Androgynous silhouettes and sensible sandals are set to be the must-have appears for next summer, if the first day of Paris’ four-day-long menswear collections Thursday was anything to go by.

Gender-bending looks ruled the spring-summer 2011 catwalk at Jean Paul Gaultier, where strapping models wrapped in postage-stamp-sized towels lounging in a mock hammam opened a show enthused by the androgynous style of the late French designer Yves Saint Laurent during his years in Marrakech. Post-apocalyptic androgyny — think sleeveless Barbarella vests worn with platform stripper boots — was the name of the game at California-born designer Rick Owens’ somber show.

Louis Vuitton, the luxury giant that got its begin as a trunk maker, continued to discover the idea of the journey, sending out a travel-ready collection of packable splits with Chinese touches and sensible sandals that were made for walking.

Paris’ menswear shows move into day two on Friday with shows by coveted French heritage labels Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent, Dior designer John Galliano and his Dior Homme counterpart, Belgium’s Kris Van Assche.