Paris Men's: The New Austerity I got into town early and, of course, had to dog-trot to Rick Owens's show at 12:30 p.m. The Paris traffic soaks up your time in a way that feels different and, alas, permanent. Still, the Paris spring men's collections provide the nearest thing to a vacation at work; they're always relaxed and friendly (Dries Van Noten served gin and tonics before his show tonight), and the fashion is plentiful. So I reached the gloom of Mr. Owens's favorite cave, the ugly Bercy arena, and soon the show began with the models trekking down a brief incline bathed in pin dots of light. Actually, the boys were clomping like a team of Clydesdales. Mr. Owens's newest shoe is a combination of clog and shower slide, and it's adorable, especially with thick hiking socks. The silhouette seemed leaner than usual, or maybe it was just the fact that the slim paneled skirts and fitted sleeveless T-shirts were nicely stripped down. It was an urban summer uniform. No frills - which is hard to say about a skirt. And then I caught up with Kim Jones, the men's style director at Louis Vuitton, backstage before the show, and he immediately started talking about the lightness of the suiting fabrics (a silk seersucker so delicately crinkled it's barely a seersucker) and super-soft leather. He showed me a yellow rain slicker in a rubbery material that felt like water in fingers. Sailing clothes was the theme of the collection, with cotton dungarees, deck shoes, laser-cut raincoats, and rope and coral details, but the main point was how perfectly spare and energetic everything looked. Mr. Jones put the effort into fabrics and textures, like sweaters hand-knitted from chambray shirting strips. Mr. Van Noten was also in a lean, no-nonsense mood, with lots of bright white mixed with blurry camouflage prints, quilted tops that recalled fencing gear, jolts of burnt orange and salmon pink, and minimalist jackets and vests in crisp solid fabrics.