Sex, Drugs, Mode, as seen emblazoned across the back of a Parisian’s moto jacket, sums up the attitude at the Paris menswear shows this fall/winter season. Not that it was overtly hedonistic – but there was a palpable pluck to the runway offerings, often youthful with a dash of rebellion.
Outside the runway, the sights were no less striking. The men of the French capital turned up to the show areas looking edgy, not in the nervous sense of the word, but funky and hard-edged. Raw denim, bright reds and yellows, eye-catching patterns of embroidery, stones, tapestries on statement jackets – just as we saw in the shows.
There was also a celebration of the French, or perhaps Parisian, identity, with berets, bohemian and gypsy accents, as well as an assortment of hats. And, oh, lots of smoking.
