Men’s Fashion Week so far: the trends you’ll actually want to try

In between JW Anderson's deconstructed bikes and Jeff Goldblum stealing the (Prada) show, this season has given us stellar styling tips

Hero image in post
photo: instagram (via @dhruvkapoor)
Hero image in post
photo: instagram (via @dhruvkapoor)

In between JW Anderson's deconstructed bikes and Jeff Goldblum stealing the (Prada) show, this season has given us stellar styling tips

By Jack Ramage22 Jun 2022
5 mins read time
5 mins read time

SS23 is about hot truckers, skaters, and double denim. We’re well into the swing of men's fashion week, which has already taken place in London and Milan with Paris and New York incoming. It’s the first time in over two years the fashion event has been able to take place without restrictions — finally, a chance to see Jeff Goldblum shine as the ultimate daddy style icon IRL.

Big shows that we should keep our eyes on for trends in Paris include Rick Owens, Kenzo and Loewe. Closer to home, JW Anderson’s surreal silhouettes made headlines London, which offered a big celebration of juggarnaut designers like Ahluwalia and Robyn Lynch, who champion their respective heritages in their clothes. Martine Rose (rumoured to be Louis Vuitton’s next creative director) was a big highlight too, showcasing the best of British.

We’ll be updating as the looks keep coming, so bookmark this post as your guide to the most wearable SS23.

Hot trucker summer

Summer is here and trucker hats are the sunny day accessory to cop. The street style punctuating the 2023 menswear shows sees trucker hats paired with anything from summer dresses to power suits, big silhouettes and sleek tailoring. Florence, London, Milan and Paris gave us a peek at the hat-du-jour. They’re stylish and a statement — oh, the added sun protection is a bonus too.

Say it with your chest

It seems like artful affirmations are trending this year too. Designers across SS23 have been wearing their hearts on their sleeves (or torso) and telling it like it is through bold slogans.

For instance, British design duo Jordan Luca’s show featured T-shirts declaring “the future is yours”. How poetic… A positive mental attitude reared up in Dhruv Kapoor’s Milan show of his collection too, which advised wearers to “protect your energy”. Makes sense, given that Kapoor made history as the first Indian designer to show at Milan’s men’s offering.

D&G also provided a playful ode to David Beckham with shirts printed with his name and England football team number, amid the Y2K tattered denim and embellished suits.

The Canadian Tuxedo takes over Europe

The “Canadian tuxedo” has been a recent hit in the fashion world too. Double-denim — when done correctly — is an eye-catching and bold look, leaving Justin Timberlake in the dust. A host of designers have decided to double up on denim at the SS23 shows in Milan and London.

Double-denim was central to the Dolce & Gabbana show in which models wore a series of distressed DD looks. Worn, pale, ravaged denim also made an appearance in Italian label MSGM’s western-inspired catwalk show. It seems many designers are going for this classic theme this year.

Jeff Goldblum also made an appearance on the Prada frow – not as a model this time, sadly – in the brand's stellar bleached double denim suit. But of course, it's Prada, so classics are punctuated with twists – black suits and cowboy boots, leather short shorts. Cherry pick as you will.

Crop tops pop off

Fabric below the stomach? Not for us… designers across the board have been slashing tops at the waist, freeing the belly and bringing crop tops into style whatever your gender.

Moschino, for one, showcased an ab-flashing collection of cropped shirts and t-shirts. Fendi, which started the male midriff mania with crop top suiting in SS22, instead gave us bellybutton-skimming deep V shirts and bare chests under oversized blazers.

Style and surrealism

Surrealism has long been an aesthetic inspiration for fashion, and Jonathan Anderson gave it a new twist on the Milan catwalk. His playful, creative streak in menswear shined through, as he combined classic skater boy style with colour and jagged silhouettes, using broken skateboards and bicycle frames attached to oversized sweatshirts. BMX handlebars spiked the shoulders of models – because, why not? It was loads of fun. Jeremy Scott at Moschino also drew on the surrealist world for SS23. The brand celebrated the abstract figurative work of late illustrator and photographer Tony Viramontes in the label’s first fully dedicated menswear show, with suits that featured hand-drawn, felt pen scribbles, with sweats highlighted with pen strokes.

Celebrating culture through fashion

Central to SS23 has been designers who celebrate heritage and culture. Robyn Lynch’s collection, which debuted in at East London Truman’s Brewery, pays homage to her Irish roots, focusing on traditional cable knits and tailoring.

British-Jamaican menswear designer Martine Rose typically draws inspiration for her designs from her experience growing up in South London, surrounded by a multitude of subcultures, including the rave and reggae scenes of the '90s. She presented her collection in a Vauxhall railway arch (previously home to legendary gay Sauna Chariots), showcasing pieces that show the joy living, loving and partying in London.

In Florence, Wales Bonner’s runway was designed to bring “Afro-Atlantic spirit to European luxury”.

Suite up for SS23

Specialist suites and tailoring has been a key theme of this summer’s fashion week: with designer Martine Rose at the forefront of this style. Forget everything you thought you knew about suiting: instead, think pulled cloth against the body with tightened torsos; trench coats with belts a little too high, and MA-I bombers narrowed and cropped in the body.

Larger than life sunnies

Y2K sunglasses have made a comeback, and they're bigger and better than ever. Rick Owens showed his spring 2023 collection in Paris around a caged wrecking ball which was set on fire, showcasing the best of the bold sunnies (which probably came in handy in front of the bright flames).