The international menswear presentations for Fall/Winter 2023 have come full circle, allowing us time to process and decipher the key fashion trends that will be dominating the world stage come mid-year.
There is a renewed interest in wardrobe staples such as long coats, tailored blazers and suits while things are shaking up a bit with non-conformist fashion coming to the fore with skirts for men gaining momentum.
In terms of prints and colours, gender-defying rules continue to apply with designers and brands going all out to add a little vibrancy to winter’s otherwise drab and muted palette.
Comfort-led styles continue to soar with a strong focus on soft materials, knit fabrications and technical garments experiencing great demand, whilst preppy dressing and grunge aesthetics creep into the scene owing to influences drawn from pop culture.
Read on to discover the key trends to consider and invest in for the upcoming season!
LONG LINE COATS
Falling just below the knee or grazing the calves and ankle, the long coat has become a winter wardrobe staple for both men and women, so there is no surprise that this item features on the list.
Featuring a classic, timeless aesthetic, designers are updating long coats for the upcoming season by offering more oversized and deconstructed silhouettes, often in vibrant colours and/or featuring bold graphic prints.
Alexander McQueen, Ami and Dries Van Noten presented clean-cut takes on the trend whilst Bluemarble and Casablanca brought out the artists within with vibrant colour mashups and patterns. Egonlab, Givenchy and Amiri played around with faux fur variations whilst Billionaire and Federico Cina presented a contrasting pattern on an otherwise muted look. Faux leather and patent leather variations also feature high as seen at JW Anderson, Gunther and Billionaire. Striking graphic prints caught our eye at Alexander McQueena and Dhruv Kapoor.
SKIRTS FOR MEN
Even though western culture has seen skirts predominantly being worn by women, history points towards the contrary with skirts having historically been worn by men in many cultures around the world such as the Scottish kilt or the African dashiki.
But the more recent shift towards gender-fluid dressing has given a rise to men’s skirts as a part of avant-garde fashion.
This non-conformist style features wrap skirts, sarongs and kilts updated with modern iterations such as asymmetrical hemlines, the use of unconventional fabrics such as the ones used in men’s suiting and denim, and bold prints as seen at Dior Men’s Look 8, Etro’s Look 25 and Wales Bonner’s Look 16, amongst others.
PREPPY DRESSING
Dating back to the late 1890s and early 1900s, the ‘preppy’ style was considered as a status symbol back in the day with the style being worn by wealthy men who attended preparatory and Ivy League schools. Featuring button-downs, knit sweaters and loafers, the trend extended to include college women by the 1930s, as well.
In the 1950s, the trend expanded even more with twin sets and sweaters styled over collared shirts, sporty rugby shirts, as well as the rise of plaid. The trend made a comeback last winter and saw merchandise that was minimal and comfort-led. The trend continues strong for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2023 season with designers and brands experimenting with a slew of patterns including checks and argyle prints, to v-neck collars, and button-down shirts paired with shorts.
Key looks to note include Etro’s Look 6, Kenzo’s Look 31 and Amiri’s Look 28.
OVERSIZED TAILORING
A wardrobe staple for both men and women over decades, the tailored blazer has gone through periods of becoming simply a generic piece of officewear, to today, where its oversized silhouette has seen a resurgence in popularity due to the rise in thrift and vintage shopping. This particular fit features a softer silhouette and provides a more casual take on the workwear piece, making it suitable for environments both in and out of the office.
A transeasonal item, the oversized tailoring trend works well for both a summer evening and also as an added winter layer.
For Fall/Winter 2023, Louis Vuitton, Ami and Louis Gabriel Nouchi presented more clean-cut iterations, each showing styles with prominent shoulders and paired with matching bottoms, whilst Sean Suen presented an androgynous take on the trend.
Gucci, Kenzo, Egonlab and Emporio Armani each showed options in vibrant colourways adding colour to a winter palette dominated mostly by neutrals and blacks.
BURGUNDY
A rich, deep shade of red that has been associated with nobility and royalty through the Medieval era and Renaissance era, the shade has been passed on through centuries and is especially popular during the Fall/Winter seasons.
A versatile colour that can be paired with a range of colourways and styles, the hue works well for the season owing to its gender-neutral and non-conforming characteristic, making it an apt choice for designers and brands looking to offer more inclusive and diverse fashion pieces.
For the upcoming season, Botter’s presented a silk number in the royal shade while Louis Vuitton presented an updated take on a mix between a long coat and blazer paired with a handbag, bucket hat and footwear in the same hue. Van Beirendonck’s Look 24 saw the colour over an unconventional fabric.
LEISUREWEAR
The leisurewear trend continues to surge owing to the practicality and comfort it offered during the pandemic years, with brands and designers including the category as a mainstay within their collections owing to increasing consumer demand.
Versatile and seasonless, the trend can be worn beyond activities that just include working out. Brands have been paying attention to what consumers want by responding with updated iterations to suit a wide range of environments and situations, as well as by dropping collaborations with sports and athletic brands to meet a wide variety of needs and cater to a more diverse audience.
The Fall/Winter runways saw soft knits, silks, nylons, cotton and technical fabrics being explored at length by designers to offer comfort as well as performance at the same time.
Key looks include Givenchy’s Look 23, Bianca Saunders’ Look 11, Dolce & Gabbana’s Look 50 and Saint Laurent’s Look 5, among others.
CARGO PANTS
As military-inspired fashion makes its way back onto the runways as well as retail, cargo pants emerge as a key item for the upcoming Fall/Winter 2023 season.
Brands are modernising the practical and functional garment with features that include wide-legged cuts, high-waisted silhouettes and alternative material choices. These new additions take the style beyond its army-based roots to appeal to a wider range of shoppers, from Gen Z girls to older men.
Adding to the already expansive options of military-inspired designs available in the market, the cargo pant has emerged as a style that has only surged in popularity over the years. Its comfortable silhouette and modernised evolutions make it an ideal choice that appeals to a wider audience and environment, cementing its place as a wardrobe staple.
GRUNGE
Characterised by an anti-fashion aesthetic that rejected the mainstream fashion trends of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Grunge emerged as a subculture that originated in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, specifically Seattle.
Since then, the trend has taken on a world of its own and given rise to many sub-trends that have grown to become trends in their own right. These include oversized jackets, distressed finishes, baggy jeans, worn out effects that convey an unfussy vibe.
Heavily influenced by the grunge music movement, particularly by bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, the trend continues to be a mirror of the times with the demand for chunky platform boots accelerating this year owing to the popularity of Jenna Ortega’s character in the Netflix series Wednesday, as well as developments in the music industry that are also in sync with the comeback of this trend with Blink-182, My Chemical Romance and Paramore, all due to start their world tour in Spring 2023.
