Paris Men´s Fashion Week : Grunge Fest

Paris, “It’s a whole new grunge movement in different parts of the city,” said Hedi Slimane, referring to his chosen home of Los Angeles and to the inspiration of his Saint Laurent men’s wear collection.

The French have the phrase for the designer’s remake of an ultraskinny look of coats with a superslim silhouette and jeans split carefully at the knees, the wispy fragments outlined with sparkling embroideries: “plus ça change...” or, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Mr. Slimane was back in the same groove of a downtown music scene that he played with in his years at Dior Homme, before he left to concentrate on photography in nightly haunts in Berlin, London and Los Angeles, where he now lives.

Saint Laurent, By Hedi Slimane, Autumn / Winter  2013 In Paris

This much-anticipated comeback collection had front row Pierre Bergé, partner of the late Yves Saint Laurent, and the YSL muse Betty Catroux, alongside the PPR chief executive François-Henri Pinault and his movie-star wife Salma Hayek. The result was much more joyous and less intense than in Mr. Slimane’s earlier shows.

A fair carousel, sleek, shiny and modern, whirled around as a backdrop to the display of pin-thin coats and trousers that might have been glued on the models’ skinny legs. But that linear silhouette, looking familiar from this designer, was soon broken up by androgynous, outsize Fair Isle sweaters and by bright check or animal print scarves.

The show was fun, energetic — and much more confident than Mr. Slimane’s debut as a women’s wear designer last season. The only question is whether this reprise of grunge is appropriate to a 21st-century world of financial turbulence. Imagine carefully folded scarves, a tailored camel duffel coat and even a hairy cape looking much more luxurious in the stores.

Saint Laurent already has one confirmed customer. Ms. Catroux, tossing her straw-blonde hair over her boy-band black leather jacket, was in fashion heaven.

The hammering against a wooden frame that echoed through the Thom Browne show was all about Amish people building a barn.

Thom Browne, Autumn / Winter 2013 , In Paris

But the designer’s collection was about building a wardrobe more wearable and sensible than some previous offerings. Built on a similar grid to the wooden frame of the house, the clothes were cut in straight lines, the square cuts reinforced by the use of checks, quilting and flat Amish hats.

Add dogtooth-check tailoring, with matching tie and socks, revealed by shorts, and this graphic collection highlighted Mr. Brown’s skill as a tailor — as seen in the navy coat that Michelle Obama wore during the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremonies in Washington on Monday.

Paul Smith got into his groove on the final day of the Paris men’s shows for winter 2013.

With no pretensions and an unexpected flair for color, the British designer made easy, smart/casual clothes that were enlivened by geometric effects from angular patterns.

Paul Smith, Autumn / Winter 2013, In Paris

But the story was in the mouthwatering color mixes: a turquoise jacket with mustard pants or Bordeaux jacket with blue pants and a sweater with a rainbow coalition of shades that were original, unexpected and upbeat.