Paris Fashion Week, for all its glitz and peacocking, is still a business event. Don’t let the viral moments and fancy outfits distract you from the fact that this is just another cycle in the business of selling clothes and, despite what Instagram may show, most of the action happens off the runway. Hundreds of brands show their collections in showrooms peppered across the city. The largest showrooms can host as many as 120 brands or more in large convention centers, while independent labels often pool their resources to rent pop-up spaces for their own DIY presentations. And then there are the lone wolves who either have the following and the capital to go solo, or simply have the hutzpah to do it out of an Airbnb (or even a box truck). And those are just the brands that make clothes—PFW is also a time for brand pop-ups and parties, which also drive the fashion convo in other ways.
Showrooms don’t usually have the pizzazz or drama of a high-production runway, but they do offer an up-close look at the clothes themselves. There, buyers and editors can touch the garments, scrutinize them, even try them on for size. You can gab with the designers themselves and nerd out on all of the microscopic nuances of the product and the processes that got them there. If the runway is a movie, then the showroom is a video game.
As my colleagues whipped across town from runway to runway, covering big-tent shows like Louis Vuitton and Willy Chavarria, I scuttled between as many showrooms as my body would allow to see what the hell was happening on the ground floor. For the spring 2027 season, I’d expected plenty of crispy lightweight fabrics in open weaves and loose silhouettes, yet the throughlines that emerged were exciting and surprising. From dusty rose hues dominating everything from outerwear to footwear, to a million takes on seersucker, to constant experimentation with collars, here’s an insider’s look into the best things I saw at the other fashion week.
Carter Young’s latest collection felt transatlantic, with a clear Americana foundation filtered through more British sensibilities. Makes sense for the Michigan-born ex-pat who’s now based in London. This season featured silky plaid shirts thin enough to be translucent, loose-gauge knits with vintage-style necklines, and soft tailoring. The stand out was this red-hot jacket which was good enough to make me consider layering up—even as Paris broiled in record heat.
At some stage or another, all great designers put their spin on the classic canvas tote. Sage Nation’s version cleverly shrinks the silhouette down while using pleats for both volume and hidden storage.
SoCal style is most recognized through brands like Stüssy or, more recently, ERL. But newcomer Hangout Forever’s POV is less on-the-nose, bringing disparate menswear motifs together in a clash of high and low, workwear and militaria, casual and luxury. My favorite piece was the vintage coal bag made from a supple cream-colored leather.
NYC-based Greg Laboratory showcased a tight edit of garments for the modern man’s wardrobe that was both familiar and futuristic. Pants with circular pockets that wrap from front to back, button-ups with pockets hidden behind pleats, and multi-collar motifs across tees, shirts, and outerwear.
Y/DOT is an emerging technical menswear label whose particular flavor of gorpcore is sleek and playful. There were field jackets stripped down with clever paneling and lightweight materials, utility shirts made from microscopic mesh, and knits perforated with laser-etched holes. The most sensational piece was this hoodie with a built-in inflatable hood—you know, in case you get sleepy and need a pillow.
Peer labels like Auralee and A.Presse have been getting plenty of love from menswear nerds in the past few seasons, but Niceness deserves its flowers, too. Masterfully crafted, innovative, and funny to boot, Niceness is maybe my new favorite label of the moment. I wasn’t expecting a T-shirt to smack my gob, but Niceness turned what looked like a simple reversible tee into a major highlight of my visit. Rather than cutting and sewing two different-colored pieces of fabric together, the body is knit on seamless tubular knitting machines. To get the two colors, the body is knit twice as long. One half is dyed one color, the other half dyed another color, before getting folded into itself. Other than that, pieces like an all-leather sneaker slathered in Shoo-Goo, custom-made fabrics inspired by American abstract artists, and hilarious jabs at a certain Parisian leather fashion house all took my breath away.
British-based label Cecile Tulkens has been the envy of the knitwear world, bringing a particular sense of lightness and experimentation (their yarns are first painted, then unwound, then re-knit again) to jumpers, cardigans, and outerwear that truly makes the centuries-old craft exciting. This henley sweater was just one out of the dozens I saw on this trip. Oh, and the “denim” trucker jacket is insane, too.
Following up its first season of woven garments after a decade of building a brand off nothing but jersey, Lady White Co. expands its LA-made goods into more shirting, bottoms, denim, and even new accessories. This button-up is made from natural walnut dye with a beautiful depth that will age over time. Plus, a surprise set of frosted frame sunglasses that look like a sober version of Y2K shades.
British jewelry brand The Ouze is making the funnest sterling goods on the market right now. Rough finishes and hand-etched marks give each ring, bracelet, and necklace a unique human touch which is accented by lighthearted playfulness. Chrome Hearts is great, but sometimes I also want a watercolor set carved out of silver, or a sterling rabbit as scarf.
I love a dusty palette just as much as the next menswear guy, but Lii’s sophisticated use of colors made me rethink my wardrobe as though I were Dorothy stepping out into Oz. But what got me most juiced was a jacket with a built-in vest that doesn’t actually detach. Instead, the wearer can style it layered or doff the jacket sleeves when it gets too hot, leaving the jacket shell to hang like a backpack.
Indie label Small Talk posted up in a showroom amongst other NYC design darlings with plenty to show off including a slew of workwear-inflected garments scrawled with hand-drawn graphics. I don’t have any tattoos, but these are a good test run.
ROA’s best known for its technical and very cool hiking shoes, but has exploded its oeuvre into a head-to-toe label with garments designed for hiking, trailrunning, and alpine excursions. The coolest pieces were these seamless hoodies which looked completely two-dimensional when laid out. Too bad ROA only makes them for women at the moment.
Od.a’s been making some noise on social media thanks to its unique footwear, even for its very first season. The shoes are apparently made in the same factories of prestigious Japanese brands like Visvim and Regal Shoe & Co.
Having grown up in Santa Cruz, LVMH Prize finalist Aubero presents an artfully relaxed angle of California style. Leftover scraps get beautified into gorgeous garments. Vintage silk ties get sliced into ribbons and cascade down a jacket. One man’s trash, etc. etc.
While brands paid big bucks to rent out showrooms, Apple Milk founder Leo toted his wares around Paris in an aluminum suitcase. The frames are 3D-printed out of aluminum and given an almost brushed finish to emphasize a more industrial look.
Vintage tees never felt so sexy than in the hands of New York designer Emily Dawn Long. Each one is unique and flipped inside out before being screenprinted.
It feels like everyone’s getting into running these days. I personally still think run clubs are largely pretty lame, but I’d happily go jogging in these limoncello trainers from old-school running shoe brand Diadora and the very cheeky Magliano.
Another Aspect’s clean Copenhagen designs have been building slowly over several years, refining menswear staples like chinos and dress shirts into undeniably handsome goods. Now, that extends to leather and this full-zip suede bomber is proof that a leather jacket is, in fact, a necessity.
Tarvas’s so-called Potato Shoes made a splash thanks to some menswear market corrections away from chunky shoes. Now the fashion landscape is finally embracing the anatomical, podiatrist-approved shapes of barefoot shoes.
Minimalist running apparel brand Literary Sport has been a breath of fresh air in an athletic market dominated by flashy colors and bold logos. Now, they’ve teamed up with Xero, a shoe brand that’s more focused on foot health than style—something you’re going to see a lot more of. I like to call these the “Bare Jordans.”
Desaturated pink was a common refrain this season, as were lightweight hoodies. Archie’s version might be my fave. The New York brand mixes workwear and militaria references with deep fabric development and sharp pattern-making for a wardrobe that looks impeccable at a distance, but requires closer inspection to fully appreciate.
Hiking sneakers have become trendy in recent years, but Samsara’s contribution merges the inherent crunchiness of outdoor labels with the aesthetics of modern-day gorpcore. Think organic cotton mesh, hemp, and canvas atop rugged Vibram outsoles. But the funkiest experiment are a slate of lug-soled shoes with uppers made entirely of cork.
Shawn Joswick’s deep understanding of denim and Americana mashes with his skater mentality. What results is an irreverent approach to classical workwear silhouettes and construction. It takes Joswick hours to sew up the insane textures on these vintage tees and button-ups. What results is something kinda like seersucker but way, way cooler.
Speaking of seersucker: I felt like Darwin in the Galapagos with each new instance of seersucker I came across, as it became evident to me that the fabric is evolving. Boston-based Mark the Tailor’s exquisitely made button-up is crafted from an Italian cotton stripe with teeny tiny seersucker woven throughout. The rest of the collection takes after the designer’s grandfather and melds sportswear with tailoring, including drapey shirt-jackets made of Italian wools and golf-inspired quarter-zips in silk satin.
Come on! How cute are these? Valesque makes simple but elegant bags of luxurious nylon, the kind that you’d expect from Prada. They’re uncomplicated, un-boring, and chic.
I will never break my addiction to pants so long as Wanze is making pants like this. Designer Wanze Song exhibited a season full of hardy linens and feather-light cottons cut into relaxed anoraks, full-leg work pants, and more. If you like brands like Margaret Howell or Evan Kinori, you will love Wanze.
“There is no room in my apartment for more shoes,” I tell myself. But then there’s Paracia. I’m a big fan of off-kilter shoes, be it walking shoes fit for an orthopedic office or avant-garde hard-bottoms for heady archive collectors. Madrid-based Paracia occupies a niche where shoes have a sort of non-fashion quality that makes them so appealing. Bulbous slip-ons outfitted with beefy Vibram soles and heeled elasticated loafers are among the brand’s remit. This time, Paracia forges a classic derby with an exposed elastic band that feels like a mature version of velcro shoes.
Japanese label Graphpaper’s SS27 focuses on the idea of aging and moves from tones of wood to porcelain and finally sumi. Some of my favorite pieces from this series were the ones that were dyed with sumi ink and then painted with a textured white dye. Not only does that give the garments a fantastic patina, they’ll actually fade to black.
