Though they’re home to the same revered fashion houses as every womenswear season, the menswear shows rarely get the same amount of attention or buzz. The shows are attended by a niche selection of editors, stylists, and industry professionals; cut in roughly half compared to the women’s shows; and timed right before couture week, so the biannual unveiling of menswear collections simply (and sadly) gets overshadowed in many ways. But in my mind, they are, more often than not, a treasure trove for outfit and trend ideas.
Don’t just take my word for it, though—that would be irresponsible. Instead, read up on, scan photos of, and shop the eight most alluring menswear trends from the spring/summer 2024 shows, all of which you can conveniently do by scrolling down just a few notches. While the trends are from the men’s department, the shopping isn’t. (You’re welcome.) Without further ado, get to know the menswear trends that’ll be everywhere next spring and pick out every one that you’ll be wearing yourself.
A clear through line can be drawn from the fall/winter 2023 womenswear collections to the just-debuted spring/summer 2024 collections in regard to the trend I’m calling “peak wearability.” Not too long ago, dressing erred more on the complicated than the easy side, with the need to mix and match patterns and bright colors (without doing too much) being a regular stressor in many fashion peoples’ brains. Now, brands like Prada, Loewe, and Gucci are all pushing a far more relaxed dressing agenda that involves denim, trench coats, and blazers instead of wild silhouettes and trippy patterns.
Though there were a few pairs of extra-long, almost capri-length shorts on the men’s runways this season in Milan and Paris, the majority of non-pants were short—like really, really short. Wales Bonner and Dries Van Noten kept their options quite casual with flowier silhouettes that would fit right in on the stone streets of a seaside Italian town, and Dior, Hermès, and Ami went a more formal route, manufacturing the daring silhouette in structured tweed and leather.
Goodbye, loud colors—hello, head-to-toe gray. But don’t think of that as a bad thing. If the spring collections taught me anything, it’s that wearing a groutfit can only lead to total chicness, especially if tailored pieces like blazers, pressed shorts, and trousers are involved.
Though a lot of what came out of the spring/summer 2024 menswear shows was pretty relaxed and wearable, there was one volume-up trend to take note of: all things bright, sparkling, and sequin covered. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson sent models down the runway in denim covered in crystals, whereas Gucci’s lookbook featured entire ensembles made of a chrome-like embellishment. Tame? No. Fun to wear? Certainly.
If you were starting to doubt yourself for buying so many cardigans in the late 2010s and early 2020s when the sweater style was the only one anyone could talk about, let this season’s menswear offerings soothe your mind. From Fendi to Dior, the knit that every single grandpa on the planet adored (yes, that’s an exaggeration but only slightly) was everywhere, made of tweed and fine cashmere alike.
From super-deep V-necks to daringly low-scooped cuts, the tanks, sweaters, and polos showcased at Valentino, JW Anderson, Saint Laurent, and more during the spring 2024 menswear shows weren’t designed for the faint of heart. But that doesn’t make me want to wear them any less. In fact, like most risqué trends, it only makes them more alluring and challenging (in a good way) to style casually this season.
Knitwear’s typically reserved for the fall and winter runways, but one exception arrived this season in the form of loosely woven sweaters and vests at Dries Van Noten, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Amiri, and more. The beach-ready throw-over is one to always keep on hand for those chilly summer nights when going sleeveless will only end in goosebumps and disaster.
No matter how steamy it tends to get in Italy and Paris during the spring and summer, designers such as Matthew Williams at Givenchy and Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent refused to give fashion people a breezy reprieve in the suiting department. They choose instead to remain steadfastly dedicated to sleek, super-tailored suits, further proving that nothing’s chicer, no matter the time of year or the temperatures outside.
