Elsewhere in Paris: Yves Salomon, That’s So Armani, Berluti, and Commas

Paris menswear bristled with a vibrant selection of presentations, showrooms and capsule pop-ups this week. Fashion Network caught up with four: Yves Salomon, That’s So Armani, Berluti, and Commas.

The runways of Milan were bristling with shearling last weekend, most of it reinvented as exotic fur. But, if you want the real thing, one needs to visit Yves Salomon in Paris.

Playing on new proportions and the current obsession with the banded collar, Yves produced brilliant, plucked mink shirt jackets and coats – the ultimate in cool cozy luxury.

He showed the neatest Eisenhower made in glistening agneau côtelé – meaning ‘ribbed lambskin’.

Yves also worked some magic by adding iridescent green sheens to some minks; and unveiled a remarkable new waxed lambskin calf leather that was ethereally smooth. Matching many looks with ribbed corduroy pants and creamy cashmere hoodies. For more exotic moments, there was a rock star blouson made of wild Rocky Mountain lynx.

“We want to create a full wardrobe of the Yves Salomon man, and his lifestyle,” explained Yves, proudly displaying a striking intarsia mink cover for an elegant daybed. One of a half-dozen pieces of furniture that he showed in a Milan art gallery in last year’s Salon di Mobile.

In a busy moment, the brand recently opened a large new space in Harrods, and immediately catapulted into the famed department store’s top five brands alongside the likes of Hermès and Chanel.

Last week in Milan, from Dolce & Gabbana to Prada, the catwalks were swollen with what the Italians called “fur free” shearling. Salomon went one better with fab shearling reimagined as rockstar wolf redingote or Vegas crooner white fox – both in shearling.

Giorgio Armani took the opportunity of Paris menswear to debut a new capsule entitled, “That’s So Armani”.

Unveiling the concept in his Faubourg St Honoré store, with a champagne-fueled viewing in his airy modernist space.

What’s clever about That’s So Armani is that it captures in just a few select looks the Italian master’s DNA – like flawless and fluid tailoring; in premium materials such as vicuña, cashmere, and fine wools; and a clear coherent color palette – navy blue and black.

It’s a capsule wardrobe for men on the move – Armani single- and double-breasted jackets, knitted blazers with rolled hems, neat blousons, crew-neck pullovers, T-shirts, shirts, trousers, and swish evening wear. The last ideal to wear at the post-launch party nearby in Maxim’s lasting until the wee hours.

Heralded in a new That’s So Armani campaign shot by Luis Alberto Rodriguez, and featuring an eclectic trio of talents: producer Kaytranada, model and actor Archie Renaux, and model and musician, Soo Joo.

The collection is available in select Giorgio Armani boutiques including Milan, Paris, New York, Beijing, and Tokyo and online.

The house celebrated its 130th anniversary this year, and it was all about the lush-yet-tough legacy of the brand at Berluti’s presentation inside the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation.

And a first glimpse of the top floors of the storied mansion, where pride of place went to one great stripped back and agreeably aged shoe, an original Alessandro by Berluti from the brand’s birth in 1895.

A classy and classic shoe, which Berluti showed in multiple forms – from a new squared toe version to a white-sole sneaker by its former creative director Kris Van Assche. Many made in the deepest black, though toned in deep purple or forest green to catch the light.

Its new men’s ready-to-wear also referenced legacy – seen in a wide cut corduroy smock jacket with patch pockets and high neck, custom made for Le Corbusier. Elements of which riffed through some smooth deconstructed cashmere double face blazers; herring pale gray bone coats; and workerist jackets worn with leather hoodies.

Close by were sketches and images of Berluti history – from Alain Delon’s shoe lasts to an illustration of the pale gold boot the house made for Andy Warhol when Yves Saint Laurent brought him to their boutique to shop.

The latest Australian label to make an impact in Europe is Commas, presented in a showroom opposite Galeries Lafayette revamped with mid-century furniture.

Commas’ DNA is all about chasing the sun, not so surprising since the founder, Richard Jarman, and his missus, Emma, surf almost daily from their home on Cronulla Beach in south Sydney.

“We are in the water every day, as is our son George and he is 18 months old,” beams Jarman, who named the brand the idea that we all need a pause, like a comma.

Jarman debuted Commas at Pitti in 2017, immediately winning a substantial order from then booming Matches. The brand’s cool beach chic; natural fibers like linen; easy fit and sunny mood then gathered followers quickly. Smartly, his business strategy dovetails – opening pop-ups in happening hotels, summer clubs and resort boutiques – to drive attention and sales.

“Our products are a blend of very wearable and very suitable there,” smiles Jarman.

Despite the demise of Matches – a painful experience – they still do very well online with the likes of MyTheresa and Ounass, the Middle East’s premier luxe website, controlled by Al Thayer, a specialist company owned by the United Arab Emirates ruling family. Commas’ own e-commerce is fresh and enticing, like their ad campaigns, which they shoot on Ipanema Beach in Rio.

Today, they also boast over 25 regular clients. And talk about locations; selling in the Oetker hotel chain like the Eden Roc in Antibes or the Bristol in Paris.

“Matches closing did hurt. But it pushed us to invest in our own stock, and believe in us more,” says Jarman.

Business may not be huge – some $2.5 million annually – but Commas seems poised for rapid growth.

Commas’ first pop-ups were in Sydney, in hipster inner city suburb Paddington or further north on Palm Beach. They have skipped most runway shows, except a legendary event at sunrise on Tamarama Beach at 7am on June 1, 2021.

“Everyone said, ‘are you mad? That’s the first morning of winter in Australia!’ But we got loads of great press and a huge turnout!”

Commas has also pulled off activations in Harrods; Bloomingdales in Dubai; and a pop-up in uber happening Scorpios club in Mykonos, which opens to 3 a.m.

“People shop after spraying champagne. And the boutique stays open to 3 a.m.!” he marvels.

“I’d also love the challenge of one day doing a hotel,” says Jarman, who also retails in Raes on Wategos hotel in Byron Bay, arguably the country’s best beachside boutique hotel. And where Commas staged another cool activation: a cocktail party followed by a film projection.

Suitably it was “La Piscine” starring Alain Delon, bien sûr.