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SHOWtime: Paris A/W 23 Menswear

published on 23 January 2023

In the second instalment of our new series resident troublemaker Joshua Graham takes to the limelight again, doing his best to critique any opinion laid forth. Did his menacing ways reign supreme this time? Or did the panellist arguments stand tall above all. Debating Emily Bode's new direction by keeping with traditional silhouettes for men and women, Louis Vuitton swaying from Virgil Abloh's implied vision, fatness representation in menswear and fashion's obsession with celebs. Who will keep it tame and who will get the claws out?

In the second instalment of our new series resident troublemaker Joshua Graham takes to the limelight again, doing his best to critique any opinion laid forth. Did his menacing ways reign supreme this time? Or did the panellist arguments stand tall above all. Debating Emily Bode's new direction by keeping with traditional silhouettes for men and women, Louis Vuitton swaying from Virgil Abloh's implied vision, fatness representation in menswear and fashion's obsession with celebs. Who will keep it tame and who will get the claws out?

‘Louis Vuitton Men's FW23 felt like a completely different direction than what Virgil Abloh did at Men's and the fashion public saying otherwise is wrong.’ - Rian Phin

Phin is adamant in her view that the Louis Vuitton studio is straying from the vision that Virgil Abloh intended. Arianna Aviram and Josh Graham sit on the opposite side of the coin. Timothy agrees with Phin at least, but then she seems to change her thinking, saying she hasn't got a problem with the new direction. We don't know what she means at this point but maybe you do?

'Oversized clothes look more appealing on models with larger measurements.' - Timothy Chernyaev

Chernyaev thinks that it's unfair oversized clothes are marketed just for skinny people. Aviram, although cautious to come off as 'fat-phobic', argues that oversized clothes are designed to hang loosely, implying that their measurements would be off the scale on a larger person. Graham is scared to come across in such a drastic manner but does end up doubling down on Aviram's point. To be honest, it feels impossible to argue with Chernyaev as any contrasting opinion is rooted in fatphobia. Our panellists don't submit easily though.

‘With the oversaturation of the celebrity as a tool during fashion week, where do we draw the line of balance between marketing, design and the industry?’ - Arianna Aviram

She may be right, but SHOWstudio's troubling menace Joshua Graham thinks that if fashion only cares about celebrities, then at least its attitude reflects a wide societal interest. After all, isn't fashion just meant to reflect the times?

‘Bode’s introduction of womenswear reinforces gendered fashion and that’s not a bad thing.’ - Joshua Graham

For years, fashion has pushed gender neutral clothing to - what it seems like - its breaking point, and Graham considers Bode's latest A/W 23 collection to be representative of that, praising the designer for seeing 'men as men and women as women'. Surely there's a problematic undertone to what he's preaching? Do our panellists go in for the kill and sit back and let him dig himself into a hole? Only time will tell...

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