The best menswear from Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2024

Following on from Milan Fashion Week, an entourage of press, buyers, celebrities and influencers headed to Paris for the next round of men's shows. Here, the likes of Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermès and our very own Paul Smith and Martine Rose presented their collections for the Autumn/Winter 2024 season.

The collections presented a clashing of the quiet luxury trend that's ben sweeping across both menswear and womenswear, and maximalism by way of the punchy collections from Louis Vuitton and Valentino.

Below are our favourite collections...

Pharrell Williams presented his debut Autumn/Winter collection for Louis Vuitton, and he didn't disappoint. For the collection, which was staged at Paris’ Bois de Boulogne, he looked to the plains of the USA for inspiration, which consequently lined the walls in all their glory. His collection was an ode to the all American cowboy, with a Parisian flair. He worked with artists from the Dakota and Lakota nations, and there were denim chaps, cowboy hats, boot leg jeans, tassel coats and bolo tied shirts. Holdalls came in buffalo hides, Louis Vuitton's signature Speedy bag was decorated with Dakota flowers, while there was the introduction of new space age black and brown monogram bags, which got the fashion press talking.

Louis Vuitton moved away from the quiet luxury trend that has been dominating menswear, and it was a sign that maximalism still has its place. And if there's a guy to do it? That's Pharrell.

Givenchy presented its first collection sans former creative director Matthew Williams, who had helmed the brand since June 2020. The studio worked on a collection, which spoke to the codes of Hubert de Givenchy. The house’s historic haute couture salon in Hôtel de Caraman on Paris’ Avenue Georges was the location of choice, a departure away from the large sprawling spaces that Williams often opted for, but the place that Givenchy worked at for 36 years.

The collection was pared back and the effort was to promote the ‘gentlemanliness’ that Givenchy wanted to evoke. Button-down coats were cut shorter at the leg and made from wool, while the blouse blanche worn by Hubert de Givenchy in his studio was re-contextualised as an elegant workwear staple in both a sleeved and sleeveless version. Capes came in sapphire - a colour that came in at a close second to only black for Givenchy. An opulent chandelier motif from the archives was interpreted in metallic embroidery with crystal and pearls, while ultra wearable teddy coats were worn with simple trousers and doubled-up cardigans were worn over V-neck knits. Tailoring was strong, as ever with a Givenchy collection, and there were suit trousers that fell slightly wider at the bottom, worn with slippers inspired by classic gentleman's slipper, and double-breasted suits were paired with oversized overcoats. An archival headscarf that was initially made for women was brought back for guys, and worn with wraparound bottle green jackets. If one house is doing Parisian elegance and doing it well, it's Givenchy.

Véronique Nichanian looked to indie sleaze for her Autumn/Winter 2024 collection. "Versatility of wear defines the attitude. The silhouette reverberates, animated by a playful pop effervescence", said the show notes. There was Prince of Wales plaid throughout, used on double-breasted suits, double collars and tube scarves provide warmth for the morning commute, big gum overcoats were the order of the day, while neo-racing jerseys were thrown on like hoodies. It was the luxury you expect from Hermès, which never fails to deliver season after season, but it had character. The bags, which of course Hermès is most famous for, were large in size and came emblazoned with graphics depicting the most famous carry-alls. The signature Haut à Courroies carry all was cut from luxuriously smooth barénia and sombrero calfskin.

“I've had a special relationship with France for many years,” said the London designer back in 2016 “I had my first fashion show in Paris in 1976." And still Paul Smith continues to show in the Gallic capital. It's a second home. His designs have earned their place alongside those giant French Maisons. The collection was inherently British, however. British gabardine, cavalry twill, and heavy tailoring flannel sat next to grungy mohair, overdyed denim in acidic colours, with the show notes citing "elegant tailoring might be classically British, but so is punk." Very Paul Smith. On tailoring, Smith wanted to reference the 20th century. Silhouettes were akin to the classic English garments from the middle of the century: suits were fuller and had a more relaxed cut, there were double-pleated trousers, and belted backs. Meanwhile he referenced the oversized war coats of WW2, which were a standout of the collection.

Kim Jones presented his strongest collection for the house to date. Divided into ready-to-wear and couture – the last twenty looks - the collection was inspired in part by Soviet-born ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who moved to Paris in the 1960s in a bid for freedom. "It’s the difference between onstage and backstage; the life of Nureyev theatrically and in reality," said Jones. "Here it is a meeting of the dancer’s style with that of the Dior archive." Notably, Colin Jones was a British Royal Ballet dancer who joined the company in 1953, and became a photojournalist who worked on a 1966 day-in-the-life story for Time Life on Rudolf Nureyev. He was Kim Jones uncle. "Nureyev is entwined with my personal history because of my uncle."

Notably there were ballet pumps, reimagined as normal footwear. Stephen Jones designed the wraparound turbans worn by Nureyev in the dance studio. Slim tailoring was inspired by the work of Yves Saint Laurent during his time at the Maison. The collection was largely muted, and came in hues of brown, grey and black, with pops of colour arriving by way of cerulean and pink socks. Couture menswear for the evening took the form of a Nureyev-inspired kimono, hand made in Kyoto, opulently-beaded tunics, and a sleeveless crocodile skin top. One denim suit was emblazoned with Dior diamonds from the house's high jewellery collection.

For his Autumn/Winter 2024 collection, Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli wanted to reimagine the suit. He wanted to dismantle the norms of patriarchal society, and promote a new man. Suits were cut with a softer line and were embellished with chiffon linings, typically used in Haute Couture. The suits, he told Vogue Runway, were as soft as cardigans and "a long way from the classic president’s double-breasted power suit."

He played with the idea of masculinity even more in the introduction of a new Valentino blue. A blue associated with men, but one he wanted to remind the audience was first associated with girls, before the 20th century. A cerulean duffle coat was worn over a suit, while a matching roll neck was paired with silk beige shirts.

London-based designer and industry favourite Martine Rose presented a celebration of her tight-knit community at an exclusive show, which was later presented in a lesser form during men's Paris Fashion Week for the masses. She had her friends and favourite models walk, and the clothes were typically Rose-ian. There were oversized suits (the sort that landed her a consulting job at Balenciaga in Demna's early years as creative director for the Paris-based house), tactile, bold-shouldered jackets were paired with baggy, belted slacks, classic football shirts worn over shirts and ties, and more of her square-toed signature footwear.

Bryan Conway worked with Giles Deacon via a stint at E Tautz, Christopher Bailey at Burberry and Jonathan Anderson at JW Anderson. He knows what he's doing. And he has transformed the 121-year-old Tiger Of Sweden since he joined as creative director in 2019. The simple suits, while still there, are no longer what shape the brand. Tiger Of Sweden is directional and easily one of the strongest brands out there right now. It's for guys who appreciate the classics, but want to push forward with their image.

For the Autumn/Winter 2024 collection Conway looked to the stone carvings in the Ostermalmstorg subway station in Stockholm by the artist and activist Siri Derkert, who acts as his muse this season. The show notes suggests that Derket's work was made to be “a place of comfort and safety in the uncertain world of the mid-century," and in our uncertain world, Conway wanted fun, comfort and wearability.

Fuschia shirts, worn with neck ties, are tucked into leather slacks. Prince Of Wales checked suits come with wider legs, and a houndstooth made from Gotland wool is eye-catching. Accessories were in keeping with the sort you'd find at The Row, and represented a new direction for the label.

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