Paris Fashion Week Men's highlights: From slick tailoring to Hawaiian-print puffer jackets

Six days of men's fashion shows in Paris were topped off when Christian Louboutin threw a bash that had the fashion set struggling the following day.

But what were the top showings on the catwalk this season? Here's my pick of the collections which shone the brightest.

Ami

Ami played up the theatrics for AW20 - and with good reason.

This season marked the 9th anniversary of the Parisian label helmed by Alexandre Mattiussi.

For the show, the French designer chose a Belle Epoque theatre as the setting and opened the red velvet curtain to reveal clothing that had true pizzazz.

Tailoring was offered copiously, with a red double-breasted and a houndstooth number capturing attention while coats (which the brand is known for) shined equally in cream, baby blue, black, red and mustard.

Other highlight pieces included a stunner of a silver turtleneck, super-ruffled blousons, flared shorts, and a purple supersized corduroy trouser that had sixties energy. All in all, a super showing.

Balmain​​

Balmain's AW20 collection was a show that set a new course for the Parisian fashion house and its creative director Olivier Rousteing.

In his 2019 documentary Wonder Boy, Rousteing discovered his birth parents were Ethiopian and Somalian, a discovery that heavily influenced his latest offering.

Creating a set that looked like a North African desert, the French designer fashioned a menswear collection that felt fluidly tribal but with futuristic feeling.

With warm tones and bold colours, tailoring flourished in suits with extra draping and trousers with roomy silhouettes.

Statement jackets shone with the brand's signature embroidery and sequin and crystal embellishments, which also made their way onto his jumpers.

Wide-collar coats were beautifully crafted and so were the sandals-cum-sneakers that finished many of the looks.

As for prints, map and zodiac motifs added flavour to many pieces.

Casablanca

Charaf Tajer fashioned an Autumn Winter 2020 affair riffing on beauty and idealism, and it was sublime.

Transporting us to a utopian Alpine location, with motifs of Northern Italy's Lake Garda, the French-Moroccan designer proffered a version of lush menswear full of colour, texture and suave energy.

Silk shirts were abundant, and so was loungewear fit for the man whose style tastes are intact.

High-waisted trousers were joined by pleated wider-legged versions, but it was the bouclé mod suits that caught the most attention. Staying true to the brand's staples, suit sets came in silk and denim.

As for motifs, Tajer painted his utopian dream with Dalmatian spot patterns, Casablanca's signature monogram print, ski graphics and images of a man in a suit.

Dior

Kim Jones knows more than a thing or two about superb men's fashion.

A veteran designer with a seasoned eye for cool, for Dior's AW20 men's showing he chose an ode to venerated stylist Judy Blame (a long-time friend of Jones), a collection where DIY, sartorial and streetwear danced together.

Opening with a taffeta silk opera coat embellished with a large rosette at the chest pocket and velvet gloves, Jones punctured rigid gender boundaries with clothing that exuded punk and couture feels.

Tailored suits abounded, some in pinstripes, some with shawls, some double-breasted and some with contrast lapels.

The knitwear was a statement, and so were coats and trenches which featured pleating.

Shirts came extra-long and arabesque, paisley, pearl-embossed and the Dior paper print from the Galliano days threw back to the old days of the house.

The jewellery, however, is what caught many eyes, featuring chunky safety-pin held finery - very Blame.

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten never fails to deliver a serving of sumptuous clothing and this season there was a climax, literally, on the soundtrack which reverberated with sounds of sex, and figuratively, in the form of slick menswear.

The faux fox fur which embellished many looks along with costume jewellery signalled a playful mood for the 2020 men's fashion aficionados.

Double-breasted suits with super-wide lapels and two buttons were eye-catching, but a purple smoking jacket took the crown. Coats came in long check, animal prints and herringbone while bikers and bombers showed up in both brown and black leather.

For outerwear, a puffer came out in Hawaiian print with others in bright green.

Silk and velvet were the fabrics that got most of the attention in Van Noten's fashion 'sexcapade' showing up in shirting, jackets, vest, shorts, loose pants and turtlenecks.

Issey Miyake Homme Plissé

A choreographed jam session of sorts at the Centre Pompidou was the setting for Issey Miyake's menswear line dubbed 'Homme Plissé'.

A jazzy affair outfitted with percussion performances and hoop acrobatics showcased clothing that felt fluid and comfortable.

The house's signature pleats showed up in a mishmash colour palette of bright and muted hues with multi-coloured overcoats and suit-sets bringing all the tones together.

Veering away from pleats, a selection of tantalizing trenches and raincoats made their way onto the stage mid-show.

Tailored suits were plentiful with the introduction of what might be the brand's first formal evening coat (pleated of course) and a slew of other takes on formal looks that closed the show.

Jacquemus

In 2018, when Jacquemus debuted his menswear offering in Marseille, Simon Porte Jacquemus declared the clothing was for the younger brother of the Jacquemus woman.

For his latest collection, a co-ed show in Paris' La Défense Arena, the little brother appeared to be growing up, which possibly had something to do with his sister's friends – Bella and Gigi Hadid, Laetitia Casta, Joan Smalls and Adut Akech – all of whom walked the show.

Unbuttoned shirts, unzipped trousers and a peek of boxer shorts signalled (styling wise) an amped-up masculine sex appeal.

Tailoring was bountiful for AW20 and based on a boxy relaxed silhouette, with many two-button suits and one single-button double-breasted (a post-WW2 staple).

Louis Vuitton

A grey clock was the invitation and a big blue box (with motifs of the cloudy firmament) in the Jardin des Tuileries served as the show venue.

Time and wonder seemed the focus for Virgil Abloh's fourth show for Louis Vuitton.

This time around, sartorial cues were the wander with a parade of suits featuring varied creative touches that signalled a turn to tailoring, away from streetwear, for Abloh.

Suits featured cut-outs, cloudy prints, ruffles, three-buttons, a tie-waist or leather.

Fur made an appearance, topcoats got similar treatments to suits, and in the accessories and footwear department, a multiplicity of monogram bags in cloudy blue, Chelsea boots and derbies with harnesses were stunners.

Off-White

There is a cerebral response to the sound of tap dancing. It transfixes the onlooker and elicits movement.

This was possibly Virgil Abloh's intention in enlisting tap sensation Cartier Williams, who hails from Washington, D.C. to dance through Off/White's AW20 show and provide the beat to accompany a collection that messaged a new narrative for the label.

For AW20, Abloh punched holes in tailoring and played with pleating and ruching on a colour palette where blue, green, red and yellow counterbalanced sombre tones.

Pleat details showed up on trousers and shirts (with some ruched, and with strings), while suits and coats came with holes cut-outs.

In the beginning and end, it was the tee, which Williams donned, that read 'I support young black businesses' which is likely to be the biggest seller come next season.

Y'Project

Last January when I interviewed Glenn Martens after his Pitti Uomo show, there were undertones of jubilation throughout our chat.

Y/Project's AW20 offering had an equally joyful, energetic tone.

A square pit filled with countless orange balloons was where guests were placed to watch the show.

Globophobes stayed away, but the majority descended into the balloon pit to watch the assembly of riotously quirky clothing that defines the Y/Project aesthetic.

Suits were turned inside out with seams over-elaborated and featuring satin and tulle strips. Sleeveless tee-shirts were turned into bodysuits and styled over high waisted pants, while leather jackets had exaggerated lapels.

Shirts were also turned inside out with contrast French seams and coats had misplaced button holes making for a playful silhouette.

As for this season's collab hit, asymmetric Canada Goose parkas were gold. All the looks and pieces beamed with uniqueness compounding a message from Martens that fashion should be functional, but fun.