American Psycho, and its channeling of an uncanny murderer through Christian Bale, essaying Patrick Bateman–an NYC investment banker and his pursuit for never ending bloodlust– is accurately exhibited in this years’ Paris Fashion Week. A mission that would be dutifully grasped by none other than Louis Gabriel Nouchi, who was always an aficionado for books and movies, enlivening their essence and bringing it forth to the grandiose runways.
It was never about the characters and wardrobe peculiarities, but a much deeper message that lie beneath. He revived those qualities, for instance, which we could trace back to fall 2022, when he recreated Charles de Baudelaire’s 1860 novel on unrestrained drug use, called ‘Artificial Paradises’, and during spring 2024 on Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ ‘Dangerous Liaisons’.
Unsurprisingly, he adhered to this particularly refreshing concept and decided to go for ‘American Psycho’ for this time’s Menswear fall/winter 2024 show at Garage Amelot in Paris.
Paris Fashion Week at Its Heyday
The opening was extremely eye-catching as the runway witnessed the enchanting stroll by Lucas Bravo, known for his role as Chef Gabriel in the Netflix series ‘Emily in Paris’.Â
He walked for the LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi show this week, cladded in black as he manifested the eeriness and wicked persona of Christain Bale, whose acting brought life to the sacrilegious brute that is Patrick Bateman.
He wore a floor-length, sharp-tailored black trench coat that was layered over a white shirt and a silver tie, paired with black shoes and latex gloves. In addition, the fake blood splattered all over his face was something we never knew that could count in as an ingenious accessory that polished a kind of malevolence to his whole outfit. The following entourage portrayed a similar eerie countenance, keeping the onlookers on the edge of their seats.
The entire follow-up transitioned to something we could call boldly sensual, as it represented a mixture of both lusciousness and poise.
Another young actor who stood out was ‘The White Lotus’’ Stefano Gianino who wore a light blue silk blazer and matching tailored pants, with an embellishment of a stunning semi-sheer shirt underneath.
American Psycho gets a Warm Homage
As an icing to the cake, Le Grande Dame, an alumnus of Drag Race France’s first season, gave a stupendous blood red entrance, with thigh high boots and a black trench coat. This evoked a sense of dreadfulness, as it evinced the Partrick Bateman who silences his victims, finishing with a cellophane wrap.
Talking about ‘American Psycho’, this 2000 horror movie has gone through a tremendous journey on its own. It was pretty much unfilmable during its pre-production stages, and its director Mary Harron was almost at the brink of giving up. But then, the producer Edward R. Pressman bought the film rights in 1992, supporting her endeavors in bringing this movie to the limelight. It was based around horror and Black comedy, satirizing the yuppie culture and consumerism that was prevalent in the society–which is still quite relatable in today’s world.
What they created back then, was far-sighted and futuristic in its vision. So were the efforts taken by its producer, who has recently departed the world at the age of 79. Therefore, this conceptualization put forth by Louis Gabreil can be considered as a warm homage to the movie and its production crew, who made it possible for American Psycho to resurrect as a cinematic masterpiece.
Coming around, asymmetry was an indispensable attribute that was seen during the whole show. Whether it is in the designing of cuts and slashes in the chest and neck pieces, or the loosely fit androgynous fashion replete with imageries from the inspired movie, the whole event showcased the true creativity put forth by its designer. Truly, it knew no bounds in its artistic display.
To wrap the entire exhibit, the designer opted out for monochromatic skin-toned light weight fabric, blending with the skin of the models that allegorized flesh to its demise.
To recapitulate the entire fashion event, it put forward novelty in terms of presenting toxic masculinity, urging us to rethink the possibilities of reinventing it to something more socially inclusive.
By incorporating various types of male bodies draped in clothes basically echoing androgyny, it’s obvious that the designer wants the audience to derive aspects of sensuality. Moreso, a thought-provoking ideal to validate every male body–to look beyond the acts of violence depicted in the movie– has become one of the many revelations that we can see on this runway.
