Paris Fashion Week: the art of dressing with effortless grace according to Auralee and The Row
Towards the end of a still hot Parisian afternoon, Auralee hosted its guests in the shadowed quiet of the Musée des Archives courtyard. Designer Ryota Iwai drew his inspiration for the label's new collection from Japan's extremely fickle spring weather, the year's first warm days often disturbed by strong, sudden gusts of wind. This notion of abrupt change was reflected in a versatile collection whose silhouettes were fashioned through a seemingly random mix of garments.
A model wore a suit over a pair of flip-flops, the jacket tied at the waist like a pullover. Another donned an oversized black trench coat giving him a rebel rocker vibe, long hair framing his face and eyes hidden behind a pair of small round dark glasses. Getting dressed in the morning, still unaware of how the day will unfold, Auralee men might slip a terry hoodie over a shirt with micro checks, worn with a simple pair of beige cotton trousers. Otherwise, they might wear a coat in an unexpected colour over a pair of stone-washed jeans and a loose sweater.
The suits were nicely tailored and all had a fluid, nonchalant feel. They were made in ultra-lightweight cashmere or wool blended with silk, like the coats and the very fine knitwear. Auralee manufactures its fabrics in-house, sourcing yarn and fibres from top suppliers all over the world: in Peru for alpaca, New Zealand and Scotland for wool, and Mongolia for cashmere. The fabrics are then developed independently by Iwai in Japan, where the collection was produced.
This season, Iwai designed a series of women's wool bodysuits looking very much like swimsuits, as well as mini-shorts and bras in the same material, worn under svelte overcoats or waterproof jackets. His models wore pretty, snug women's sandals made by Auralee, which began producing its footwear in-house three years ago. Leather and suede were prominent in this summer collection, both characterised by a supple, airily soft feel. Auralee used them to make suits, shorts and polo dresses of unexpected lightness.
The collection featured a subtle symphony of contrasts, for example combining rich textures with more feathery, lightweight items, or introducing within its rather austere-seeming wardrobe of beige or grey monochrome looks, consisting of suits and shirts cuts from the same fabric, a series of fresh, luminous hues symbolising the onset of spring, like mustard and canary yellow, poppy red, bottle and pea green.
The Row conveyed the same desire to leave behind the rigours of winter and formally tailored clothes, and switch to a lighter fashion. Although the garments were ultra-sophisticated, they put comfort first and were very easy to wear.
For the Spring 2026 season, The Row has imagined that men will take the time for a moment of respite. Warm weather may urge them to enjoy their leisure, and they may switch from suits to more laid-back outfits that harmoniously incorporate more easy-going garments, like the long-sleeved grandfather sweater with a row of small buttons, or the white brushed-cotton Bermuda shorts peeking out from under a loose, elegant pair of black shorts.
The collection's attitude was relaxed and nonchalant. The silhouettes were soft, featuring feather-weight silk trousers matched with a tonal cotton shirt in butter yellow. A thinly striped shirt was made in lightweight cotton, so light that one would hardly feel it on the skin, as though it was transparent. The same effect made by the cute, soft cashmere sweaters.
As they do for their womenswear, sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen pay almost maniacal attention to every detail of their menswear collections, which they launched in 2018. From fabric research, since they only source from the best suppliers, to the tailoring and garment details, as shown by the super-soft Scottish flannel they chose for the lining of a linen coat.
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