Fashion houses in Paris showed their collections for the Spring/Summer 2023 season. Here, you’ll find the latest from Officine Générale, John Elliott, AMBUSH, JUUN.J, AMI, and Dries Van Noten.
Photo by Luca Tombolini, courtesy of Officine Générale.
Officine Générale celebrated its 10th anniversary with the Spring/Summer 2023 menswear collection and seven new store openings throughout the world this year. With age has come confidence and freedom—in cuts, fabrics, and patterns. The delicate nonchalance in the volume of the women’s pants were now mirrored in the men’s. But favorites stand the test of time: light and crisp poplins, fresco wools, cottons and linens threaded with a touch of Tencel for extra softness. Silk brought out a shining and smooth side to pants that could be worn for late nights in Paris as well as on a Mediterranean summer evening. This season’s color palette was ever-chic in espresso, the perfect pink, and fresh touch of celadon green. The women’s collection took its place in the show, and masculine touches only accentuated the femininity of certain shapes. Trenches highlighted the waist, shirts were playfully over-extended, and skirts reformed the codes of tailoring.
Courtesy of John Elliott.
The John Elliott Spring/Summer 2023 presentation, titled “Leap of Faith,” rejoiced in the brand’s ninth runway show, and its first in the City of Lights. The show was held at Le Centre Pompidou, The National Museum of Modern Art. Inspiration was drawn from universal human emotions—the energy of the last day of school mixed with the nervousness of the first day. Elliot’s newest collection was an homage to growing up in the ’90s, honoring the moment’s overarching minimalist approach. Neutrals, leathers, and womenswear were the building blocks. Ties and tailoring were symbols of maturity. Transparent knits fit close to the body were a signal of self-confidence. Reflecting on society’s current state, hand-crafted leather stood as a symbol of the dystopian, fusing the old with the new.
Courtesy of JUUN.J.
JUUN.J’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection was a grand reinvention of denim, paying homage to fashion’s shape-shifting past while strutting full force into the future. Strategically placed rips, tears, and cutouts on corsets, overalls, and peplum jackets toed the line between ferocity and sensibility. The denim varsity jacket included modern zipper-details and was paired with voluminous jeans. Sleeves were puffed, skirts were microsized, and denim was worn elegantly under the traditional blazer. Black and white strapped sneakers completed the looks—pure and simple. Epic vests in dark and light shades recalled the fight of warriors, then and now. Utilitarian accessories fit varied needs: large denim satchels with pockets galore were thrown over the shoulder, and miniscule circular bags hung loosely around the neck. Knits—black, red, and white—were worn all by themselves, untamed in length and style; holes and frays spoke both of strength and vulnerability. Super-cropped, soft leather jackets with oversized shoulders played contrast to ethereal white dresses of sheer and opaque paneling. The standout collection was both nostalgic and hungry for change—as in fashion, as in life.
Courtesy of AMI.
“Coeur Sacré,” the AMI Spring/Summer 2023 collection, was a heartfelt homage to Founder and Creative Director Alexandre Mattiussi’s home: the forever vivacious Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre. The show was held outside the Sacré-Cœur basilica, as the sun set on the Parisian skyline. Audience members sat on caned bistro chairs, overlooking the city’s rooftops and tremendous panorama. A diverse group of models—in age, gender, profession, and style—walked with purpose. The unexpected participation of Audrey Tautou, a beloved face from the world of French cinema, was a joyful surprise. The grand finale was illuminated in red, the brand’s signature color. AMI embraced its distinct joie -de -vivre essence with a retro ‘60s vibe. With a luxurious, provocative and eclectic collection, AMI presented its trademark versatile color palette. Shapes were uncomplicated, and refreshingly graphic in cut and proportion. On the runway, the brand unveiled Le Besace Bag, both nostalgic in its shape and contemporary cool. A new take on Le Voulez-Vous bag included a range of materials: woven leather, denim jacquard, and summery raffia.
Courtesy of Dries Van Noten.
Dries Van Noten’s Spring/Summer 2023 menswear collection was defined by unusual elegance—the classic structure of sartorialism, infused with sensuality; a rumination between the need for protection and up-close tactility. In this spirit of softness and solidity, the collection curated new interpretations for male archetypes: after-dark dandy, cowboy, garage scene grifter, sleepy daydreamer. The brand touched on the Zazou subculture of Paris during World War II, where youth in their considered finery danced their troubles away to swing jazz at the Pam Pam Cafe. Light, flowing patchwork shirt capes and uniformed suiting also explored avant garde 80s fashion and the Buffalo style movement. Flesh tones and a new emphasis on lingerie carried through a sense of the intimate. This was contrasted with the dynamism of Motocross and the GlamGarage movement—biker-inspired trousers with cut-out paneling and sequined embroidery on cycling shorts. Discreet messages and lettering were fragmented into fabric. With Western-style, a play of preciseness and abandon took place: an exacting jacket with exacting square shoulders was worn with flowing trousers in an excess of fabric. Dries Van Noten’s first physical men’s show since January 2020 was a life-affirming, sensory experience.
Courtesy of AMBUSH.
A mixtape of the city of Tokyo informed the AMBUSH Spring/Summer 2023 pre-collection. Creative Director Yoon Ahn, who has called the city home for twenty years, was inspired by freedom of style and eclectic sensibilities on the streets of Shibuya. The new collection paid respect to that spirit with a tightly edited season of signature and experimental pieces. Most styles, like tracksuits and nylon pants, were unisex, with roomier sillhoutes than usual. This contrasted with the denim, which came in a series of sportswear hybrids. Bowling and long-sleeved shirts with bright, nostalgic graphics were a nod to Shibuya as the epicenter of rave and house culture. The palette mixed classic denim and khaki, navy and black, with pops of shocking pink, neon yellow, and racing green. Jewelry, part of the AMBUSH origins story, featured ball chain chokers and heart padlocks; multi-colored pills and ombre mushrooms dangled from chains and safety pin earrings. Shoes—platform boots and bondage heels—were made for dancing all night.
