Your Men’s AW17 Shows Checklist
True story, I once burnt a frozen pizza because I was too busy watching a Gucci live stream up in my room. Dad kept yelling from the bottom of the stairs, but to no avail. What he didn’t realise at the time was that live-tweeting ‘I die, this Mongolian shearling caban coat is ba-nanas’ (we were still in the thick of the Rachel Zoe-isms era) had absolute priority over not incinerating foodstuffs. (I still had to eat the charred remains, though).
All of this to say that I get it: fashion shows still fill so many of us with unabated frisson, and being able to ‘attend’ and comment from your room is what gets many students through their exams, for example. So here’s a list of a few shows during menswear month that you should definitely tap-tap-tap into your phone’s reminders, lest you miss any buzzy moments.
LONDON FASHION WEEK MEN’S (6-9 JANUARY)
Matthew Miller (07/01 – 1PM): Miller has the most astute sense of materials, slogans and proportions and every new show is an event (check out our last interview here).
Cottweiler (07/01 – 7 PM): Matthew Dainty & Ben Cottrell of Cottweiler have been putting out stirring luxury casualwear for 10 seasons, they’re not about to stop now.
J.W. Anderson (08/01 – 10AM): You just can’t miss a J.W. show. Get your sticker pack from the app store to text your friends all the sickening JW looks you’ll be moodboarding all AW17.
Wales Bonner (08/01 – 6PM): In her first show since that big LVMH prize win, Grace Wales Bonner is sure to wrench hearts anew with a profoundly beautiful collection.
Sibling (08/01 – 7 PM): All smiles and stellar knits, a Sibling show is a joyous occasion you can’t afford to skip.
There’s so much more goodness (Edward Crutchley, Qasimi, Craig Green, Xander Zhou, Agi & Sam, KTZ, Christopher Shannon, Westwood to name a few) and non-show presentations to check out, discover the full London schedule here.
MILANO MODA UOMO (13-17 JANUARY)
Marni (14/01 – 3 PM): This being the first show Marni founder Consuelo Castiglioni and her team were not involved in, this one’s going to be much-discussed.
Versace (14/01 – 6 PM): If only to catch a glimpse of Donatella, plus AW16 men’s space camp was one of my favourite Versace seasons ever.
Damir Doma (15/01 – 3 PM): The Raf Simons-trained Croatian designer Damir Doma is bit of an anomaly within the Milan schedule, but all the more reason to see what deconstructed beauty he has in store for AW17.
Prada (15/01 – 6PM): Mama Miuccia is cooking up something highly exciting with Prada365 (read today’s interview on the topic here) and Prada’s recent work with the great Willy Vanderperre is far above par.
Notable absentee: Gucci will be showing their menswear during women’s fashion month in February. Full Milan schedule here.
PARIS MEN’S FASHION WEEK (18-22 JANUARY)
Balenciaga (18/01 – 12 PM): I’m honestly still not over the box-shouldered iconicity Demna procured for SS17, so this is a no-brainer.
Y/PROJECT (18/01 – 3:30 PM): Glenn Martens of Y/PROJECT is steadily ramping up to becoming part of the Belgian fashion pantheon, so don’t miss out.
Walter Van Beirendonck (18/01 – 4:30 PM): For AW17, Walter Van Beirendonck will present the ZWART collection and going off of the gorgeous Woojic Jo show invite, it’ll be quite the phenomenon. I still hear the pounding bassline and still see the glittering of AW16’s ‘WOEST’ show, so I’m already pretty obsessed.
OFF-WHITE (19/01 – 11:30 AM): The swift yet steady rise of Off-White is a testament to the steadfast vision of Virgil Abloh (read our recent talk here) and every new show in establishment-dominated Paris (the show is cushioned between Issey Miyake and Rick Owens) is a triumph.
Andrea Crews (19/01 – 1:30PM): ‘Fashion, art, activism’ are what make up the Andrea Crews DNA. Upcycling and political messaging dominated the SS17 ‘Work In Progress’ show and I long to see what’s next.
Louis Vuitton (19/01 – 2:30 PM): Appointing Kim Jones as LV menswear director in 2011 was a masterful move and he has yet to let us down.
Dries Van Noten (19/01 – 7PM): I hardly have to convince anyone to look out for this, it’s Dries!
Comme des Garçons Homme Plus (20/01 – 5PM): Until we get to overdose on CDG at #METKAWAKUBO, this show will do just fine as we watch it wrapped in our imaginary SS17 Fornasetti-printed suits.
Dior Homme (21/01 – 3 PM): You know Kris Dior is going to beautifully make it worth your while and the show’s always good for an A$AP or Rami Malek sighting.
Paris is basically a back-to-back procession of legends, so just block off those four days completely. Full Paris schedule here.
NEW YORK FASHION WEEK MEN’S (30 JANUARY – 2 FEBRUARY)
N. Hoolywood (31/01 – 5 PM): Daisuke Obana of N. Hoolywood is sure to bless us with some killer garbs again so be sure to stay up if you're a Euro.
Death To Tennis (01/02 – 5 PM): Death To Tennis, created by Vincent Oshin and William Watson, is an emerging New York cult fave. Their moodboards are pretty on it, so give them a follow on IG.
Raf Simons (01/02 – 8 PM): This date should’ve been feverishly circled in your agenda already!
For our full breakdown of what’s currently brewing at team Raf, go here.
Full New York schedule here.
All times are local and schedules subject to change. Stake out your fave brands’ social accounts for live stream updates. Also, be prepared for most shows to run late, but that gives you time to practice your paper invite hand fan gestures and looks of utter ennui. Lap it up and @ us your show thoughts!
All SS17 show images: voguerunway.com.