Collegiate, cowboy, ballet star.
Pieces from Paris Fashion Week I would get if I found out an estranged relative has bequeathed their billion-dollar fortune to me.
The rest of the world celebrated New Year’s day some three weeks ago, but for the fashion community, the year had only begun. From the 16th to the 21st of January, a congregation of fashion enthusiasts flooded Paris, covered in glitter and other beautiful things – not from confetti or party poppers, but clothes.
The occasion: Fashion Week.
My invite must have gotten lost in the mail. Otherwise, you would have seen me on the Instagram pages of fashion magazines and street photographers, brushing shoulders with Solange and Josh O’Connor. Maybe my NYFW invite will actually reach me.
Regardless, I stalked I-D Magazine and Vogue to catch a glimpse of the pieces waltzing down the runway. Here are some of my favourites from the season.
Wales Bonner
In her AW24 collection, Dream Study, Grace Wales Bonner took her signature pairing of the preppy and the sporty up a notch. Her time spent at Howard University’s Moorland-Springarn Research Centre birthed some very collegiate pieces for the collection, including letterman jackets, uni sweaters (or college as the call it in the US), and tailored suits.
Watching the models cruise down the runway brought me back to days spent sitting on campus lawns and holing up in libraries.
Howard Crew sweater
I was never one to partake in the overt display of uni pride. Don’t get me wrong, I am very much proud of my alma mater (love you, Uni Adelaide), but I’ve never found it necessary to walk around town with a shirt/sweater that says, “Look at me! I go here! I’m a uni student!”.
But things changed when I got my law school sweater. As I slid my torso into that $60 fleece-lined piece of fabric, embroidered with the law school’s logo, I knew then why people wore their uni merch. This Howard Crew sweater reminds me of that fleece-lined sweater.
Checkered blouson jacket
Practicality was a huge element in WB’s collection, which fits very well with the theme considering university is such a physically and mentally demanding endeavour. Students are constantly in need of things (pens, laptops, books, paper, coffee), which must always be within their reach.
This blouson jacket with its deep pockets would have done well in carrying my knick-knacks back at uni; it would do just fine now too. Further, its earthy tones remind me of weathered campus buildings and muddy winters.
Louis Vuitton
For his third show as Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Pharrell Williams transported his Parisian guests to an (AI-generated) American desert valley, a signature backdrop in classic Western films. Sartorial cowboys strutted down the runway in chaps fitted with LV belts, cowboy hats and bolos bearing the brand’s logo, and various workwear silhouettes.
Saddle up, folks, we’re heading to the Wild West!
Leather belt
Logo belts have had a ROUGH time lately. I think we were all traumatised by the Gucci belt mania of 2016 – you know which one.
But this LV belt, with its mogathe spur font, embossed LV motifs, and those bolo-like embellishments I do not know the name of (someone tell me if you know!!), might be the kind of redemption logo belts need. I can picture wearing it with my own pair of chaps – yes, I own a pair of chaps.
This whole look
Speaking of chaps, I physically gasped when I saw this one. Actually, I gasped when I saw the whole look, from the cowboy hat to the embroidered chaps to the bag embellished with tonnes of metallic buckles and ropes - I will be dreaming of that bag forever.
This look might be my #1 for the season.
Fringed jeans
The first time I saw a pair of fringed pants that wasn’t part of a cowboy halloween costume was an 80s YSL pair from Poorly Curated. I recall wanting it badly, but no high schooler had $1,800 to their name, so I watched it get sold off to some lucky buyer not long after.
It looked pretty similar to this one pictured here, except this one leaned into the western essence a lot more with its flared cut. Again, iconic LV motifs can be seen on the pockets of these jeans.
I’d pair it with a vintage graphic tee and my weathered cowboy boots for a more casual look.
Dior
Balletcore is here to stay, according to Kim Jones. Inspired by the theatrics and elegance of the ballet – and more specifically, by legendary ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev – his menswear winter 2024-2025 collection featured off duty dancer looks, ballet flats (duh!), and reimagined ballet costumes.
As a ballet dancer that never was, this collection spoke to me.
Ballet flats
Out of all the trends that have reemerged within the past four years, the return of the ballet flats might have been my favourite. These ones from the collection, with its plush texture, criss-crossed elastics, and iridescent colourways, reminds me much of those soft ballet slippers one would wear in beginner class.
I would style them just as they were styled on the runway: with bright-coloured socks.
This whole look
Pleated tops with voluminous collars were seen throughout the collection. This look in particular caught my eye because the fluidity and lightness of the pleated top juxtaposed beautifully with the very structured suit.
I need this in my closet now!
Uchikake kimono
A more opulent piece from the collection, this kimono was inspired by the one Nureyev had, which apparently took 10 people three months to make. Featuring delicate embroidery and made using the intricate Japanese weaving technique of Hikihaku, this haute couture piece is definitely an ode to the theatrics of ballet.
Indeed, there is not a single occasion in my calendar that would compel me to wear such extravagant draping, unless I get turned into the Swan Queen somehow.
Overall, Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection might be my favourite so far. It was the most cohesive, with each piece and look fitting in perfectly with the collection’s theme. No notes.
Let me know your favourite piece/look in the comments below!