Van Beirendonck offers a theatrical ode to surreal sartorialism in Paris menswear collection

By Canadian Press on January 22, 2025.

PARIS (AP) — Walter Van Beirendonck, one of the last standing designers of the legendary Antwerp Six, delivered a menswear show Wednesday that blended surreal whimsy with biting social commentary at Paris Fashion Week.

As models paraded in oversized beige bowler hats and loose ’70s check suits with retro boho collars, the collection danced between nostalgia and avant-garde theatrics.

In true Van Beirendonck style, fun collided with the macabre. Edward Scissorhands seemed to haunt the atelier, inspiring sharp-cut deconstructed suits with elongated fake fingers. Skull-and-bone motifs were playful winks on caps, while angular caterpillar shapes crept under sneaker-boots.

Headscarves borrowed from ’50s femininity were reimagined into sculptural 3D objects, their abstract forms adding a tactile depth.

Alien energy infused the collection, notably in a spidery face mask paired with those rounded, otherworldly fingers. The eerie yet playful theme persisted, complemented by a mourning black veil resembling a beekeeper’s hat — a nod to fragility amid the absurd.

The collection was as much about pushing boundaries as it was about sartorial musings.

While Van Beirendonck’s spectacles won’t appeal to traditional tastes, his ability to channel personal and societal tensions into bold, wearable art remains unparalleled. Through his alien alphabets, absurdist headpieces and theatrical proportions, he continues to prove that fashion, at its most compelling, is about daring to question.

The Associated Press