Paris Fashion Week menswear is eclipsed by K-Pop and Dior obsession

Over a thousand clamoring fans flocked to the gorgeous Place de la Concorde last week for a glimpse of their favorite stars, some of whom were practically at risk of passing out in congested traffic. Dior fever arrived at Paris Fashion Week menswear.

David Beckham, Naomi Campbell, and members of the Korean band BTS, J-Hope and Jimin, were among the VIP visitors at the show. Their handlers maneuvered through the crowd like fish swimming upstream.

Inside, Yves Saint Laurent, who took over as the youngest couturier in history at age 21 in 1957 after Christian Dior passed away, was honored by Kim Jones, the designer of Dior male wear.

The following are some highlights from the fall/winter 2023–2024 collections:

A tribute to YSL

For Christian Dior, Saint Laurent debuted his first line in 1958. The designer attracted tens of thousands of adoring followers, who flooded the streets throughout the international event. Even after 65 years, certain things never change.

The disparities between British tailoring and couture, as well as the contradictions between the masculine and feminine, served as the inspiration for Kim Jones' men's collection.

Jones also tapped into its fluidity to create a show that was gender-neutral, with softer lines and looser waists. Both brilliant white knit jumpers with sleeves cut away to flap like a poncho and unbuttoned suits that unfolded nicely complemented the trapeze shape.

Smith accomplished his assignment. The trapeze silhouette was essentially created by Saint Laurent when he famously abandoned Dior's tight waists and long materials in favor of more flowing designs that made the body vanish.

A modernized marine sailor top was one of the Jones designs that was taken straight from the 1958 collection.

But this magnificent display was far more than just an imitation. Modern sheer organza vests with tiers of bands were worn with three-dimensional printed shoes, which had an aggressive yet feminine appearance. One embroidered pearl coat's off-the-shoulder design conjured up images of a slouchy rebel and a blossoming flower at the same time.

Thespians as Dior's stars

The senses were just overloaded by the Dior show's singular blend of fame, creativity, frenzy, beauty, and wafting perfume. Actors Gwendoline Christie and Robert Pattinson gave amazing on-camera readings of poetry passages that were intercut with pictures from the Dior line.

Christie told the Associated Press, "I am truly so happy to be here at the Dior show. It’s no surprise that Kim Jones is one of our greatest living current designers that we have. I’m also very lucky in that he’s a very old friend of mine."

But even the calm Christie, the star of the "Game of Thrones" and the Dior presentation, became overcome when Jimin, a member of BTS who was just named as the Dior brand ambassador, arrived and the media quickly left her.

Century-changing Paul Smith

In order to create a sophisticated installation that appeared to combine London in the 1970s with the city in the 1870s, Smith dug into the history books.

This was best illustrated with a quilted coat and checkered cape. If it had included a pipe, Sherlock Holmes may have worn it since it had a flared out rear that gave the appearance that it was made on Baker Street.

A high white collar gave off a prim 19th century vibe and a large collared black velvet coat had a great textural thickness.

The austere look of fall and winter was a wonderful contrast from typical due to such old-fashioned ideas.

Also prominently included were the 1970s, a Smith touchstone. The styles included loose-fitting, brightly colored suits with large, rounded shoulders, blown-up checkered jackets, and colorful blue printed slacks.

The greatest outfits included elements from both eras, like a flowing cerulean trench coat with voluminous layers paired with a striped blue silk foulard.

Superlative Botter

Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh's delicious co-ed fall fare had bursts of vivid color and quirky oddity.

In Botter's always inventive and colorful presentation, the haphazard was undoubtedly the prevailing theme.

A sparkling satin shirt-dress had a blue bikini playfully sewed on top of it. A suit jacket's top layer pulled up to expose a snakeskin-like underlayer. The salmon design on the tight vest that descended to the wavy metallic satin skirt's "tail" was part of a mermaid costume. There was definitely a tongue-in-cheek reference to how chilly Paris has been lately when a neon-pink knit jumper was layered over another sweater.