In Paris, Junya Watanabe, Paul Smith and Juun.J present their version of menswear

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS

Published
Jan 19, 2024

Suits are constantly being reinvented at this Men's Fashion Week, dedicated to the collections for autumn-winter 2024/25. On Friday, the Paris catwalks offered another explosive cocktail of what can be done around the codes of menswear, with, among others, the Japanese creativity of Junya Watanabe, the relaxed tailoring of Britain's Paul Smith and the Korean eccentricity of Juun.J.

 Junya Watanabe Man exceled in the art of trompe-l'œil this season. Fashion is the Japanese designer's favourite playground, and he has no equal when it comes to hijacking, deconstructing and remixing the basics of men's clothing, constantly creating new, inventive and often highly desirable garments.
 
For next winter, he concentrated on the coat, with two new and original concepts. First, he explored the two-in-one sleeved piece, where the top part extended in the form of trousers, with the two legs metamorphosed into basques. Using this process, he revisited both the typical suit, the denim ensemble with jacket and trousers sewn tone-on-tone in a single piece, and the mismatched model.

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The navy jacket was paired with camel canvas trousers, and the tweed jacket with faded jeans. A Levi's, of course, with whom the designer collaborates. Other collaborations in this collection include Palace, New Balance, Carhartt and Brooks Brothers.
 
With his new two-in-one overcoats, Junya Watanabe Man offered another playful optical effect, with wide leg bottoms superimposed on the real trousers, revealing them with every step. These models were worn with sailors and metallic necklaces for a rock touch.
 
The other trick was to transform a classic coat into a cape without it showing. The proportions were slightly rounded on the shoulders, the volume swelling towards the bottom, the sleeves were sewn along the sides, and there you have it.

 
Paul Smith also revisited the men's wardrobe, but in a softer way. As he himself summed up in his statement of intent, "it's classic with a twist". The wardrobe is a fusion of casual tailoring and utilitarian outerwear with sporting or country influences.
 
Quilted jackets and waistcoats were tucked under coats and worn over suits, shirts and ties. Suits were cut a little wider with double-pleated trousers. The fine-striped knitwear and waistcoat, typical of the English label, stood out under a beige gabardine coat. The jacket with dinner jacket lapels was worn over a turtleneck in the same fir-green colour. A removable maxi-pocket attached to the belt completed the look, with a scarf tied around the neck and thrown back.
 
The designer brilliantly combined different shades of autumn: violet and aubergine, bottle green, navy blue and chocolate brown, with incursions of ochre and lime. Foliage motifs, inspired by the wallpapers of the house of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, took over jackets and shirts like camouflage, while abstract graphics were used on mohair jumpers.

For his mixed men's and women's fashion show, Juun.J produced an unexpected collection, much less streetwear-futuristic than usual, following a more formal vein. His favourite wide sweatshirts and Bermuda shorts were paired with impeccably tailored suits, often with little rocker jackets thrown in for good measure.
 
South Korean designer Jung Wook Jun focused on texture and materials - wool, leather, denim, fur, velvet - which he subjected to all sorts of treatments. The long, dark denim coats with their rusty highlights had a velvety feel, the finely striped turtlenecks were made from latex, sometimes extending into a maxi dress with long hair, while neoprene was chosen to make an XXL hoodie.
 
Tartan was mixed with denim in a loose-fitting hybrid pant, or used to create a tutu-sized strapless mini dress, also in faded denim. A short puffball coat was completely dishevelled with silver fringes. The emphasis was on smooth velvet, with magnificent fluctuating coats and silky trousers that dressed all the models for an unexpectedly elegant finale.