Highlights from Paris Fashion Week

A spattering of Paris Fashion Week menswear shows began in earnest this week for the fall-winter season, with French virus restrictions forcing many to an online-only presence. Yet those brands that chose to maintain physical shows — like AMI on Wednesday — may benefit from a relative boost in prominence. As ever, the start of Paris Fashion Week is a moment to showcase emerging talents before the later appearances of industry heavyweights like Dior, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.

The fall-winter display did not disappoint, being the biggest of the Paris season so far, pulling VIPs such as actresses Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert and former French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy to its socially distanced front row at the Paris Bourse. French actress Isabelle Adjani even took a turn as a model walking the runway. This collection was what Mattiussi does best: Wearable, masculine, boxy clothes, served up with a flash of camp color, feathers or sparkles.

London-born and based designer Bianca Saunders presented her Autumn/Winter 2022 collection A Stretch. Her collection blended traditional womenswear with menswear and she basically wanted men to explore the other side of fashion with fluid silhouttes and stylish outfits.

The collection celebrated this globe-trotting vision with eye-popping color and myriad references. The first looks were said to be inspired by the hue-rich sails of traditional boats in the Philippines. Geometric shapes in purples, yellows and pinks gave the collection a funky edge, as it mixed with tongue-in-cheek eccentric detailing. Psychedelic knitwear, 1990s sunglasses and tailored coats with glittered hems mixed with ankle boots reminiscent of surf wear.

The collection titled Bull Market draws inspiration from the swanky ’80s stockbrokers in suspenders channeling Gordon Gekko. The designer kept comfort and mobility in mind while designing the whole collection.

Designer Glenn Martens presented a collection filled with trompe l’oeil for Y/Project A/w 22-23. The designer took one of the most iconic prints of Jean Paul Gualtier and reinterpreted in the Y/Project way.