Life is hard, and no one knows this better than the fashionable folk of Paris. This spring, we headed down to the French capital and things were looking a lot more brooding than we’ve come to expect. One person in a panda mask and striped trousers sat with their head in their hands outside a show, looking particularly downtrodden; another showed off their big, brass middle finger earring while staring our photographer down; a third, tattooed grunger even wore boxers with the phrase ‘life is hard’ printed around the waistband, just in case you needed any further confirmation.

Maybe it was something to do with the non-stop rain, but contemplation was the order of the day during the AW24 Paris shows. One scarf-swaddled man wore a ‘No Music No Life’ pin attached to his shoulder bag, while others wore stickers and beanies showing solidarity with Palestine. Outside the Dior show, punters were definitely thinking about the decisions that had got them thus far: standing in a hundred strong queue outside in the cold (at least they had some chic overcoats to keep them warm, though).

The intense agonising was clearly spilling over into the style, too. Intimidating looking metal ear cuffs and razor sharp black nails were paired with brooding stares and longing looks into the middle distance. A palette of greys and blacks on the outside seemed to reflect what was happening on the inside. Though there were a couple smiles and peace signs thrown up, most Parisians kept their heads down and kept it moving. An existential crisis for spring? Maybe that actually is groundbreaking.