AW 23-24 Style Focus: Luxuriously sober woolens The 18 September 2022 - Fabrics - Men's fashion - Women's fashion - Fabrics - Leather - Accessories

Next season’s Fall-Winter coats strive for fluidity, with minimalist shapes draping the body head to toe, like a comforting cocoon to curl up in. Men’s and women’s woolens have robust handles and reassuring weights, made of plush blends of cashmere, alpaca and mohair that recall the softness of the animal coats themselves. 

Though extremely warm, these coats are nevertheless surprisingly light. 

Airy mohairs are nearly vaporous, providing matchless comfort. They are worked in full coats with softened lines and rounded shoulders. Rendered in a range of ecru colors, they look like clouds of cozy, welcoming wool. 

Polar fleece makes a big come-back, with an astonishing range of sustainable performance features. These recycled, micro-plastic free versions make it possible to use this material – the ultimate in warmth – without veering from a more virtuous path. Their micro-velvety, fleecy surfaces confer a sensation of well-being. The new polar fabrics can be used to build cuddly, streamlined garments with a sporty allure, like soft, oversized sweats. 

Underneath these cozy coats and sweatshirts, sensuous and ultra-fine pure wool or cashmere-blend tee-shirts are worn right next to the skin.

Here, material is in its raw state, expressing its deepest nature without hiding behind decemptive appearances. This authenticity helps underline the quest for transparency, of growing interest to consumers. Some just-barely transformed materials feature worn surfaces, as a means of embellishing the new.

Suitings conjure a rustic fantasy, with irregular structures and yarns working their way into men’s tailored items. Wools are mixed with linen or hemp, heralding a certain irregularity in terms of textures, while handles are softer and suppler. In coats, wrapped styles are interpreted in brushed wools evoking thick and cozy antique carpets. Deliberately accentuated needle-punching creates blurred visuals with a deep-dye or deceptively worn look in decorative menswear designs, including herringbones and houndstooths. 

The winds of freedom and rebellion blow through the Fall-Winter 23-24 men’s collections, evidenced by an unbridled rusticity. The wools in sleeved items are suffused with a grunge aesthetic, with torn aspects. Surfaces are embellished with shaggy yarns in a variety of lengths that emerge from holes precisely situated on the garment. Imperfections are beautifully brought to life thanks to wool jacquards. Visuals are blurred with tweed, herringbone and soft bouclette effects, with ebullient and disheveled hairs featuring a torn-out, mangled look. These carefully crafted “destroy” fabrics are worked in classic styles with clean lines. Elongated peacoats reveal round, deliberately too-big armholes. 

The same grunge influence also courses through the season’s accessories. Grosgrain ribbons with brushed surfaces are situated here and there on sophisticatedly rustic yet supple women’s suits, like eye-catching imperfections. Straps with shaggy-haired fleeces serve to tighten cuffs or the legs of smart pants. Buttons are worked in natural materials, preserving their raw state. Wood and its many variations are left unpolished. And animal-derived materials such as horn, bone and shells express the uniqueness of their surfaces without an iota of embellishment.