Auralee Presents 2027 Spring Men’s Collection

Imagine it is late June, and summer has finally, almost miraculously, arrived. Days are longer, warmer, filled with languor, hazy sunshine, and above all, promise. A vacation now looms on the horizon, perhaps to a seaside retreat, a beach, or a rugged coastline. You may be distracted at work, yet your mind drifts toward the upcoming break. This may be happening to you even nowright now.

That anticipatory feeling inspired Auralee designer Ryota Iwai for his spring collection, presented under an open-air colonnade outside the Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe on a sweltering day in Paris, marking the first men’s show of the season. The collection opened with relaxed tailoring in inky black, earthy umber, and rich cocoa, gradually evolving into a more celebratory, subtly tropical aesthetic with a freer, looser spirit. A final segment combined both moods — as when you return to the office carrying souvenirs from your trip, carefully woven into your everyday attire.

\”A trip is not merely a destination,\” the designer said through an interpreter backstage, \”it is the excitement of returning to the office while that anticipation remains vivid in your mind.\” This excitement manifested through knit T‑shirts in sunset‑hued stripes or subtle aquamarine tropical prints peeking from dark sweaters or coats. A lightweight baseball tee was paired with the palest blue corduroys, and a cherry‑red zip‑up hoodie was rendered in a nubby fabric reminiscent of a terry‑cloth towel.

\”There’s something about the freedom of being on holiday that allows you to be a little more expressive, and I find that very charming,\” Iwai said backstage. In fact, charming was a word the designer invoked repeatedly; he considered a Hawaiian shirt not merely cheesy or touristy but charming. While a certain playful coyness emerged in the collection, Iwai ultimately maintains a refined perspective. His elegant shapes exhibit restraint and simplicity — lean, lightweight outerwear, or simple pull‑on dresses such as a ruched sunshine‑yellow piece or an elongated black T‑shirt with a satiny white lining.

When asked to choose a standout look, Iwai grimaced — like picking a favorite child — before highlighting two matched ensembles. One pair featured the tropical motif layered under a sweater and papery‑leather shorts in Hockney‑pool blue for him, and a crinkly two‑piece bathing suit shown under a darkened, half‑buttoned coat with a plaid lining for her. The other pair included slate‑gray suits combined with unexpected underpinnings — a striped cardigan for him and a floral shirt for her — worn slightly undone to convey a post‑vacation ease. \”It brings together the feeling we’re trying to evoke with the collection, the idea of the freedom of travel,\” Iwai said. \”It pushes you to be a little more adventurous, not necessarily who you are in daily life.\”

Beyond expert styling — half‑tucked collars, anklets over pant hems — done in collaboration with Charlotte Collet, Iwai’s signature is his superb palette: this season’s aquatic blues punctuated by dazzling crimson or lemony yellows, and a nuanced, obsessive approach to fabrics, all proprietary. He is known not for dramatic swings but for fine‑tuning the details of the humble everyday. A gracefully cut brown suit, for example, is made from a wool‑linen blend that feels airy and, upon closer inspection, displays a gently heathered appearance. Shirting possesses a barely‑there floatiness, while what may appear as denim work pants are actually the softest broken‑in cotton. And those knit tees have an almost crunchy, pebbly quality that will suit the inevitable heat wave of next year.

Source link