Wales Bonner FW23 "Twilight Reverie" Brought Opulence to Paris Fashion Week

Grace Wales Bonner’s eponymous label, Wales Bonner, has just opened Paris Fashion Week. Following on from her monumental Pitti Uomo debut last season, the British designer takes to Paris once again with a Fall/Winter 2023 collection titled, “Twilight Reverie.”

Anticipation was in the air as showgoers took their seats inside the grand Hôtel D’Évruex, with Usher and Jerry Lorenzo sitting front and center. The show soon commenced with original soundtracks coming courtesy of Duval Timothy, Sampha, and Kendrick Lamar, backdropping Wales Bonner’s narrative this season that depicted “artists, writers, watchers, [and] seekers,” drawing from greats like James Baldwin.

Tailoring was signature Wales Bonner, loose and flowing free to not restrict the body. In soft cream hues or black, we found double-breasted blazers worn over rich bouclé knits and equally roomy trousers, while heeled collage snakeskin boots and ponyskin evening slippers transported the collection into opulent realms evocative of the grandeur in which the show took place.

This only became more elevated with the help of Savile Row tailoring experts Anderson & Sheppard, who co-created the array of silk tuxedos fit for a night out in pure luxury. To help you cover up, a sky blue crocodile-embossed leather trench coat stood out among the mix of black and other wintery night shades, such as the brown leather bomber jacket and leather pant ensemble that finished also on a pair of boots.

But it wasn’t all formal. The designer continued her ongoing adidas partnership with a handful of new sneakers: some looking like a pair of strap moccasins in cream, red, and silver leather, a pair in a similar make-up but this time hiking-inspired and laced-up, and others taking the adidas Originals Superstar shell-toe and body and applying it to a chunky, sculpted sole unit.

The collaboration continued with an adidas clothing capsule centered around a sophisticated sports jersey that honored Jamaica’s national football team, colloquially known as the “Reggae Boyz.” While the top was a moment to be appreciated, tailored tracksuits comprising fitted T-shirts and cropped jogging pants crafted from fine materials and silk shirts informed by football stood out, their “gentlemen stripes” only heightening the football references.

Rounding off Wales Bonner’s comprehensive FW23 collection were a number of looks fit for current trends. Menswear debuted skirts that pleated along the front to elongate the leg, while Swarovski crystal embellishments on knitwear — and elsewhere dotted around the model’s looks such as on socks, breasts and ears using pearls and handmade Ghanaian beads — added another element of prestigiousness and splendor, as did the hand-painted-effect artwork courtesy of Lubaina Himid that took their dramatic effect on shifting silk shirts, cut once more in the designer’s effortless ease.

Take a closer look at the collection above, and stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Paris Fashion Week FW23 content as the days go on.

For more U.K. fashion showcased abroad, take a look at Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY’s Milan Fashion Week debut.