Leave it to Walter Van Beirendonck to bring fashion and clowns to the runway at Paris Fashion Week. For Spring/Summer 2025, the famed Antwerp Six designer showed off his fun and youthful side, taking showgoers through a roses and carnations filled garden location.
Presented to a playful circus tune throughout the show, the collection contrasts the seriousness of the week, bringing a an uncanny approach to a Paris fashion week show. Models walked out in tiny party hats, eccentric face makeup and even colorful rounded noses to match their outfits. In dramatic bulbous shoes, the collection was filled with polka dots infused onto suits as padding or as a buckle. Over-exaggerated silhouettes come in forms of extreme proportions like mini top hots paired with shrunken jackets or oversized trousers.
In his show notes, Van Beirendonck said, “In today’s world, everything feels endlessly dramatic. Extremes everywhere, extremists getting the last laugh.” His pieces brought a refreshing take to playful tailoring, still making a mark and pursuing ominous messages. Each attendee was given a button with the phrase, “I Have Seen the Future,” which adds to the designer’s notes where he states, “…and you’re in it.”