Paris Fashion Week SS20 Highlights: The firsts, the celebrities and the stand-outs

Our Contributing Men's Style Editor, Geoff K. Cooper, is wowed by the shapes, styles and celebrity front rows at the SS20 Men's shows in Paris
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Geoff K. Cooper28 June 2019

Paris Men's Fashion Week came to a close on Sunday with a performance by Solange Knowles at Kenzo's SS20 show, punctuating a myriad of highlight collections and happenings that defined Paris Fashion Week, and perhaps the entire Spring Summer 2020 men's calendar.

Here are my highlights.

The firsts: Americans In Paris

Paris boasts the largest men's fashion week calendar and finding a place in its prestigious schedule can be tough. But this wasn't a problem for Rhude and Sies Marjan – two American brands founded and led by immigrants – who debuted in the city of lights to rave reviews.

Rhude

Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com

Rhude was radiant. Rhuigi Villasenor, creative director of the hyped streetwear label, premiered in Paris with a guest list worthy of an established brand. The celebs came out, and so did the cool-set, all to menswear inspired by the wild west.

Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com

Leveraging an earthy colour palette, Rhude's highlights included bonny blanket shawls, cool cross body bags (in the shape of extra-large cigarette packs) and western shirts (in silk and leather) that will surely be a rave.

Sies Marjan

Sies Marjan

Celebrating the fragility of male sexuality - regardless of orientation - Sander Lak, Creative Director of Sies Marjan, made his mark in Paris with a collection of louche and luxe looks in the upper hall of the Opera Bastille.

Sies Marjan

Suave silhouettes, enticing colour, sumptuous silk sets and terrific unstructured trenches were standouts on the Sies Marjan catwalk. Launched in 2016, the New York fashion label's maiden menswear show was superb.

The celebrity front rows

Celebrity attendance at fashion shows is now the norm in the four cities, but Paris packed a punch like no other, with some of the brightest stars in music, Hollywood and sports decamping to the French capital to check out the fashion their stylists have probably already pre-ordered.

Louis Vuitton

SplashNews.com

At Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, the luxury house's Men's Artistic Director, played host to a major mix of star power. Some of music's coolest, Dev Hynes (who walked the show), Frank Ocean, J Balvin, Skepta, Maluma, Miguel and Swae Lee all attended.

Celebrities at Louis Vuitton Men's SS20 - In Pictures

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On the sporting side, Lewis Hamilton, Russell Westbrook, Cam Newton and Victor Cruz were also present to witness Abloh's third collection for the label. Other celebrities include Dan Carter, Gigi Hadid, Kris Wu and Nick Chou.

Dior

Dior

At Dior, Kim Jones presented a catwalk of pink sand in collaboration with American artist Daniel Arsham and a curated superstar guest list that included Christina Ricci, Lilly Allen, Jacky Heung, J Balvin, Kate Moss, Kelly Osborne, Kenshi Okada, Miss Fame, Natalia Vodianova, Noomi Rapace, Nick Robinson and Skepta.

Lila Moss and Kate Moss
Dior

Matthew Williams of ALYX and Yoon of AMBUSH teamed up with Jones again on the accessories side and were also present at the show.

Berluti

Joe Jonas with Natalia Vodianova
Berluti

At Berluti Kris Van Assche closed his brightly coloured SS20 show for the luxury maison with supermodel Gigi Hadid.

Korean actor Lee Min-Ho
Berluti

Watching Gigi slay the catwalk was a slew of notables which included Alaine Fabian Deon, Antoine Arnault, Carmello Anthony, Natalia Vodianova, Ricky Martin and Russell Westbrook

Casablanca

Swae Lee preparing to walk in Casablanca's SS20 show (BFA / Casablanca)
BFA

At Casablanca, Charaj Tajer, Creative Director of the Parisian label summoned the fashion cognoscenti and cool-set to the hills of Montmartre to quaff cocktails at his Casablanca Café.

Skepta
BFA / Casablanca

Witnessing Tajer's second outing for the brand – which screamed a Brazillian-cum-Italy cool – were Dev Hynes, Skepta, Kareem "Biggs" Burke, Kerbe Jean-Raymond, Jerry Lorenzo, and Miguel. American rapper Swaelee opened the show, which also featured Sean Ross and Elias Riadi.

The stand-outs

AMI

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

"Under the glass dome of the Grand Palais, a meditative atmosphere rises in the air" read the Ami SS20 show notes. Alexander Mattiuisi convened a few hundred people in the majesty of the gigantic Grand Palais for his 18th Ami show, and the tone was cogitative.

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

Sometimes it just takes the location to achieve pre-eminence but, in this case, the soft sound of small bells ringing (which were attached to shoes and clothes), the darker colour pallet of the collection (which veered away from the burst of colour Ami is known for) and the circular seating plan created a mood that could not be forgotten.

IMaxTree

Stand-out pieces leaned over in the outwear arena with roomy trenches, sleeveless coats and cropped jackets that exuded French chic.

Dries Van Noten​

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten cast a spell of bright colours and brilliant prints for his SS20 showcase. Flower power was present in the graphic prints and so were leopard spots, plaids, tiger, camo, and zebra stripes. Exuding a maximalist vibe with a certain '70s-and-'90s panache, the collection was energetic and enchanting.

Dries Van Noten

Sex appeal entered the room via silk robes, leather tanks and (revealing) mesh vests. Continuing the sultry narrative was a hefty mix of short shorts rendered in cotton, leather and silk.

Dries Van Noten

Not to be dismissed, the tailored pieces from trenches to strong-shoulder jackets to the synched-waist single and double breast suit jackets were sharp.

Coining the feel of his SS20 offering as "Archi-fluidity", a riff on fluid archetypes of men and menswear, Van Noten delivered an exuberant collection fit for an exciting lifestyle.

Issey Miyake Homme Plissé​

Frédérique Dumoulin

Issey Miyake Homme Plissé curated a rhapsodic moment on the Paris calendar with a show that felt like full-on Carnival. Colour, craft, camaraderie and rhythm buoyed by revelry made for one of the most memorable shows (and one can argue street party) this season.

Frédérique Dumoulin

Presenting an Homme Plissé range for the second time as a standalone show, Issey Miyake enlisted contemporary dancers and Zalindé – an all-female Afro-Brazilian drumming troop – to bring the brand and collection to life. The ease and movement of the garments shown, made from the brand's signature pleated fabric, was a highlight. The show itself started before anyone even noticed as models blended in with the Issey Miyake-clad guests.

(Olivier Baco)

At the end of the show, dancers and models cajoled show-goers to join in the jubilation, creating fun memories for everyone who partook. It was a groundswell of pure joy, and a message to all that Issey Miyake is a vibe and the vibe is available to all.

Kenzo

Mohamed Khalil / Kenzo

Kenzo, a showing backdropped by melodies from Solange Knowles, made for a sublime and stellar affair in Paris, marking the last Kenzo collection to be designed by duo Carol Lim and Humbert Leon.

To end their 8-year tenure with the LVMH-owned house, they produced what (hands-down) was the show to be at on the last day of Paris Fashion Week.

Solange (Kenzo)

Enlisting Solange and her 11-piece live brass band, both womenswear and menswear were presented to a crowd of thousands – as for their last showing, Lim and Leon invited the public to witness their ultimate bow at Kenzo. On their way out, the creative heads looked to the seas of Japan, and the Japanese female free divers for inspiration.

(Mohamed Khalil / Kenzo)
Kenzo

This jaunt informed the collection's aquatic hues, intriguing prints, sailor collar details and overall underwater feel experienced at the show. Lim and Leon sailed on with bang.

Thom Browne

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

Thom Browne is known for shows which burst with theatrics and for the brand's SS20 showcase, guests were captivated by 10 'statutes' (who were models) in statuesque formation kitted in 3D outfits that made them look like pawns on a chessboard.

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

The show began with James Whiteside, the American Ballet Theatre's principal dancer, dancing onto the catwalk with two other 'Thombarinas' who disrobed each model's outer layer to unveil short suits in varied colours.

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

This performance was the precursor to the catwalk entertainment that ensured featuring parasols without canopies, cage crinolines over trousers, shoes like irons and ball-holder sports bags.

(IMaxtree)
IMaxTree

Seersucker reigned supreme in summery hues of yellow, blue, pink, red, green and covered every seat in the house. Overall a very Thom Browne mood.

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