Key Takeaways From Paris Fashion Week Men’s SS27

Despite the scorching heat, this menswear season in Paris offered standout moments from both big brands and fresh talents.

“This season has showcased fashion’s extraordinary resilience. It demonstrated a sense of solidarity in the ecosystem,” Pascal Morand, executive president of fashion week organizer Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), says.

The schedule, which ran from June 23 to 28, featured a total of 33 shows and 37 presentations, versus Spring/Summer 2026’s 30 shows and 40 presentations. A few designers dropped out (Juun.J, KidSuper, Kartik Research, and Creole), while Loewe has shown co-ed collections during womenswear since Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez took the creative helm.

Having established their vision in womenswear, the latest cohort of creative directors is now building on that foundation as they return to the men’s shows. Michael Rider delivered a widely acclaimed menswear debut for Celine. “A creative director who’s a designer and a team leader with a vision, Rider now looks completely at home,” Vogue Runway’s Sarah Mower wrote. Sarah Burton translated her refined tailoring and couture sensibility to menswear, in her first men’s presentation for Givenchy. Julian Klausner’s lyrical, ultra-lightweight Dries Van Noten menswear collection — his third as creative director — captivated even in 100-degree heat. Lanvin creative director Peter Copping hosted his first standalone men’s presentation on the official schedule. Hermès unveiled a collection by its in-house studio to a packed showroom, as fashion fans patiently await Grace Wales Bonner’s anticipated January 2027 debut.

Michael Rider delivered a widely acclaimed menswear debut for Celine.

Other highlights included the show of 2025 LVMH Prize winner Soshiotsuki. Following January’s Pitti Uomo debut, Japanese designer Soshi Otsuki impressed in its first show on the Paris calendar with a standout collection imagining the ’80s Japanese salaryman on summer vacation.

“The Paris men’s fashion week has become the dominant global menswear marketplace, with shows, presentations, and multi-brand showrooms across the city filled with collections from around the world to see,” says Bruce Pask, associate vice president of the men’s fashion office at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. “It can be a daunting prospect, especially in the extreme heat, to see everything on offer, but we cover a lot of ground.”

Here are our key takeaways from Paris Fashion Week Men’s SS27.

During the hottest week in Paris history, attendees and brands used whatever worked to fight the heat. It forced some of the biggest brands to reschedule their shows (Dior and Rick Owens), or move them to different venues (Celine). Guests were served ice water, watermelon water (Lemaire), flavored ice treats (Dries Van Noten), Kakigōri, a Japanese shaved ice dessert flavored with syrup (Kenzo Café), or smoothies (Balenciaga Boost pop-up). Goodies included fans, facial mists (Saint Laurent afterparty), cold damp hand towels and white parasols (Dior), and even water guns at the show of Andam Grand Prize finalist EgonLab, which were put to use by the house’s team mid-finale.

Some brands’ set designs felt almost prescient, despite having been planned before the heatwave. At Rick Owens, fountain jets soaked the models on the runway and created a much-needed misting effect for the guests — particularly those seated on the sun-drenched west side.

Rick Owens presented inflatable garments with built-in air conditioning units as part of his collaboration with Adidas.

While Louis Vuitton’s wave installation provided a refreshing respite for guests, it stirred controversy. As Parisians grappled with the intensifying heatwave, some viewed the spectacular set as out of touch with the moment — despite having been conceived long before anyone knew the city would be in the grip of extreme temperatures. The house said that the show’s water, drawn from Paris’s municipal supply, will return to the sewer system through a closed circuit, while its sand will be donated to the beach volleyball courts at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, a sprawling mid-20th century student campus where the show was held. A Cité Universitaire spokesperson told Reuters that Louis Vuitton’s sponsorship helped fund the institution, which is facing growing financial pressure amid declining public support.

The best-equipped guests had personal fans, such as handheld mini iterations or wearable neck coolers, plus effervescent electrolyte drink tablets for extra hydration. Some Paris-based professionals even left their apartments and booked hotel rooms with AC. Others fled the city altogether.

“This week put a lot of bigger things into perspective, like interrogating fashion’s role in a world where climate change is very real,” says Jian DeLeon, men’s fashion director at Nordstrom. “There were designers who tackled this head-on, almost in a precognitive way.” Rick Owens, for instance, presented “prescient” inflatable garments, DeLeon notes, with built-in air conditioning units (resulting in a silhouette similar to a Michelin Man) as part of his collaboration with Adidas.

It’s not only about inflated jackets with in-built fans. Designers embraced lightweight fabrics, airy silhouettes, and breathable materials that felt more relevant than ever. “We are seeing a lot of technical innovation in lightweight materials that add an appealing airiness, from tissue-thin nylon to paperweight suede and open-weave mesh knits,” says Pask.

DeLeon adds: “Brands like Lemaire and Yohji Yamamoto with a penchant for breezy silhouettes and sheer materials shaped what covetable garments could look like in climates of extreme heat.”

The extreme Paris heat only underscored the appeal of Dries Van Noten creative director Klausner’s collection. “His lyrical, utterly lightweight collection for Dries Van Noten was entrancing to behold even in the 100-degree heat. And somewhat because of it: how on earth to dress to withstand a summer climate apocalypse is a matter troubling everyone,” Mower wrote.

Klausner’s collection included backless chiffon halters, a DVN-printed scarf, tied on the body with a ribbon strap, and short shorts.

Julian Klausner’s lyrical, ultra-lightweight Dries Van Noten menswear collection — his third as creative director — captivated even in 100-degree heat.

DeLeon has never seen more stylish ways to wear shorts, “whether in a breathable gabardine in a baggy silhouette at Yohji Yamamoto, or a classically elegant linen at Soshiotsuki”, he says.

Pask agrees: “Shorts were certainly an important item throughout collections, with the shorter, nylon running split style as a standout. The preppy revival continues in a more sporty vein, with athletic shorts as a key component to the collegiate look.”

Off the runway, street style adapted to the temperatures. “Show-goers’ natural inclinations to dress up a bit was overridden by more survival-type instincts,” says Vogue’s street style photographer Phil Oh. “Editors were seen in multiple outfits, not due to brand obligations, but rather, because they sweat through their morning looks.”

Vogue men’s editor Michael Philouze wants to look for the silver lining: “Because it was such an extreme environment in which to do shows, it revived a sense of camaraderie among all the editors. We were all going through the same challenges, and it was reminiscent of the first shows after Covid, when we were all wearing masks and figuring things out together. Experiences like that break down barriers between people.” The heatwave was definitely an icebreaker (pardon the pun) among seatmates at the shows: how are you coping?

The heat was not the only thing that exasperated people. Controversial American live streamer Braden Peters, better known as ‘Clavicular’, walked the runway of Californian brand 424 on day one of PFW Men’s, after walking designer Elena Velez’s show at New York Fashion Week in February. The poster boy for looksmaxxing (who claims he’s used ‘bonesmashing’, hitting his face with a hammer) caused outrage.

Clavicular’s Paris trip, where he also failed to win over Parisiennes, coincided with the release of a report by the French Senate describing the masculinist movement as “a deeply concerning terrorist threat”.

“Rage-baiting is not a strategy for building your business,” fashion commentator and stylist Nicky Campbell said in an Instagram video speaking to 424 founder Guillermo Andrade.

It also underscored the polarization of the silhouettes, between exaggerated muscularity on one hand and ultra-slim proportions on the other, as seen at the Prada show in Milan. “We are going backward,” says Louis Gabriel Nouchi, the designer with the greatest size inclusivity last season and who has consistently cast plus-size models in his shows. “We feel really lonely. It’s always just me, Rick Owens, and Doublet [at Paris Fashion Week Men’s]. I offer my clothing up to size XXL, so it’s important that we have a cast that represents a wide range of body types.”

On the muscle-mania, Nouchi says: “Since we are in a crisis, people turn to fashion as a refuge — a gateway into fantasies of transformation and idealized versions of the self. This can fuel a return to regressive ideals of masculinity and virility.”

PFW Men’s gravitated toward slimmer silhouettes generally, with brands turning to youthful male casts to connect with a younger audience. “There was a youthful energy running through the collections,” says Adrien Communier, style editor at GQ France, noting the surf-inspired references at Louis Vuitton, the very young dandy at Dior, and the boys who wake up from a dream at Dries Van Noten. “There was a sense of freshness throughout, which likely reflects brands’ efforts to appeal to a younger clientele.”

More often, womenswear is crashing the men’s shows in Paris, with co-ed runways and presentations becoming a norm, especially for independent brands. It’s usually a practical decision: showing men’s and women’s at the same time during the men’s schedule means designers can get in front of buyers from both categories, maximizing their fashion week presence at a time when indie labels need to be mindful about budgets and output.

It’s a particularly useful trick for out-of-town fashion brands who can only come to Paris twice a year. New York’s Willy Chavarria began showing his men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections on the Paris men’s calendar in January 2025. When announcing his move, Chavarria referenced the importance of exposure to the European market; it makes sense, then, that he’d make the most of his calendar slot.

Sander Lak, the New York designer who introduced an eponymous label last year, hosted showroom appointments during PFW Men’s for his genderless collection. Lak said the decision was “purely practical” in order to get the most buyers — and those with early-season budgets — in and out. Another New Yorker (and this year’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist) Emily Dawn Long opened a four-day pop-up for her co-ed label during the week, as well as a Friday night dance party to capitalize on the buzz Paris can offer a brand without putting on a show.

From London, Studio Nicholson hosted its first runway show in 16 years during PFW Men’s, another co-ed collection. CEO Mark Suddards said that the location was driven by wanting to align with peers like Auralee and Lemaire — “all of them show in Paris.” The brand is eyeing global growth in markets like Europe and the US, and men’s week is the best way to get in front of those buyers.

It’s a loophole of sorts for smaller names who can stand out more on the men’s schedule than the main women’s ready-to-wear calendar, as other brands like Bottega Veneta, Fendi, and Gucci opt to show their co-ed shows during womenswear.

A notable shift is the ongoing convergence of men’s and women’s creative direction. “Across many houses, the conversation is becoming less about gender and more about a shared wardrobe, with collections evolving through a common design language,” Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods, says.

When Jonathan Anderson was appointed the sole creative director of Dior across men’s and womenswear, CEO Delphine Arnault told Vogue Business: “There will be consistency and coherence in the products, but also in terms of communication, I think our message will be much clearer.”

As Anderson finds his bearings at Dior, it’s becoming increasingly clear. In his men’s show, the designer sent out a tweed Christian Dior Bar jacket with a frayed hem. It looked almost identical to the one worn by a woman at Anderson’s cruise show in Los Angeles last month. “Anderson’s keen to link men’s with women’s — a ‘brother and sister’ relationship that’s only become possible now that both sides of the house are united under one creative director,” Mower wrote in a Vogue Runway review of the show.

In his Dior men’s show, Jonathan Anderson sent out a Bar jacket with a frayed hem that looked almost identical to the one worn by a woman at the house’s cruise show in Los Angeles last month.

The Givenchy man and woman are also related. In her first men’s presentation for Givenchy, Burton drew on women’s tailoring, occasionally playing with mirror-like symmetry. There’s a look in the presentation that’s very similar to the look worn by author Constance Debré during the woman’s show in March. Among the standout pieces was a tailored peplum jacket for men, which earned praise from Gro Curtis, editor-in-chief of Icon America. “Sarah Burton is mixing womenswear codes into men’s. She is uniting those two worlds,” Curtis says. The rounded volumes, the embroidery, and the square-toed shoes also show the continuity between men’s and womenswear, according to Alix Morabito, chief merchandising officer at Galeries Lafayette.

At Lanvin, too, men’s and womenswear are close in spirit. “The era I return to the most for womenswear is the 1930s, so I thought, why not look to the same period for men?” says creative director Copping. “We don’t have an extensive menswear archive, but we do have the client list of figures Jeanne Lanvin dressed, including Jean Cocteau. “I began looking at the men of that era, particularly the Surrealists like André Breton. The Lanvin man is a creative person.”

“Collections are closer in spirit and feeling than ever,” says Longland. “Dior and Givenchy are definitely some of the clearest examples, but I also feel this in Saint Laurent, Celine, or Dries Van Noten. As well as specific items, it’s also about the silhouette. Lemaire, Studio Nicholson, and Rick Owens have long championed this.”

The Saint Laurent show at Bourse de Commerce.

On the growing alignment between men’s and women’s creative direction, Morabito observes: “At a time of budget constraints, a unified creative approach enables brands to maximize both efficiency and impact.”

PR guru Lucien Pagès sums up this Paris Fashion Week Men’s: “It was a slightly quieter season, with few parties. Of course, everything was overshadowed by the heatwave. It was as if the heatwave had completely taken over the conversation, pushing fashion into the background. Perhaps, the collections also felt more accessible, with a stronger focus on the product itself.”

Guests welcomed the chance to escape to Corsica for the Jacquemus show as the eponymous designer revived his destination show format.

Despite the SS27 collections offering plenty of light and airy options, a disturbing question looms: “If this is going to be the new normal, if next summer will be really hot again, are these collections properly corresponding to what summer is going to feel like?” Vogue Runway’s Amy Verner wonders.

Editors welcomed the chance to escape to the French island of Corsica for the Jacquemus show on Monday, as the eponymous designer revived his destination show format. They are also checking the weather forecast for Couture Week, which will run from July 6 to 9.