PARIS FASHION WEEK MEN’S has wrapped up, and we’re now left wondering what to make of what was arguably one of the strongest menswear seasons for a while.

Power dressing, the casual corporate an affected dilettante dandy wrapped in wool or strutting the streets of a faux New York crossroad – Paris was tapping into a renewed energy that seems at odds with the gloom of the news cycle.

Perhaps that’s where fashion operates its best. When the world seems dark, clothing is a reliable Prozac without the side effects.

Check out some of our favourite collections below.

Celine

Is that a little bit of Old Celine we see? A reset has happened at the French house now under the guiding hand of American designer Michael Rider with the latest autumn/winter 2026 collection seems happy to tap into the brand’s most popular eras. But kudos to Rider’s shrewdness for knowing when to pull back on the nostalgia and allow for his particular voice for Celine to be heard.

The collection is built around pieces that feel considered and wearable. Tailoring is relaxed but sharp. Outerwear looks designed for daily use rather than display. Knitwear and shirts feel easy to slot into an existing wardrobe.

Rather than just quote the past, Rider captures its spirit through mood and proportion. The result feels current, grown-up and very appealing.

Words Benjamen Judd

Jaden Smith’s debut for Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin has introduced its men’s autumn/winter 2026 collection under the creative direction of Jaden Smith, marking his first season in the role. Presented in Paris as an exhibition rather than a runway show, the debut leaned into storytelling and process, mixing footwear with film, photography and installation.

The collection draws on ideas of work, craft and history, referencing figures like stone masons and scribes without turning them into costume. Familiar Louboutin shapes are reworked rather than replaced, including updated loafers, the Corteo dress shoe and more technical styles designed for everyday wear.

A small capsule launches immediately, with the full collection set to arrive in stores from June, later this year globally for menswear customers.

Words Benjamen Judd

Junya Watanabe

Presented in Paris, Junya Watanabe’s autumn/winter 2026 menswear collection explored the long arc of modern men’s dressing through long, historically aware lens. The starting point was Ivy League tailoring of the late 1950s and early 1960s, treated not as nostalgia but as a shared uniform that once allowed many identities to exist within the same framework.

From there, Watanabe worked through decades of menswear evolution, including patchwork, hybrid construction and subtle distortion to suggest how styles fracture and reform over time. Classic blazers, chinos and coats were reworked with precision rather than irony. Collaborations with Stüssy, Levi’s and Spiewak were integrated into the clothes, adding cultural context without overwhelming the silhouettes.

The collection was a slick, streamlined series of looks that departed from the cooler, urban touches that have underpinned previous collections. The kids have all grown up and off to college, it seems.

Words Benjamen Judd

Willy Chavarria

American designer Willy Chavarria returned to Paris Fashion Week this year with an expansive autumn/winter 2026 show that blurred the line between runway, theatre and live performance. Staged at the Dojo de Paris, the presentation took place on a set styled like a New York streetscape, with singers, dancers and musicians moving through the space as models appeared among them, giving the clothes a sense of life beyond the confines of a traditional catwalk.

The clothes reflected the breadth of menswear: tailoring, sportswear, street-driven pieces and evening looks were shown together, united by Chavarria’s focus on strong proportions and everyday wearability. Elements from his BIG WILLY line and his ongoing adidas collaboration were integrated into the styling. Rather than isolating individual looks, the show argued that fashion is a shared cultural experience that takes its cues from community and cultural interactions.

Words Benjamen Judd

Auralee

We all succumb to the collective seasonal depression when winter rolls around. Days are shorter; we’re piling on more clothes, which means more laundry; all you want to do is stay in-doors. But Ryota Iwai, of Japanese label Auralee, is all about bringing joy to the process of getting dressed; he’s been a keen favourite of the menswear community for his ‘real, good clothes’ since his founding in 2015. So for his autumn/winter 2026 collection, colour was Auralee’s joy injection for the next season.

An array of primary hues aren’t a novelty at the brand; Iwai is famous for his colour and fabric development. But with the ‘good clothes’ conversation becoming admittedly overcrowded this season, the label continued to play by its rulebook. Indeed, with how ‘normal’ his clothes appear, Auralee is a kindly guide for how to colour block and layer. Standouts was a cool blue duffle coat with an aubergine scarf; a sheer nylon green top coat layered on top of a light chartreuse nylon shirt. Or for a look that needs more calibration to layer it just right: a yellow puffer jacket with a blue vest and green shirt. A master, truly.

Words Tyler Dane Wingco

Dries Van Noten

I won’t lie and say that I didn’t have some trepidation on the artistic future of Dries Van Noten when it was announced that the Baron Van Noten was stepping down from his role as Creative Director. The Belgian designer had one of the most fine-tuned eyes for pattern and proportions in the industry. Perhaps, the best. What would be garish in the hands of one designer, was elegantly playful with Dries.

Two years on, it is safe to say that my concerns for the brand were entirely unfounded. It helps that the menswear is under the eye of Julian Klausner, who has been at the house for eight years and knows the Dries aesthetic like the back of his hand.

This season’s menswear collection worked through the house’s familiar languages of colour, pattern and patchwork, with knitwear taking a central role. It marked a renewed focus on the category, drawing on the depth of experience within Van Noten’s long-standing knit team and treating their craft as both foundation and point of evolution.

The clothes were shaped around a loose idea of coming of age. Characters felt in transition, carrying pieces from different moments of life: inherited coats, school blazers, garments that suggest memory as much as function. That sense of in-between allowed for experimentation with proportion, layering and a deliberate roughness.

Knit appeared everywhere, from structured cardigans and tanks to panels zipped, detached or reworked across coats and capes. Kilts and skirt-like layers returned, worn over trousers or alone, alongside clerical capelets and patterned outerwear.

Words Benjamen Judd

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