With over 50 fashion shows and dozens of presentations or private fairs, the Parisian menswear Fashion Week, which ended on Sunday night, keeps on growing. Visitor numbers were higher too, even though the timing, simultaneously to Berlin Fashion Week, wasn’t ideal.

The week started off with huge attention to Mugler, where Nicola Formichetti, stylist of Lady Gaga, in cooperation with the new enfant terrible of French menswear, Romain Kremer, showed a mostly suits-collection, accompanied by an exclusive techno soundtrack by Lady Gaga. Although it seemed that the music attracted the largest interest, Mugler also showed some good trends for next winter. For example down jackets, which are already a big deal this season. Nearly every collection integrated down in their garments, as normal jackets and coats from Mugler, Martin Margiela, Rynshu, Paul Smith, or in a more sophisticated way as a detail of a garment at sleeves or collars, like Viktor & Rolf or Louis Vuitton did. Besides downs, cord in different qualities and wool were the preferred materials of designers.

Furthermore, knitted items are very important this season and are designed in two different ways: as heavy woolen jackets /pullovers (Yigal Azrouel) or details (Miharayasuhiro) or as fine pullovers in a skinny fit, very tight to the body causing the impression of a feminine waist, as seen by Raf Simons and Lanvin. As an extension of this woolen attitude, a second big trend could be spotted: high collars. High and voluminous collars at coats or jackets or huge scarves wrapped around the neck are to keep the consumers warm and have a cosy look and feel to it, shown for example by Hermès, Viktor & Rolf, Kris van Assche, or Damir Doma.

Surely comfortable are also the new, extremely wide fluttering trousers, which were seen on the catwalks of Dior, Lanvin, Dries van Noten, Juun J., John Lawrence Sullivan, Damir Doma, and a lot more. This new form slightly resembles the menswear from the ‘80s and gives a completely new, quite creative silhouette to our days. The waist- trousers often with waist-pleats, are combined even with suit jackets, like Yamamoto does it for years, and are the most noticeable fashion innovation this season giving a creative bohemian silhouette to some collections.

But there are not only wide trousers: Their counter-pole is an extremely skinny pant. This doesn’t mean a slim fit, but an ultra-skinny look; very tight at the legs, showing off the muscles. These very sexy pants are also used for suits, mainly connected with a very young attitude (Agnes B., Paul & Joe, Alexis Mabille, Balmain Homme), and could even be compared to leggings for men, like Viktor & Rolf showed in a woolen material.

A highlight of some collections, were jackets and coats in a multifunctional use. Such a jacket isn’t only a jacket, but can be a rain coat, a down vest, a suit detail, etc. In a certain way of a construction kit, the components could be used together, individually or in a loose combined way of letting hang down one layer, as seen by Juun J., Wooyoungmi, or Louis Vuitton. Regarding colors, black dominated all the collections with some exceptions of green, checked pattern and a flashy red/orange. Eye-catching was that most designers chose different kinds of models for their catwalk presentations. As 50-somethings, bearded, tattooed, or corpulent men were seen, also more and more feminine male models walked the catwalks.