That concludes fashion month, I suppose. Buyers, stylists, models, and celebrities have been traveling between fashion capitals over the past few weeks to learn how the world's best-dressed men will be dressing for next summer.
So, what's the verdict? Are we all going to be dressed like highlighter pens, or will neutral shades reign supreme once again? Will the silhouettes be baggy or Meet Me in the Bathroom-level skinny? Will our wardrobes be even more gorpcore-y or Y2K or... neither? Without further ado, here's our trend breakdown.
Showing at Fendi’s leather goods factory, Silvia Venturini Fendi presented a collection that played tribute to the callous-thumbed artisans that fill her team. Suits came with stitches for fitting alterations and shirts were printed with toolkits, but it was in the accessories where you could see a direct connection to workers’ uniforms. Models walked with F-monogrammed coffee cups (some in holders, some in hand), documents, measuring tape and name tags as if they were just clocking in for another day.
This trend for accessorising everyday items and elevating the supposedly mundane continued into Paris Fashion Week. Louis Vuitton also had a fellow caffeine addict walk their runway, this time with a straw poking out of the coffee cup lid, as well a model who sported a leather version of the LV shopping bag.
It’s natural for summer collections to be a bit on the brighter side, but no one was expecting the sheer amount of clothes that were imbued with a satsuma-esque shade of orange. While the colour can be intimidating for even the most extroverted dresser, designers made it look as effortless as an Easy Peeler: Dries Van Noten paired pumpkin shorts with a tucked-in double-breasted blazer, while Etro’s more brazen take—a tinsel tank and hoody combo—is for the risk takers. For a contemporary take on suiting, Zegna’s pastel pieces shouldn’t be ignored, and should prove to be a go-to for wedding attire next year, but for casual, everyday-wear, Bianca Saunders’ graphic tees are a must.
Recently, the baseball cap has had a comeback, and it appears that the sporting fervor will continue into next summer as well. Fendi, Martine Rose and Saul Nash all had their own takes, varying from Italian leather to acid-wash denim. But there was more outré headwear, too. Kim Jones had his models wear colourful beanies (at an askew angle) while at Kenzo, Nigo showed wide-brim sun hats and printed berets.
The rules of smart-casual dressing have always included a time-tested formula: pair a nice shirt with some more relaxed bottoms and... there you have it. Foolproof, which is why it featured heavily across the spring/summer ’24 shows. But for this season, you should expect shirt designs that are brasher and a lot more eye-catching. Dior, for example, bejewelled a work shirt with a load of blue crystals, while Ami and Dries Van Noten both had heavily sequinned button-downs within their collections. Prada even stuck on 3D florals and some fringing onto theirs. The message is clear: the bolder the better.
This season also saw brands embrace a concept that has been embraced in womenswear for decades: the going out top. Fendi had a halterneck shirt where the arms drape behind, and Loewe presented a metallic blouse that sparkled like a disco ball. And for more retro takes, Saint Laurent had sleeveless pussybows and sheer blouses aplenty.
It’s lucky that the Y2K low-rise trend has barely entered the menswear-sphere, despite having dominated womenswear for seasons now. In fact, brands are rebelling against it. Waistlines were well above the belly button at Loewe and Prada in both trousers and shorts form respectively, while the use of cummerbunds at D&G and Wales Bonner gave the visual illusion of longer legs and shorter torsos.
Hemlines have also started retreating north, despite seasons of the long and slouchy silhouette. All of the longer-length bottoms at Dior were cropped just above the ankle, and at Hermès the hems were turned up to give full view of the models' fisherman sandals. Waistbands and hemlines are moving on up.
Perennial plants have been blooming in menswear for the last few years, and seeing them blooming in this season’s collections isn’t all that unusual. However, they were blown up to larger and slightly darker sizes as opposed to the more twee prints we had previously seen. As mentioned earlier, Prada had 3D lilies stitched onto shirts, but also positioned them alongside prints of slightly gloomier (potentially underwatered) styles. Emporio Armani centred their black-heavy collection around a ginkgo leaf, where it featured as cut-outs on peak lapel blazers and woven onto lattice-like tops. Valentino had singular roses, an enlarged poppy motif and peonies as part of its sartorial garden, and Kenzo had rose heads printed and stitched onto its denim pieces.
While pairing a linen suit with sandals isn’t exactly a revolutionary move, the catwalks this year were particularly... toe-heavy. Expect wedding wardrobes to follow suit, for better or worse. Dries Van Noten paired a waist-hugging black suit with leather flip flops, and the toe-dividing footwear was also seen at Wales Bonner, where it was styled with a structured linen two-piece. If you have an aversion to seeing your tootsies outside of beach locations, follow Hermès’ lead by sticking to a fisherman sandal. Suited and booted? No, it’s about being suited and sandaled.
The sheer volume of suits and tailoring on the spring/summer '24 runways proved that, despite the pandemic's best efforts to the contrary, they are still in demand. Still, it was clear that there was one cut that reigned supreme for the season: the double breasted suit. They opened the show at Givenchy, worn with hands in pockets at Loewe, paired with contrasting trousers at Ami, as part of a three-piece suit at Paul Smith and in a horse-bit check print at Gucci.
Originally published on Esquire UK
The menswear evolution at Saint Laurent under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello has been a gradual one. The beginning of his tenure saw Vaccarello sticking to predecessor Hedi Slimane's penchant for rock-and-roll skinnies, while at the same time adding his own inflections of chic. Since then—he's recently passed the seventh-year mark—Vaccarello has increasingly referenced Saint Laurent's archives, especially the work of its founder.
The Saint Laurent summer 2024 runway show was held in Berlin, Germany. While it may be more famously known for its vibrant rave and party culture, the city's art and design scenes too require little introduction. The glass-and-steel Neue Nationalgalerie—a modern art museum designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe—provided the perfect setting for the summer 2024 collection that further emphasised on Vaccarello's stamp for Saint Laurent: modern, elegant, and indisputably chic.
The fit: Just like the brand's previous presentation (the winter 2023 womenswear runway show), the focus for the summer 2024 menswear collection was the shoulder. Strong and structured, the general look consisted of an oversized blazer paired with high-waisted flute trousers, achieving a top-heavy silhouette that tapered down. The opening looks were classic pairings of tuxedos interpreted in the collection's silhouette but as the show progressed, button-downs were substituted in favour of neck-plunging tank tops crafted from silk.
When shoulders weren't accentuated and exaggerated by deftly tailored blazers and shirting, they were left bare. The aforementioned tank tops were joined by sheer blouses decorated with polka dots and extended scarf collars, halter-neck tops, toga blouses, and off-shoulder tops that all featured some manner of elegant draping.
The overall sense of flou was evident in the silk fabrications, but also in the continuation of winter 2023 menswear's use of oversized pussy bows tied around the neck.
The details: It does seem that when Vaccarello does a fashion show, the focus is almost strictly on the clothes and not much else. The Saint Laurent summer 2024 menswear collection was no different—there were no bags to speak of. The accessory du jour however, were aviator sunglasses. And true to form, the devil was in the details. What may have seemed like regular aviators, were given a modern twist with temples connected to the bottom of lenses instead of the top.
If you're looking for an update to wearing a shirt, refer to look 23's styling tip of treating one like how you would a bathrobe—simply disregard the buttons, wrap the shirt around the waist and tuck it into trousers. It's not a new hack by any means but a nifty one to experiment with oversized shirts.
Three exceptional looks: Look 5 is quintessential to the Saint Laurent summer 2024 menswear collection that's further elevated with the hint of a red pocket square; look 29 for a dramatic elegance befitting any occasion; and look 37 that's proof of the timeless simplicity of an all-black fit.
The takeaway: If this summer season is all about baring abs with cropped tops, summer 2024 may perhaps be the time to work on the pecs and guns.
View the full Saint Laurent summer 2024 menswear collection in the gallery below.
