Basic Lessons in French Dressing
Review of Ami Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Luxury light, stripped bare, missing accents
Emerging as a key theme for the mens June season, is the trend for stripping back or keeping things simple. But today’s AMI collection was a case of simply not trying.
In what could have been a show of looks 90% pulled from their retail store, it was another keen example that not everything needs to have a runway show. Especially when lacking a strong point-of-view.
It was neutral utility 101 and the striped ruffle-front blouses – for both men and women – felt concerningly pedestrian. Which could also go a ways to explaining the choice of showspace i.e. in the streets of Paris. Specifically the Place des Victoires, but this was no victory lap for the brand. A campaign film for the show was a vlog-style tour, telling stories of a Parisian lifestyle, yet each look felt ordinary without offering anything new to the narrative of the better basics argument.
An oversized belt buckle aside, where would the compelling reasons be to buy? When an entire industry is following the lead of The Row, brands like AMI – once the darling of the fashion calendar for the way it captured French dressing and made it accessible – risks being left behind as bigger luxury players step into its sphere of influence. As who will the brand face into when those aforementioned players start offering oversized utility jackets, Bermuda shorts, and striped polo tops? But wait, they already do, and if the menswear luxury customer can now get unpretentious staples from the likes of Prada why would they decide to (what would be for all intents and purposes) downgrade at a time when quality and storytelling matter most.
THE DIRECTION
The Wrap-Up
Creating collections that are barely differentiated from a mid-range brand also playing in the space of quiet luxury is a dangerous place to be for AMI, who need to return to the level of refinement shown last season or inject some sort of innovative twist on french dressing. As staging a runway show in today’s climate needs to feel justified.
What was shown today felt inherently lacklustre and too geared toward retail, as if it had been developed as part of a ‘See Now, Buy Now’ model, rather than as part of the fashion calendar for a major fashion week.
Next season will have to be a return to form for the brand as emerging names from across the globe will be vying to take their place.
