Gentlemen, start your engines.
Men’s Fashion Week was off to a roaring start with 424’s show featuring a parade of vintage Porsches cruising up the cobblestones of the Monnaie de Paris. British actor Will Poulter was first to emerge from a car, strutting down the center of the courtyard in a relaxed pin-striped suit that merged elevated street- and workwear codes.
The opening day’s opening slot was Guillermo Andrade’s second Paris runway show, with his latest interpretation of accessible staples such as jeans, hoodies and moto jackets presented with a fresh twist of texture.
T-shirts were tight, cropped and faded, with logos reminiscent of The Rolling Stones’ famous tongue. Elsewhere, Andrade’s signature playful pleating brought shapeshifting to waistcoats, shirts and trousers with ample give at the knee. Bleach-splashed denim and double-belted pants moved the collection swiftly along.
The name 424 indicates the brand’s L.A. roots, with cultural cues including an Our Lady of Guadalupe-emblazoned T-shirt in addition to the overall laid-back vibe.
A pink more bubblegum than Barbie popped throughout the collection, in bombers, track suits and Henleys. Other looks in coated cotton and a breezy blue suit showed Andrade’s versatility with materials and structure — boxy one second and hanging loose the next — with an intentionality that belies the modern casual wardrobe.
Andrade has had success with his footwear, and this season showed cowboy boots in shades of purple and red.
The collection resonated with at least one Texan in the audience. Tina Knowles was on hand to watch grandson and rising model Julez Smith on the runway. She was decked out in a “Cowboy Carter”-style hat, after daughter Beyoncé Knowles-Carter played a sold-out show at Stade de France last weekend.