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Paris Men's SS11 Trend Wrap

We’re seeing a LOT of black for summer, across Milan and Paris. And also white. Ann Demeulemeester presented a white collection, then repeated the entire show in black. Hermes also presented a predominantly white collection, softened with putty grey and shots of faded teal, a colour which also turned up at Viktor & Rolf and Louis Vuitton. Across Milan and now Paris, we’ve noticed backpacks as an accessory, tapping into a boyish, slightly geeky mood.

Active
While Milan was very much about bikers – from motorbikes to cyclists, the active look in Paris had a retro, athletic feel. Bike shorts and jerseys, stripes, sweatshirts and outdoor gear. Designers like Demeulemeester and Gaultier offered tight, body-conscious pieces that looked almost like shapewear. This mirrors the actual shapewear being offered for men by companies like Wacoal.

Explorer
As SCOUT predicted and we saw at Milan, EXPLORER is a key look next summer. Louis Vuitton’s gentleman explorers took to the road in luxe layers. Key points are practical pockets, loose, cropped pants and – at Lanvin, Viktor & Rolf and Louis Vuitton – variations on sandals. Satchels, duffle bags and backpacks emphasized the functional, traveler mood. While Lanvin’s travelers verged on bohemian hippies, Vuitton’s explorers were strictly stylish, but all shared a love of layering.

Fluidity
There’s a strong reaction against the tight pants and mod suiting of past seasons, seen in an uptake in shapes and influences from North Africa. Djellaba shapes, Pakistani pajamas, tunics, and billowing Bedouin coats. Fabrics are light, floating around the body; layering softly for a comfortable summer.

Gatsby
Another SCOUT trend, GATSBY is gaining ground. Designers like Viktor & Rolf and John Galliano, took their cues from 1920s Biarritz, Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Mann’s 1912 novel, Death in Venice. Cuffed, pleated pants, shawl collars, crisp shirting and tailored shorts, celebrated the elegant swagger of the Golden Age.

Lido
What can we say… this colour trend really has legs! The predominant palette of Paris was black, white and powdery grey – and then this literal bolt of blue. From a rich, French navy to an intense forget-me-not, blue is a colour the French really understand. Layered tone-on-tone, contrasted with red or white, or subdued with black…blue is the hue.

Stripes
Far from the polite sailor stripes and elegant seersucker stripes we might expect in summer, designers got bold and theatrical. At Comme des Garcons and John Galliano, bold black and white stripes resembled retro prison gear. Vertical and horizontal stripes clashed at Kenzo, while Paul Smith added a rock vibe to the traditional Breton T-shirt.