Lanvin is a label making some of the most covetable menswear today; pieces that a broad demographic of men actually want to buy and wear, from their shirts and tailoring through their opulent and techy fabrics to their footwear, which has been a real runaway success. For Autumn/Winter 2009 Ossendrijver and Elbaz didn’t disappoint, the French touch was there in the neckscarves and fluid, oversized pants but there was also a military undercurrent in the extra-high hiking boots, lean pop-stud parkas and beret-like caps. It was a real mix up that you can wear in your way, a curation of what are, on their own, brilliant pieces. That’s the joy of Lanvin men’s and it takes you back to being a kid in a sweet shop - it’s haute pick ‘n’ mix.

Rick Owens showed his finest menswear collection to date, as models stomped their way to the aural divinity of the opera, Salome. Almost totally black, coats were oversized with massive lapels and had that ‘Rickness’ of drape, the way they hung off the body. His signature shapes, however, were cleaned-up overall this season to be the most purposeful they’ve ever been. Shorts over trousers, bomber jackets and the best, hard (though not at all to the touch), leather boots were of course omnipresent - as we demand. As well as his leather jackets, they best you can buy today. He even experimented by throwing a couple of dresses in the mix. It’s dangerous to use the p-word, but it really was pretty close to the perfect Rick Owens collection. Bravo!

Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy was a designer under pressure this season. After a universally applauded debut for Spring/Summer came the difficult follow-up. But he breezed it - this time it was all in the detailing. With a naval/sea/fisherman theme, wool coats had contrasting black leather trim or sleeves, leather pants had all-over lace-up detailing and it was all about an interplay of textures. A shiny, lacquered black padded jacket from the A/W 2008 women’s collection had been reworked for men - continuing the dialogue with the house’s womenswear but not in a camp or compromised way at all. Furthermore, as was explained on a follow-up appointment in the showroom, two waistcoats for the show were actually made in the haute couture atelier; the detail so pained in the construction that their shimmering blue glitter applied had to be done using a humble drinking straw (fingers were too clumsy). Further again, Tisci proffered the best footwear of the season in three variants - lace-up shoe, boot or thigh high boot, each mummified with wrap-around elastic bandaging. The blue glitter option was the show-stealer for sure. It’s just a shame the catwalk presentation was met with a muted response from some, but understandable as the joy really was in seeing these pieces close up. They will fly out of the store on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré nevertheless. Tisci and consultant/stylist Panos Yiapanis have created a definitive collection of the season once again.

Raf Simons returned to a more tangible concept this season, after the previous collections’ abstracted Christopher Wool/Leonard Cohen references. The first (beautifully realised) looks sent a shudder for being incredibly conservative - it was an alarming jolt, but as this was Raf there was always going to be more to it. Not only was he making a comment about how the very-classic is now a form of cutting-edge, but he used the codes of beautiful - though a little Brett Easton-Ellis - status tailoring to question the concept of vanity in today’s man. Jackets had a small irregular-shaped mirror sunk into the chest, scoop neck sweaters were worn over shirts and ties and neoprene shrugs in pink and cobalt were placed over trenches and pinstripe tailoring. It was half banker, half adventure weekend and wholly food for thought about the preoccupations of our time - money and image. The great thing about a Raf Simons show is that it can leave you scratching your head slightly in the aftermath, but some time later you always come around to his way of thinking. It’s what has made him one of the most important - and infinitely rewarding - designers of our generation.

Romain Kremer presented in Paris’ east-end. A perennial Ponystep favourite, his strong voice has commanded a cult around him (as was seen in the rush to get backstage afterwards). This season, styled by Nicola Formichetti, with epic headwear by Nasir Mahzar; it was about plastic and fun fur, in a colour palette of shocking pink, black and nude . The concept of the collection was a riff on transparency [with a Gernreich/Cardin-esque eye] in the most artificial, techno way possible (no surprise as Kremer has previously told Ponystep how ‘we are the techno generation’). Pieces included fitted modernist jackets with transparent plastic middle sections, dresses and tunics in opaque/clear mix-ups. The thumping soundtrack by Chloé - and yes, it was banging techno - went hand-in-hand with the experience and was a musical highlight of the week. It would be great to see her continue to work with Romain, they fit hand-in-glove. The only bone of contention - from some - is that Kremer might in a sense be making art not clothes. But why on earth is that a negative thing? Kremer should be applauded - he is unique in French fashion; a catalyst and a protagonist for change. And he has a vision that he won’t be shaken from by the increasing need to show shirts ‘n’ slacks on the runway. We salute him once again, and yes, for the record we really do want to break the collection up and wear pieces of it. 

Immediately after Kremer was Kim Jones’ debut catwalk collection for esteemed heritage brand Dunhill. In the intimate surroundings (which were packed to the rafters) of the Maison de l’Architecture, Kim played the most clever of hands; resolutely understanding what the brand is about and also what it needs to move forward. There were macs that would look good on any age, beautiful jackets that had their own vocabulary, proving difficult to tie to an era and more experimental elements like trousers with a belt looped inches above the waistband. Then there were the accessories, the best of which included a wood-grain brief case. The genius of this show is that it won’t send Dunhill’s clientele running to another brand, but it will attract a new, younger customer. There was subversion in the casting of ‘Kim’s boys’ (with a model for each look, no repeats) and in the white cotton gloves they wore which nodded to not only butler/Jeeves codes but Mickey Mouse (if your humour was that inclined). And then there was the housey soundtrack. Kim didn’t walk a tightrope, he found an equilibrium, which of course is so much more sophisticated. British could well be the best once again in ready-to-wear tailoring. That’s exciting.

Gareth Pugh , rounding up the menswear schedule, reached the pinnacle of his career with a stunning menswear presentation of all-killer, no-filler at the Palais de Tokyo. Set to a bespoke industrial soundtrack by Matthew Stone and with guests including Daphne Guinness, Terence Koh and Casey Spooner in attendance, models including boy-of-the-moment Jethro Cave marched around a central hanging installation of broken, mirrored shards. Hair coated in tar with asymmetric trails, all-over needled vests and trousers featured as did goat fur tunics and long-sleeved tees with cascading spiked droplets off the shoulders. In three words? Shredded, studded and lacquered. And done so in black and the most incredible silver and pewter sheen finishes. Tailoring debuted for the first time with the most covetable selection of coats seen during the week - trenches were metallicised in Gareth’s signature geometric triangle grid, or shimmering in textured fabrics; always no buttons, just belted (a real winner with us). The tailoring which debuted in immaculate slim cuts featured covered cuff buttons repeating down the arms or had panels in contrasting fabrics. A futurist take on Le Smoking. Mental wishlists were being constructed as the models passed by, with several of London’s coolest women being amongst the many raving - these clothes were special and it showed in the effervescent reaction.

Gareth from Dalston went to Paris and wiped the slate clean, taking the crowning moment of the menswear schedule. This was the moment that his already exciting ascension went truly next-level. Now there can be no turning back.

DMD.