It's hard to find fault with Dries Van Noten. Season after season he is consistently good - perhaps because he makes clothes that men really want to wear. This truly is a collection for every man, from dyed-in-the-wool fashion sorts to appreciators of a well-cut pair of trousers and a nice shirt. For spring/summer 2012 the onus is on urban sports, strapping details on lightweight waterproof outerwear, and stripes (another key trend for next summer) on everything from knits to shorts. Van Noten's colour palette is always a success and this was no exception: navy, brown, claret, red, white, yellow, hessian and black. These are clothes that fit seamlessly into existing wardrobes that you will wear and wear - what else do you really need? Photograph: Helen Seamons
Kim Jones's first collection as creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton was a high point of the week. His travel-inspired collection, a topic close to the heart of Vuitton, was an instant hit. The house check was reworked in bright red and cobalt and presented in scarves worn Masai-style high around the neck or in neat twisted neckerchiefs. They will no doubt prove to be sell-outs. Drawing on his own early life in Kenya and that of the artist Peter Beard, Jones fused Ivy-league prep with Out of Africa safari suits and raffia textures. As you would expect from a luxury luggage company the accessories, particularly the bags, were excellent Photograph: Mazen Saggar/PR
Lanvin purists will love this collection. Broken up into four sections - leather, luxe sports, alternative tailoring and haute hippy - it encompassed everything the Lanvin man will want in his wardrobe. You cannot fail to be seduced by the mouth-watering colours of the summer tailoring - signature Lanvin. This collection was less whimsical then past outings, mainly due to the inclusion of leather, giving it a tougher edge Photograph: PR
At Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche unveiled another slick collection. This is the menswear equivalent of Celine, minimal at its most desirable. Fluid tailoring was the order of the day, with touches of chestnut leather partnering taupe linen to great effect. The red of winter was replaced with a cool teal blue and jackets were fastened with traditional military buttons in reverse, so the silver hoop was exposed. As with the winter collection, hats were a key focus, this time in both black and white. They pulled the whole look together and sharpened the silhouette Photograph: Helen Seamons
Who wouldn't want to go on holiday with the Hermes man, or rather, who wouldn't want the Hermes man's vacation wardrobe? This is a luxury fabric heaven: a butter-soft suede T-shirt, laser-etched with belt buckles and Hs; the lightest of unstructured seersucker blazers; delicate woven suede-fronted cardigans; and for lounging on deck (because of course there is a yacht involved), silk piped-edge pyjama shorts. All in a colour palette of inky oceans and sandy shores, offset with accents of gamboge yellow and terracotta. Special mention goes to the sandals that were worn with every exit - there's no room for cheap flip-flops in this fantasy Photograph: PR/Helen Seamons
When the sun beats down in Paris, an al fresco venue is much welcomed by the assembled guests. Junya Watanbe chose to show his collection in the garden of a school for the deaf on the Left Bank. It was a welcome change from a cramped bench in a stifling room. A hedgerow backdrop was perfect for a collection centred around dungarees (a sub-trend for SS12, the male all-in-one cropped up in several collections). Wellington boots, fisherman bucket hats, plaid shirts and wet weather outerwear added to the outdoorsy mood and practical workwear theme that is central to Watanabe's style Photograph: Helen Seamons
A hairstyle battle was wagered on the catwalk for SS12. There were two main camps. The first was slick and short, glossy with wet-look product - "chip shop" hair, as one fashion editor quipped. It was seen at Raf Simons (above left), Comme des Garcons and Alexis Mabille. The second was long and loose, clean and product-free, seen at Paul Smith (above right), Lanvin and Ann Demeulemeester, a longterm champion of flowing, poetic locks. While long hair is less high-maintenance, it will of course require an investment of time, but you have a full year, gentlemen, to grow that barnet down to your shoulders. Let battle commence Photograph: Helen Seamons
Acne is now the go-to label in fashionable circles for all things pared down and stylish. Its price points may have crept up in recent seasons, but the core pieces still sit in the relatively affordable bracket for a designer brand. These are clothes that look 'fashion' without looking over-designed (that's the brilliance of functional Swedish thinking for you). The colour palette beautifully mixed denim blues, black and plum with sludgy ice-cream shades and a single pop of red in the shape of a summer knit, worn with crisp white shorts. Favourite pieces included the 'floral camo' patterned ochre and black trousers and a zip-up sage green windcheater Photograph: PR
You wouldn't guess it from the nondescript tiny white card, but an invitation to a Thom Browne show is a passport to a fantasy land. For SS12 the audience huddled around tables and squeezed on to velvet banquettes, in 35C heat, at Maxim's, an art nouveau Paris restaurant and cabaret lounge. Gangsters and (male) molls paraded the tiny rooms, all power shoulders in city pinstripes with umbrellas and briefcases or draped in oversized pearl necklaces topped with a fringed lampshade hat. They were either stalking towards you with menacing looks or stopping briefly to flirt. Browne is a master showman whose innovative productions never cease to surprise and delight Photograph: Helen Seamons
Picking up where Milan left off, Riccardo Tisci combined two of the season's biggest trends, print and sport, to stunning effect in his collection for Givenchy. The silhouette was young and sporty, inspired by surfers. Notable pieces were the baseball caps and jackets, harness cutaway details, sweatshirts, bermuda shorts and pleated skirts. Most were rendered in a vivid, bird of paradise print, sometimes picked out in iridescent sequins. On suiting the print bled seamlessly across blazers and shirt fronts. It was a stark contrast to last season's snarling rottweilers, but packed the same punch Photograph: Helen Seamons
