more tailored, but they maintained movement and fluidity, although the cuts of some dresses remained experimental, the vast majority rejected maximalism and even opulence in order to go with a less ornate and more modest feel. The 70’s inspired double denim ensembles, although beautiful, were contrasted with fluid and flattering dresses of muted colours and tones. The general impression in both cases was a rejection of the ornate and overtly experimental to have elegance take centre stage.
Familiarity may breed contempt, but more importantly, it encourages innovation and progression
In short, Paris Fashion Week certainly can tell us what to expect in the everyday world that surrounds us; it just takes a little time. What we can take away from these two shows more generally is that aesthetics tend to be reactionary – that’s to say that what once was applauded in fashion and art more generally can soon become commonplace and, therefore, subject to criticism and change. Familiarity may breed contempt, but more importantly, it encourages innovation and progression in the avoidance of the repeated and the mundane. Have a happy rest of your Autumn and a great Winter, no matter what you like to wear!
Benedict Beards
Featured image courtesy of JOHN TOWNER via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of JUNHYUNG PARK via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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