Paris Fashion Week: Highlights from the Fall-Winter 2023 menswear shows

The menswear shows in Paris have ended for another season, giving way to a series of haute couture presentations. Despite chilly temperatures and a lackluster transit shot, the fashion community came out in full force to see new collections from some of the world’s leading menswear designers.

This season’s event, which ended on Sunday, offered a number of firsts, including the unexpected debut of Usher’s brightly colored hair and the much-anticipated collaboration between Louis Vuitton and American designer Colm Dillane of KidSuper.

From celebrity sightings to comedy shows and – of course – standout collections, read on for our impressions of the autumn-winter 2023 shows.

Usher’s New Neon

The Grammy Award-winning artist lit up the front row with his new head of bright orange hair. Usher debuted his ombre neon look on the first day of the Wales Bonner shows and was seen again at Bianca Saunders the following day. Dressed in the full opening look from last season’s runway, his appearance had photographers clamoring for a shot.

Geometry class at Issey Miyake

A dance interlude demonstrated the movement of clothes on the Issey Miyake catwalk. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Geometric shapes, with a strong focus on triangles, were the starting point and impetus for this season’s Homme Plissé Issey Miyake collection, showing the many iterations of how triangles and other angular elements can be twisted and manipulated into complex silhouettes and patterns.

Signature pleats, of course, abounded from pleated trousers to pleated detailing on sleeveless shirts and coats, and larger, looser pleats falling from the shoulders on nylon outerwear.

The show was accompanied by dance performances that showed off how well the costumes moved as the performers wandered in and around a light show that featured—you guessed it—more geometric shapes.

Jenna Ortega channeled Grace Jones in Saint Laurent

Jenna Ortega attends the Saint Laurent menswear show in Paris. Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty

Jenna Ortega, star of the Netflix series “Wednesday,” stepped out in a hooded black backless dress for Anthony Vaccarello’s first menswear show for Saint Laurent in Paris. The halter-style dress, from the brand’s Spring-Summer 2023 collection, was reminiscent of Grace Jones’ iconic look. Seated in the front row, the actor was visibly moved by Charlotte Gainsbourg’s piano performance that closed the show.

Rick Owens Orthopedic Boots

Rick Owens took oversized boots to the extreme at his menswear show. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Rick Owens is no stranger to statement shoes – his stunning Kiss platforms have become a cult item. This season, the American designer channeled the orthopedic shine with a boot that offered a much thicker silhouette on the leg, featuring chunky padding held together by laced leather straps. The best way to recover from a broken leg?

Rosalia rocked Louis Vuitton

Rosalía stole the show on the Louis Vuitton runway. Credit: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images

Spanish pop star Rosalía rocked the roof of the Louvre with her electrifying performance for the Louis Vuitton fashion show, which unveiled a new collection with its first guest creative director, Colm Dillane of KidSuper. The artist opened the show wearing an all-white ensemble and walked the runway with a torch that lit up the French brand’s iconic monogram before climbing into a yellow car and launching into a rendition of her hit ‘Candy’.

The Fall-Winter 2023 collection featured a mix of elegant tailoring, dresses, sports-inspired wear and patchwork coats.

Raised rave culture at Dries Van Noten

A drumming performance by Belgian duo Lander & Adriaan punctuated Dries Van Noten’s performance. Credit: Peter White/Getty Images

Music has always been important to Dries Van Noten. Astute fans will remember his Fall-Winter 2011 show, set to a soundtrack by David Bowie’s specially mixed masters. This season, the Belgian designer explored ’90s rave culture with a heightened sensibility. Guests made their way to a multi-level parking garage for the show, packed with experimental musicians performing soft techno beats while beer was served from a steel cart. Up top, Belgian duo Lander & Adriaan performed what they called “sophisti-rave” on drums and synthesizers. The hypnotic soundtrack set the tone for the new collection which featured flora and fauna motifs, fluffy tufts, outerwear ranging from tailored coats with cinched waists to oversized jackets with abstract patterns and vintage-era trousers ’90.

Junya Watanabe reveals the Palace collaboration

Junya Wantanabe collaborated with London-based skate brand Palace. Credit: Estrop/Getty Images

Junya Watanabe, known for his extensive list of fashion collaborations, chose to celebrate the many brands he has worked with over the years – including New Balance, Oakley, North Face and Timberland – in a mostly monochromatic collection. Also spotted on the runway was the unmistakable Tri-Ferg logo from Palace, the London-based skate brand, on a part black, part puffer parka jacket. Another first.

The Swinging Sixties at Kenzo

Nigo’s third collection for Kenzo was inspired by The Beatles and marked by covers of the bands most famous songs. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Kenzo’s art director Nigo has long been an Anglophile and his love of The Beatles goes back at least to 1999 – when he starred in an Abbey Road-themed cover shoot for Relax Magazine. In the show notes for his third collection for the brand, the Japanese designer compared the clothes to the “White Album” of history, referring to the eclectic mix of cultural and style references drawn from the British, American and, of course, the Japanese. Staged in a Parisian concert hall, the show featured a live performance of “Can’t Buy Me Love” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by Japanese all-female quartet Quartet from 1966. The new Fantastic Four had the whole concert hall singing and cheering as the models walked around their two violins, cello and piano.

KidSuper’s finds the fashion funny bone

The KidSuper fashion comedy show featured a cast of comedians dressed in the new collection. Credit: I’m Aldama

Outside the Casino de Paris, editors, guests and fashion denizens were packed in like sardines as they tried to get into KidSuper’s show of fashion comedy Funny Business, hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks. Inspired by the Netflix comedy specials, an impressive line-up of comedians including Jeff Ross, Emmy-nominated actress Yvonne Orji and French comedian Fary roast brand founder Colm Dillane while wearing the new collection. The theme was tailoring with a twist, from suits embroidered with tailor’s chalk to painterly coats painted with watercolor brushstrokes.

In his unorthodox approach to runway shows, Dillane told CNN Style backstage that he wants “something that lives on, that lasts longer than those 15 minutes.”

“I always thought it was a waste of money for something so ephemeral. So, I’m going to create concepts that have legs, and for this show, I thought how cool it would be to do this comedy show that I can sustain. doing – what if next year I do it in New York? And the year after that, somewhere else?”

Sacai and Carhartt work twice

For Sacai’s Fall-Winter 2023 collection, Japanese designer Chitose Abe collaborated with workwear brand Carhartt. Credit: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Japanese designer Chitose Abe teamed up with workwear brand Carhartt WIP for her Fall-Winter 2023 collection. It was a joyful exploration of Carhartt’s signature straight-edged style, infused with Abe’s romantic and unique perspective. Pockets doubled and proportions twisted as Abe flipped the brand’s signature offerings—from inside-out parkas with contrasting quilting and trim panels to Carhartt’s iconic Michigan coats reimagined as soft jackets. knitted with gold buttons.