Color galore in Paris as menswear gets bold

There was color galore at Paris menswear shows Friday, with John Galliano channeling the hues of the rainbow for Maison Margiela and Cerutti 1881 featuring flashes of gold. The Alexander McQueen fashion house mixed in flashes of red to an otherwise dark display of menswear.

Some highlights of the fall-winter shows:

A RAINBOW AT MAISON MARGIELA

A model wears a creation for Maison Margiela men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

John Galliano studied the science of the rainbow for a colorful and typically quirky collection.

A clinical white venue, populated by myriad staff in their signature white lab aprons, led the eye down to a bright yellow runway. Its large oval shapes brightly evoked the rays of sunlight and suggested the inspiration for the fall-winter display.

A model wears a creation for Comme Des Garcons men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

From a vermilion coat with sloping shoulders to a sunny yellow bubble jacket, narrow blue pants and a belted, deep saffron knitted coat — the collection looked as if Galliano had separated each of the colors refracted in a rainbow. Science and the laboratory have been a touchstone for the brand for years.

Tongue-in-cheek garments of practical use in the rain were mixed in with the 30 couture-infused designs. There were transparent rain caps that gave a 1950s edge, and a see-through PVC belted rain coat that was on-trend in its play on texture, layering and transparency.

Silhouette-wise, large lapels and slightly cinched waists were dominant.

As fashionistas left the grand Hotel des Invalides venue, the world outside warmed up too: The winter drizzle suddenly stopped, giving way to rays of sun.

Lauded designer Galliano has been called many things in his career, but a weather forecaster must be a first.

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ALEXANDER MCQUEEN'S SUITS

There was more than a flavor of London in Alexander McQueen's sophomore Paris show.

The Saville Row suit and tie — with an archetypally British red-check sweater — was the starting point for a display shown in an industrial, disused office space.

A model wears a creation for the McQueen men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation for the McQueen men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

It was clear that this buttoned-up vibe would give way to more creative explorations when in the next look, a black business-like parka jacket — wrapped around the waist — billowed out like Asian samurai pants.

A suit in chocolate had wide shoulders and unusually-shaped tapered sleeves, which added an edge to the classic garment.

And references to the '80s — such as a shimmering snake-patterned Glam Rock coat and an oversize red-check scarf — injected some fun into a collection, which tipped more toward the commercial than the house's womenswear does.

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MCQUEEN MENSWEAR NOW A PARIS STAPLE

In a sign of the growing importance of both menswear and Paris to the fashion industry, Alexander McQueen is now — with the house's second men's runway show in the City of Light — a firm staple of the calendar.

A model wears a creation for the McQueen men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation for the McQueen men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation for the McQueen men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Founded by the late designer Alexander McQueen in 1992, the house had shown menswear designs in previous seasons by appointment in Milan and London before it made its Paris runway debut last season.

The CEO since 2016, Frenchman Emmanuel Gintzburger, had been tasked with expanding the fashion-forward brand. This move puts the men's designs in line with the lauded womenswear collections that are shown in Paris during ready-to-wear week in the spring and fall.

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JUUN J.'S NECK SCULPTURES

South Korean designer Juun J. often plays with oversized shapes, and for the latest fall and winter collection he took his signature themes up a notch with a highly sculptural collection defined by huge bubble jacket material tied around the models' necks.

The palette was typically tame, with its black, white and blown-up check infused with flashes of vermillion and pale yellow, but the shapes less so.

A huge black bubble jacket, knotted around a female model's upper half, obscured the body alongside a bubble "skirt" with a fine corrugated surface clumsily wrapped around the bottom half. Its myriad hanging tassels further adding to a visual kinesis.

Much of this haphazard body "wrapping" was more sculptural and creative than actually wearable.

A black check suit with multiple layers was given an abstract twist with a shiny bubble jacket around the neck that looked almost like the inflatable neck pillows you find on airplanes.

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CERUTTI 1881'S COLOR

Designer Jason Basmajian of Cerutti 1881 loves color.

Although his restrained fall-winter designs featured darker hues than normal, there were rick pickings for anyone who likes a bright wardrobe.

Models wear creations for Cerruti 1881 men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Models wear creations for Cerruti 1881 men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A model wears a creation for Cerruti 1881 men's Fall-Winter 2018/2019 fashion collection presented in Paris, Friday, Jan.19, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A beautiful military green coat in soft wool looked huggable, as did a pair of fluffy sports-infused eggshell pants.

A gold shirt evoked the rich fabrics of India, and the rich color also cropped up on a Cerutti logo sweater and a sporty women's coat with black fanny pack.

There was a sporty edge to many of the 47 looks as is increasingly common with many menswear brands around the world.

Chief Creative Officer Basmajian brings a business approach as well as an artistic one to his fashion designs. Friday's saleable collection was a case in point.

PARIS (AP) — With the Paris Olympic Games 100 days away, police carried out a large-scale eviction at France's biggest squat in the south of the country's capital. Authorities, including dozens of gendarmes, cleared out the makeshift camp at an abandoned bus company headquarters in Vitry-sur-Seine on Wednesday.

The camp had become home to about 450 migrants, with images of the eviction spreading rapidly across social media.

Aid workers are concerned that the broader effort by Paris authorities to clear out migrants and other people sleeping rough in the city before the summer Olympics is troubling, as those evicted are not provided longer-term housing assistance.

“The squat was the biggest in France. It doubled in size in one year because of the Olympics. Last year, authorities cleared out migrants from nearby the Olympic Village, and many displaced people came here,” said Paul Alauzy of the humanitarian organization Médecins du Monde, who has been closely following the steady pace of evictions over two years.

The conditions inside the warehouse were cramped, Alauzy said.

The clearance operation will continue over several days. The site is empty: 150 people left the night before the police arrived, while 300 were evicted before 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Among the 450 were 20 children and 50 women, the aid group said.

This action is part of a broader push by local authorities to dismantle makeshift camps as the city prepares to host the Olympics from July 26 to Aug. 11.

Advocacy groups working with the homeless and other vulnerable populations have been voicing their concerns for months. They have been particularly vocal about the accelerated pace of camp clearances as the Games approach, warning of the dire consequences for those who find themselves without shelter.

On Wednesday, observers said some five buses were at the site, intended to transport migrants to specially allocated sites in cities such as Orleans or Bordeaux, or in the wider Paris region, Ile-de-France. Other migrants will be bused to temporary filtering sites.

Alauzy said he fears that “it will just be a matter of days or weeks for many of the migrants to be sleeping rough on the street again.”

Umbrella association Revers de la Medaille, French for The Medal’s Other Side, which underscores the harmful effects of the Games on the most precarious populations, said it did “not know where families with school-going children were sent to.”

The fate of these displaced individuals remains a pressing issue as the city gears up for its time in the global spotlight, highlighting the tension between urban beautification efforts and support for marginalized communities.

Earlier this month, French police removed about 50 migrants, including families with young children, from the forecourt of Paris City Hall. The migrants packed their belongings and boarded a bus to temporary government housing in the town of Besançon in eastern France.

Responding to a question about Wednesday's evacuation, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said she wanted “to emphasize is that it has nothing to do with the Olympics.”

“These policies, they were implemented before the Games, they will be implemented after the Games,” she said. "And we want to handle those difficult situations with the best possible humanity. This is why we work with the aid groups. We really want to make things as fair as they can be.”

Associated Press writers Angela Charlton and Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.

This photo provided by the Collectif Acces au Droit, shows riot police officers lining up, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Vitry-sur-Seine, outside Paris. With the Paris Olympic Games 100 days away, police carried out a large-scale eviction at France's biggest squat in the south of the capital. Authorities, including dozens of gendarmes, cleared out the makeshift camp at an abandoned bus company headquarters in Vitry-sur-Seine. (@CAD_asso Collectif Acces au Droit via AP)

This photo provided by the Collectif Acces au Droit, shows riot police officers outside a squat Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Vitry-sur-Seine, outside Paris. With the Paris Olympic Games 100 days away, police carried out a large-scale eviction at France's biggest squat in the south of the capital. Authorities, including dozens of gendarmes, cleared out the makeshift camp at an abandoned bus company headquarters in Vitry-sur-Seine. (@CAD_asso, Collectif Acces au Droit via AP)

FILE - Migrants stand in front of the Paris City Hall, Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Earlier this month, French police removed about 50 migrants, including families with young children, from the forecourt of Paris City Hall. The migrants packed belongings and boarded a bus to temporary government housing in the town of Besançon in eastern France. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga , File)

FILE - A homeless sleeps just next to the Eiffel Tower Wednesday, April 10, 2024 in Paris. With the Paris Games 100 days away, French police carried out a large-scale eviction at an abandoned factory, located on the southern outskirts of Paris in Vitry-sur-Sein on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani , File)