You Need a Baggy Beret (and Five Other Things We Learned at the Autumn/Winter '22 Shows)

And just like that, another round of men's shows has come to an end. Thanks to Omicron, the season was a little stop start. We weren't able to get out to Pitti (Florence) or Milan, but managed to be in Paris in time for the few shows that were still happening IRL. Nevertheless, trends emerged, new heroes came to the fore, and menswear, in general, proved that it will take more than a global pandemic to put it off its stride. Here's what we learned over the past couple of weeks.

Virgil Abloh’s Legacy at Louis Vuitton Will Stretch Long Into the Future

And so, in the city where it all began just three years ago, the Virgil Abloh era at Louis Vuitton came to a close. His plan for what would turn out to be his last show for the French megabrand was set out in the Autumn, so it fell on his team to follow his vision through and make sure his LV swansong served to elucidate his ideas, but also bid him farewell. It was quintessentially Abloh’vian from the off. His passion for play and boyhood wonder was played out by trampolinists and contorting dancers that twisted and swayed amongst the pie-eyed models, while a live orchestra built to the crescendo of a Tyler, The Creator score. Fittingly, the show began with two sombre, almost funereal looks, but soon erupted into the colour and shape we’ve come to expect from Abloh; his dystopic American aesthetic, interspersed with cultural commentary and intricate artistry. And what felt like fairly eclectic mix of looks was actually linked with a few very specific design cues. A belted safari jacket, realised in various colours, prints and weaves; trousers cut narrow and long so they pool over compact shoes, tailoring with oblique closures and accentuated shoulders, and flowers… everywhere. When the show reached its climax, it was eerie and deeply sad that Abloh didn’t come bounding into the space, smiling and waving with his usual ebullience. Even without his time at Vuitton, he would have left an indelible mark on modern clothing and culture, but it was this role that rubber-stamped his importance and influence. It will echo in the industry for a long time to come.

Autumn Will Be a Free-Pass

Almost all of the models at the Dior show (above) were wearing sweatpants. It didn’t feel like an exercise in ‘athleisure’ or ‘sports-lux’ – although by definition, Dior sweatpants are pretty bouji – but instead felt like a something of a free-pass. We are all quite tired from the malaise of the last couple of years, and it would be nice if we could just be allowed to wallow in elasticated waistbands a little longer. (There were plenty of good sweatpants at Tod’s, too.) The same goes for the Birkenstock collaboration, which felt like Dior’s Kim Jones offering an easy, supremely comfortable way to be cool. At Prada, the giant coats seemed to be designed so that you can just mask whatever lazy fit you have underneath, and at Louis Vuitton, trousers were slung so low that underwear erupted freely over the waistband. Good to know that this Autumn, we can just do less.

Army Surplus Is Making a Comeback

It’s never very far away from menswear, to be honest, but motifs of militaria seem to have crept back in for Autumn 2022. At Hermes (above), the highlight was a belted shearling field jacket thing that would definitely serve you well in some kind of Arctic combat scenario. And at Fendi, a very slick take on those quilted green liners that have been so abundant this winter. There was even camo and a green wool great-coat at Loewe. Add that to the Carhartt combats everyone is wearing, and our general obsession with outdoor clothing, and it looks like we’ll all be on menswear manoeuvres by the end of September.

Kenzo Is Back

It seems like the biggest news from the first Kenzo show under new creative director Nigo (of A Bathing Ape fame) was the strength of the front row, which featured Tyler, The Creator, Kanye and Julia Fox, Pharrell and Pusha T. But to focus on the frow would be a disservice to the clothes. Kenzo was in desperate need of an identity, and on first viewing, it seems as though the Japanese designer has quickly injected it with the irreverent Ivy-ness on which he has made his name. We loved the boxy, colour-blocked tailoring and workwear-y pieces, and we didn’t know we needed a baggy beret… but we do.

Even in Winter, There Can Be Flowers

Almost everyone mentioned above used flowers in their show or collection. Florals permeated the Kenzo and Louis Vuitton collections, while models on the Dior runway sported extremely elegant (if slightly superfluous) flower-bunch-carriers. There were floral patterns at Grace Wales Bonner (above), at Paul Smith and at Erdem. What could this cold-weather abundance represent, do you think? Perhaps it speaks to the false dawn we witnessed last year? That only now are we emerging blinking into the post-pandemic light. Perhaps we’re being urged to see the beauty around us, or recognise that if we’re not careful, all the real flowers will be gone in the not-too-distant future. Perhaps they’re just pretty, and perhaps that’s enough.