Your Best & Worst Collections of Menswear F/W 2024.25

[vogue28]

Now that both Milan and Paris Menswear Fashion Week has came to a close, which were some of your highs and lows of the season?

Most of my faves were from Milan - Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani. Also loved Hermès in Paris, in addition to fawning over the details on the accessories at Louis Vuitton.

 

[Kanzai]

The best in my heart: ZEGNA ftw
- Faves in Milan: Dolce & Gabbana ( their best collection in a decade imo ), Giorgio Armani, Todd Snyder, Woolrich.
- Faves in Paris: Dries Van Noten, Yohji, Junya Watanabe, Issey Miyake
- Honorable mention: Lemaire, Sacai, Paul Smith, Boglioli, Ami Paris, Isabel Marant, Hermes, Kiko Kostadinov, Kenzo, Walter van beirendonck

*** worst: Rick Owens, Dior, JW Anderson, Loewe, Acnes, Givenchy, Doublet, Prada, Undercover

 

[fenty]

BEST: DRIES VAN NOTEN
WORST: LOEWE, LOUIS VUITTON & DSQUARED2

 

[nonfatgoddess]

Dries Van Noten and Ami hands down the best imo

I would also include Fendi and Kiko Kostadinov as I genuinely enjoyed both but not on the same level as the first two I mentioned.

Loewe and LV are the worst

 

[LadyJunon]

The only collections that really stuck with me were Dries and Zegna.

 

[Olaffo]

This season was dull and lazy - I am still processing how many billions of euros were wasted just to tickle buyers and influencers. High: Dries van Noten, Hermes, Brioni. Low: rest.

To be fair there were interesting silhouettes in few other brands such as Prada but few models out of the entire production does not longer cut it.

 

[McQ20]

Best
Dries Van Noten- he finally came to his senses after 3 or more so dud collections
Todd Snyder- Unexpected but yummy collection (did anyone post about this collection here?)

Ok
Dolce and Gabbana- sleeker and more realistic than usual, I am not sure they're authentically following this route moving forward. I've seen some YSL Vacarello-esque pieces here and there but otherwise, it's a good presentation for them.

Emporio Armani- I always find his Emporio fresher than his mainline.

Hermes- I was always excited about Nichanian but this season feels a bit heavy-handed

Ami- I liked this season better. It's warm and luscious. But I just wish he'd separate the womenswear and show menswear exclusively

Officine Generale- not my favorite but maybe it will grow on me

Special Mentions

Gucci- I appreciate the effort in building a more cohesive world (men and women) but cohesiveness does not mean repetition and so-called "mirroring". I always find De Sarno's collections to be thin in terms of ideas, which is concerning given the size and demand of Gucci.

Zegna- I love bits and pieces of this collection but something's preventing me from loving it as a "whole package". Maybe I found some looks to be too stylized for my liking or that the presentation seemed heavy-handed, distracting (cashmere falling from the sky), and a bit too dark and serious for such cozy and innocent-looking clothes.

Sacai- there was nothing new and proportions seemed so costume. Although she intended to show women's pre-fall on the same runway as the men's, I was hoping for MORE menswear looks.

...Everything else was a miss!

General Comments
I always look forward to menswear season but for some reason, this season was a letdown. It felt like designers are treating menswear or menswear month half-heartedly, which for me is a missed opportunity. We need more houses to separate the menswear presentation from the women's. Personally, it is a testament to a designer if they can show menswear and womenswear separately and still allow both collections to stand out strongly while not alienating each other. Reminds me of the good ol' Prada days when we looked forward to menswear first and then got excited about how Miuccia will be reappropriating the collection to womenswear. Take note... she did not just "mirror" looks. We also miss lush collections for menswear. These days we either get editorial-only whole-looks or commercial basicness, nothing in between. That's why Dries managed to be good IMO because it was the right amount of statement and normalcy which I believe other houses should follow in terms of styling.

Milan is still the king of menswear no doubt. Paris can fill its calendar with its "new breed" of designers but as a whole, it still looks amateur and student-esque compared to what Milan is capable of.

Not looking forward to this couture week. Might be tuning in for womenswear, especially Milan Women's Week. Everything in Paris seems too try-hard nowadays.