WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK SS23

A quick sketch created during the fashion show

Oh what a pleasure to be back at Paris Fashion Week, menswear edition, this time! After years of digital shows and restrictions, it seems that this season is the right time for all the fashion sphere aficionados to shine again and along with them I am back sketching live during shows! The air was electric as everyone was waiting for the beginning of the show and it definitely felt so good and worth the wait.

And the occasion is a special one as I am invited to attend the Walter Van Beirendonck Spring/Summer 2023 showcase, the first live one since the beginning of the pandemic. One of the original Antwerp Six members, he is known for his unique taste in colours, shapes and flamboyant settings and I've had the pleasure to discover his collections through the years since I moved to France.

The new collection was presented in one of the prettiest Paris venues, the gorgeous Théâtre de la Madeleine: its golden details and red velour seats served as the perfect setting for the show, conceived almost as a theatrical performance in two acts. While the first one was darker and gloomy, the second one introduced classical Walter Van Beirendock silhouettes and an exuberant colour palette.

In spite of dark forces and recalling the dramatic events our world is experiencing right now, "peace" is the strong and final message the Belgian designer wanted to highlight.

The collection sees also a unique collaboration with Antwerp-based brand Komono on a series of gorgeous sunglasses that I also included in the sketch I created during the show.