Harrods’ fashion buying director Simon Longland has been pulling together his thoughts on Paris Fashion Week‘s menswear and in a week when there was “a rare sense of cohesion”, his favourite collections were from Dior, Junya Watanabe, Saint Laurent, and Lemaire.
Longland said that “designers appeared unusually aligned in their vision, with common threads emerging across collections without ever feeling derivative. What struck me most was the optimism. We saw collections rooted in beauty, certainly, but also grounded in real clothes designed for real lives—pieces to covet, wear, and ultimately keep. There was a clarity of purpose that felt both contemporary and human”.
The four standout collection he cited delivered “a distinct narrative” and shared “a quiet confidence” with Jonathan Anderson’s much-anticipated debut for Dior feeling “particularly assured—elegant, intellectual, and emotionally resonant”.
He said Saint Laurent “offered sensuality with precision, while Junya and Lemaire brought effortless elegance through their distinctive laser sharp focus”.
And Longland added that his “most compelling show concept” came from regular headline-grabber Rick Owens who “unsurprisingly, pushed boundaries—this time quite literally. Models ascended monumental metal scaffolding, walked through cascading fountains in towering Kiss boots, and turned the runway into performance art. It was surreal, primal, and wildly engaging. Only in Paris could such a spectacle unfold without (seemingly) a single health and safety form in sight”.
But what about the key trends that emerged from the week? Longland called out “pyjama dressing” with “fluid, soft silhouettes that nodded to ease but never laziness”.
He was also impressed by the stripes that “were omnipresent: bold, graphic, rooted in tradition but used with fresh energy”.
And he noted the language of suiting being rewritten with tailoring for SS26 being “unstructured, flowing, deeply modern”.
Denim “was everywhere” and shirts and collars were key as they “grounded and elevated nearly every look”. Shorts were important too, in varying lengths “from micro to maxi”. Colour was also “central to the most successful collections: vibrant, purposeful, and mood-enhancing”.
And in a cohesive season with plenty of ideas, he resisted calling out a key item.“I hesitate to single out a product—because I believe that moment has passed,” Longland said. “What resonates now is the idea of individual curation: collections designed not to dictate but to invite. The must-have is no longer a singular item, but rather the pieces that reflect each man’s personal sensibility and rhythm.”
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
