Men’s Fashion Weeks Fall/Winter 2022-2023 explore the tension between practical and ornamental

 

Fendi, Christian Dior, Loewe, Kenzo and Louis Vuitton at Men’s Fashion Weeks Fall/Winter 2022-2023.

LVMH Fashion Houses – Fendi, Christian Dior, Loewe, Kenzo and Louis Vuitton – unveiled their collections for next season on runways from Milan to Paris during Fall/Winter 2022-2023 Men’s Fashion Weeks.

Fendi

For the Fendi Men’s Fall/Winter collection, the Italian Maison’s Artistic Director Silvia Venturini Fendi reimagines a gentleman’s wardrobe for the new Roaring Twenties. Old world elegance is updated as playful gestures disrupt formality. Shades of black and cream, burgundy, raspberry, mocha, taupe and white create a rich palette for plays of precious textures and bold graphic statements. Traditional Vichy check tweeds and hound’s tooth suiting are scaled up in dialogue with cable knit ensembles, and the iconic O’Lock chain motif becomes a new monogram. In a world first, tech grabs the spotlight as the O’Lock motif and a miniature version of the famous Baguette bag both morph into luxury tech accessories for the LEDGER Nano X, the digital hardware wallet for cryptocurrency and digital assets. The ultimate wardrobe for a neo-dandy riffs with the refinement of tech innovations.

Louis Vuitton

For Virgil Abloh’s final collection, Louis Vuitton unveiled “Louis Dreamhouse”, an ode to dreams. In a captivating set, violinists and dancers performed to a soundtrack by Tyler The Creator, immersing guests in a magical atmosphere. The pieces celebrate the legacy of Virgil Abloh and embody his core philosophy of seeing the world with the unspoiled eyes of a child. Materials and techniques are not what they seem, transmuting dress codes tied to societal archetypes. The collection is an invitation to live your dreams, discarding the membrane between reality and imagination. To close the show, thirty members of Virgil Abloh’s team joined models on the runway for a final farewell to the late designer.

Dior

For the new collection, Dior Men’s Artistic Director Kim Jones delved into the archives of the Maison to look at Christian Dior’s original impulse. The show unfolds on a winter’s morning on the Pont Alexandre III in Paris. The wardrobe melds formal and informal, mixing a gradation of grays and pastels with embroidered flowers on outerwear and Dior by Birkenstock sandals. Both clothes and bags explore the tension between practical and ornamental. The haute couture French tailleur is at home alongside contemporary sportswear, while the iconic Saddle Bag is joined by a new Dior Corolle Tote. Symbols personal to Christian Dior – the star, the rose, the cannage, the leopard, the lily of the valley and the chain – all appear on pieces in the collection. For the 75th anniversary of the Parisian house Kim Jones celebrates the heritage of the founder and the continuum of designers who bridge past, present and future, united by timeless craftsmanship.

 

Loewe

The menswear wardrobe conceived by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe is an experience that unfolds on a moving body whose contours redefine the limits of our perceptions.

For the new Loewe collection, Creative Director Jonathan Anderson imagines an altered world where illusion is a coordinate, asking “What is real today?”. The body is the point of arrival and departure, revealed in plays of light to present trompe l’oeil pieces, transparent oiled leather coats and mohair sweaters. LED lights illuminate coats, waistlines and shoes, like a glow projected from the body.

The staging for the collection was Flags, Paris 2022, a site-specific installation by artists Joe McShea and Edgar Mosa comprising flags in 13 different colors made of ribbons mounted on aluminum flagpoles and reacting to the movement of the models on the runway.

Kenzo

Faithful to Kenzo Takada’s real-to-wear ethos, Nigo mixes tailoring and workwear for a genderless silhouette. Sturdy salopettes in Japanese denim with yellow topstitching are joined by suits in the Prince of Wales checks and stripes employed by Kenzo Takada. Prints of original sketches by the founder cover white ensembles for women and men. In knitwear, Nigo explores plays of color and texture, connecting with the beginnings of the Maison. The date 1970 was also ubiquitous at the show, stitched on a myriad of berets, mirroring Nigo’s birthday in Japan and the year Kenzo Takada was revealed in Paris as a designer destined to become one of the best of his generation. His combined men’s and women’s collection for Fall/Winter 2022 is infused with a “real-to-wear” spirit that blends heritage with contemporary codes.