The ever-romantic City of Lights played host to the final leg of the men's shows this past week, and as indicated by the bursts of color from the front rows to Jardins des Tuileries to the shows themselves, next spring will most definitely not be a dull one. But color is not the only story being told by Paris for next season. The city's designers have drawn a sharper focus on the structure of the clothes, toying with different shapes and paying excruciating attention to the minute details. It's an appropriate perspective, however, considering that the French fashion vibe is all about an effortless yet keen eye for detail.
Certain designers, like Kenzo and Raf Simons, boldly took on prints, patterns, and graphics, thereby escaping the limiting factor of solid-color pieces and offering the gentlemen newer and riskier options (it's always good to take risks in fashion). Florals, for example, are ironically beginning to become the rage for menswear, either turning up in fluorescent or muted pastels. Others, like Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière, resorted to a much more stricter route by creating cleanly cut and perfectly tailored garments; a very Parisian outlook classic sportswear. With a boundary-pushing range of collections on one side and a traditional yet modern group of presentations on the other, Paris has really offered the best of both worlds.
Text Ricardo Hernandez
Image courtesy of Tommy Ton for Style.com
