PFW SS17: top five trends

From sports-luxe tracksuits to hiking-inspired jackets, many of the SS17 trends from the European fashion weeks so far have boasted a literal get-out-and-do-something message. Even designers renowned for their formalwear – Dior Homme, for example – have pitted their suiting against sports-inspired pieces to create an interesting outerwear fusion, delivered in a very elemental palette.

Lanvin also showed off its designer upgrade of outdoorsy staples with a deep brown, rainproof take on the parka jacket, which even included bungee cords as strapping (if the muse wasn’t clear enough). They were just two walking poles away from having all of the gear to escape to the Brecon Beacons for a hiking trip. SH

Dust off your copy of Chocolate Starfish and fish those baggy cargo pants out of the pile of clothes still inexplicably stored in your mum’s attic – it’s the year 2000 again. Or, at least, you’d think so, judging by the Paris catwalks. We’re guessing Dior’s Kris Van Assche’s been listening to a lot of Papa Roach and Evanescence recently, letting it seep into his designs in the form of frankly huge trews, details picked out in red, copious chains and black nail polish.

Meanwhile, Off-White’s Virgil Abloh brought Fred Durst-esque cartoon horror motifs to the fore – these looks were just (gutturally) screaming for a backwards red cap and soul patch to finish them off. Finally, the monochrome checks seen at both Dior and Off-White hint at an emo revival some time soon – set your watches for 2002. SK

If LCM celebrated punk as filtered through the sixth-form common rooms and provincial pubs of late 70s Britain, PFW SS17 went full Kings Road in its appropriation of the culture's anarcho-fashion roots. Maison Margiela ripped and patchworked shirts, and deconstructed skinhead staples like bomber jackets and bovver boots, while Dior Homme clad its models (and A$AP Rocky) in skinny, all-black uniforms adorned with badges and patches.

Johnny Rotten's fuzzy, threadbare jumpers also got a reboot, with Louis Vuitton pairing patterned punky woollies with straight-out-of-1978 tartan trews, and Off-White taking a similar approach with slogan sweaters. MG 

The Wigan Casino scene is one of the few historic UK youth subcultures to have largely escaped fashion world borrowing – perhaps because the voluminous trousers and skin-tight singlets that were so suited to throwing shapes to obscure soul records in the early 70s make less sense on the catwalks (and, indeed, streets) of the mid-2010s. Nevertheless, it seems the northern soul look is finally getting its moment in the style-stealing spotlight, with a handful of Paris showcases having a stab at the striking silhouette.

The Wigan Casino scene is one of the few historic UK youth subcultures to have largely escaped fashion world borrowing – perhaps because the voluminous trousers and skin-tight singlets that were so suited to throwing shapes to obscure soul records in the early 70s make less sense on the catwalks (and, indeed, streets) of the mid-2010s. Nevertheless, it seems the northern soul look is finally getting its moment in the style-stealing spotlight, with a handful of Paris showcases having a stab at the striking silhouette.

For the big names in menswear, tailoring has been something of a forgotten art at times. Sure, the high-end fashion houses will always produce sharp suiting, but designers have, in more recent years, sought out other means to express individuality, such as tapping in to nostalgic casualwear trends. However, the Parisian catwalks showed that there’s fresh interest in formalwear and that it’ll be delivered in an over-the-top, caricatured fashion.

Balençiaga's debut menswear show displayed overly boxy designs, reminiscent of disproportionate Disney characters, while Juun J did much of the same, but with pinstripes. Say goodbye to skinny and fitted – SS17 tailoring is all about the boxy and baggy. SH