Viktor & Rolf and Roland Mouret show menswear

Two of womenswear's elite designer labels showed menswear collections during men's Fashion Week in Paris Thursday.

The Viktor & Rolf collection, called Paint it Black, was "designed with ourselves and our own lives in mind, and therefore less dramatic than the women's line," they said.

"We start with a concept and apply it in a smaller, lighter way. Menswear imposes more rules and we enjoy the challenge every season. Surreal, radical and chic are the three words that characterise Monsieur. We like the classic gentleman look but eccentricity is always part of our creations."

Meanwhile, Roland Mouret told us of his debut MR collection (shown via a presentation format rather than on the catwalk): "I wanted to embrace the idea of a boy becoming a man". He added that this is "almost what people want you to avoid with youth-obsessed womenswear," as he prepared to embrace the way men age.

The collection played on what Mouret is well known for: sharp, flattering fits and draped details, which he said he "wanted to become a dictionary of the MR man". He designed only 15 silhouettes for his debut. There were also classic Roland Mouret self-referencing style pieces - including 50s-influenced jeans with turn-ups at the bottom.

He added: "I wanted it to be sensual, understated sexiness, almost Kubrick-like but something a woman could look at and immediately see that would be perfect for their husband. I didn't feel I needed to do a show to show this."