I Regularly Look to Menswear for the Latest Trends—Here Are 8 I'm Eyeing RN

For some, February marks the last stretch of winter. Spring is on the horizon, and with that leap forward comes the prospect of new trends and warmer temperatures. But if you can believe it, fashion veterans aren't thinking about spring—they're thinking even further ahead to next fall. We don't prefer winter as much, as it's the beginning of fashion month when designers worldwide show their fall/winter collections. While there's no telling what trends will take off, following the runways can give clues about what's coming. It's why editors spend the entire month devouring lookbooks, staring at street style images, and running from show to show in Copenhagen and New York in search of what's next. We're still in the midst of fashion month (London's is happening now, and Paris's and Milan's fashion weeks are still to come), but I feel one week has already set the tone for the season: menswear week. 

Admittedly, as I'm a fashion editor primarily covering womenswear, following menswear week wasn't always my top priority. But as collections were released and two other cities' fashion weeks concluded, I've found that I can not stop thinking about menswear week. For me, it felt like designers were able to capture what many brands have failed to do as of late, melding function and fashion in a forward-thinking way. It wasn't about sending oversize T-shirts down the runway and claiming they're "androgynous." Instead, designers used tailoring, styling, and accessories to push the envelope.

The looks spotted in menswear collections, in my mind, will set the tone for the rest of the year. And to prove that point, I've rounded up eight trends from the fall/winter 2023 menswear collections worth knowing about and shopped them out in both departments. Keep scrolling to see what trends will define fashion for the rest of the year. 

The bomber jacket has always been lauded as a "universal" staple. A quick scroll through any of the recent collections can show that this isn't the basic version we all can recall being big in the past. We first saw this coat reemerge in the fall/winter 2022 womenswear collections of Prada, Loewe, and Versace. And it seems that the style will stick around well into next fall if menswear designers have a say in the matter. 

While more classic versions of this jacket were found in menswear fall/winter 2023 collections, most iterations of this outerwear added a little edge to the silhouette. For example, Prada, JordanLuca, and Gucci made the jacket a bit more voluptuous through a puff-like shape. Emporio Armani and Wales Bonner relied on mixed-media fabrications to make the jacket style feel fresh. And then, some designers used styling to make the bomber look bold—e.g., Givenchy layered a hoodie and flannel under a leather bomber jacket. In contrast, Juun.J layered two leather bombers over each other to nod to the excessive-layering and heavy-duty-leather trends we've seen play a prevalent role in womenswear collections over the past two seasons. Overall, every version of this outerwear spotted on the runway brought forth an exciting way to wear this jacket.

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Color trends have played a prevalent role in womenswear collections over the past few seasons, and it seems that menswear isn't immune to the movement. While some may recall when ultra-vibrant hues were all the rage, with spring/summer 2023 womenswear collections and fall/winter 2023 menswear collections, it's a different story. It's not that designers are ditching color; instead, it's about them pivoting to be more intentional with how they use color in their work to tell a story. 

We've seen that pivot largely displayed both in womenswear and menswear collections through the actual colors featured in their work. There are fewer attention-grabbing tints (think hot pink and kelly green), and instead, we see softer hues like ballet pink, aquamarine, and purple. Beyond shifting the color wheel used in their collections, we also see a focus on styling—vibrantly hued pieces are styled with neutrals to tone them down, or color-blocking is used to break up a monochrome outfit.

The only significant difference we saw between the womenswear spring/summer 2023 collections and menswear fall/winter 2023 collections when it came to color-blocking was what pieces they used to do just that. Womenswear collections focused on accessories, while menswear used separates. Moreover, menswear designers used neutrals to juxtapose with whatever color they featured in their collections. For example, both Prada and Issey Miyake toned down a pair of kelly-green trousers by pairing them with neutral-hued outerwear. At the same time, chocolate-brown outerwear was spiced up with the addition of winter staples like a saffron sweater (see: Wooyoungmi's collection) and a skinny orange scarf and matching button-down (see Marine Serre's collection.

And finally, we saw a head-to-toe navy outfit styled with an emerald-hued peacoat at Emporio Armani. Styling was an essential part of making these colors pop, and even the most muted pastels had a pop to them on the runway this season (see Auralee's and Ami's collections), proving that you don't have to wear the rainbow to have your outfit speak for you. You just have to pick a tint or two and let them do the talking. 

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Anyone who's been following womenswear trends over the past two seasons is likely no stranger to the reemergence of the maxi-length hemline. From dresses to skirts to coats, fall/winter 2022 and spring/summer 2023 collections were filled with so much fabric it often grazed the floor. And while the maxi hemline may be on the more romantic side, menswear fall/winter 2023 collections proved that this silhouette is something anyone can wear. The most noteworthy adaptation of the maxi hemline spotted in menswear collections came in the form of a full-length coat. 

Typically, the coats spotted in the menswear collections leaned toward austere minimalism to not detract from the main focal point: the maxi hemline. So we saw this approach on full display in the double-breasted wool coats in black and navy spotted in Saint Laurent's, Fendi's, and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi's collections. If the outerwear did happen to come in a "bold" fabrication, it was only in the form of a traditional print, classic fabric like leather, or subtle pastel shade (see Dries Van Noten, Loewe, and Ami). The result was a series of coats that let their sweeping lengths speak for themselves. 

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There are some staples that are essential to having a functional wardrobe, and gloves very much fall into this categorization. While this cold-weather accessory has been around forever and is a universal must-have for anyone residing in cold climates, over the past few seasons, we've seen them take a more pivotal part in runway collections. Back in 2021, opera gloves first appeared in the womenswear collections of fashion houses like Prada and have remained around since. And while the accessory may have seemed like it was only having a moment among womenswear designers, fall/winter 2023 menswear week proved otherwise. For them, It wasn't about displaying the functionality of this accessory as much as it was about using them to make a statement.

You can see that through how various designers used colorful leather gloves to juxtapose their runway looks (see Givenchy, Feng Chen Wang, and Ernest W. Baker). Other designers used the gloves to highlight colors they wanted to be the focal point of the look. For example, Emporio Armani paired a royal-purple blazer with a matching briefcase and leather gloves, while Kenzo styled a plaid blazer and miniskirt with cobalt-blue gloves. Auralee used a belt to affix a pair of olive-green gloves to a model's waist so that they'd blend in with a handkerchief skirt.

But possibly the most dramatic takes we saw around this accessory came in the form of elbow-length leather gloves. Louis Vuitton paired a crochet polo with matching purple leather gloves, and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi paired an oversize button-down styled as a dress with over-the-knee boots and long gloves. Each way we saw gloves styled on the runway showed that, with some creative styling, this accessory can be cemented as something that's the right fit for anyone looking to add a little flair to their fall wardrobe. 

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Do you recall back in 2018 when Lenny Kravitz broke the internet because he was donning a massive scarf that grazed the ground? I sure do. While a lot of time has passed since then, one thing hasn't changed: the relevance of extra-long, blanket-like scarves. The cultural importance of this accessory may have been collectively seared into our brains thanks to Kravitz, but it's returned to the chat because of the fall/winter 2023 collections. It wasn't just menswear week that we saw oversize scarves waft down the runway. They were a prevalent part of Copenhagen designers' collections as well. But the main difference between the two all came down to how dramatic the accessory was. 

During menswear week, designers used patterns, colors, volume, and length to make this accessory stand out. For example, a single-breasted cobalt-blue coat was styled with a black-and-white floral-print scarf at Paul Smith. Egonlab paired a hot-pink peacoat with a black-and-navy striped scarf. If a designer wasn't pairing a vibrant-hued jacket with a printed scarf, they relied upon color and volume to add a touch of drama. At Auralee, an olive-green coat was spiced up with a voluminous aquamarine scarf, and at Officine Générale, a beige jacket was styled with an oversize dove-gray scarf.

And lastly, we saw the most exaggerated takes on this trend in Mihara Yasuhiro's F/W 23 collection—chunky hand-knitted scarves dragged on the floor behind models on the runway. With all the ways these scarves showed up on the runway being different, there's no denying the impact that the original Kravitz look had and will continue to have well into the future. 

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One could argue that risqué trends have become run-of-the-mill over the last few seasons. In womenswear, we've seen everything from micro hemlines to excessive cutouts, making the mere motion of showing skin commonplace. Yet with the introduction of fall/winter 2023 menswear collections, we were given a fresh perspective on sultry styles thanks to the wide use of ultra-sheer materials. Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that opaque pieces first emerged in the womenswear collections. But seeing menswear designers take to see-through separates dialed up the heat in a way I haven't seen before.

It wasn't about being crass. Rather, it was about using ultra-fine pieces to create a smoke-and-mirrors situation where the skin was visible but still covered. You can see that through how gauzy knits were styled with slacks at Fendi and Dries Van Noten or how chiffon was draped to create a blouse-like feel on models at Saint Laurent and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi. There were translucent button-downs at Gucci and Bode, but possibly the sultriest versions of this trend were when longline coats were layered over sheer shirts, creating the perfect peekaboo effect (see Ami's and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi's collections). While the trend may seem surprising initially, especially in menswear collections, it shows its inherent universality and wearability across genders. After all, what other trends can you imagine both Dua Lipa and Timothée Chalamet wearing? It's undoubtedly going to be one of the buzziest trends this year. 

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Did you think see-through fabrics would be the boldest trend of the fall/winter 2023 menswear collections? Think again. We saw designers challenge gender norms through the wide adoption of one specific separate: skirts. While men wearing skirts isn't necessarily a new concept (historically speaking, men wore the garment hundreds of years ago without ire from trolls on the internet), we've seen more men donning them. Billy Porter, Oscar Isaac, Robert Patterson, and Lil Nas X are a few of the celebrities who have donned skirts on and off the red carpet. And while the trend seemed to only resonate with the celeb set at first, these collections cemented the piece as a genderless staple.

It wasn't one specific type of skirt style that stood out as the season's silhouette as much as it was the concept of men wearing them in general. For instance, Dior sent a few models down the runway in wool bubble-hem skirts. At Rick Owens and Hed Mayner, sleek knee-length skirts replicated the feel of a pencil skirt without being overly fitted. If designers didn't want the skirt to feel too frilly, they relied on styling and fabrications to make them more approachable. For example, we saw skirts layered over pants at Givenchy and Marine Serre. At Courrèges and Jordanluca, we saw the usage of unique fabrications (e.g., recycled sweatshirts and vinyl) to make the skirt feel edgier. Overall, each iteration of this bottom on the runway proved that skirting gender norms is oh so stylish and here to stay. 

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If you've made it to the end of this story, you've hopefully gleaned by now that there were so many noteworthy trends found in the fall/winter 2023 menswear collections that lend themselves to being influential within the fashion realm for the rest of the year. But if you're still at a loss for how these collections can be applied to how you approach your own wardrobe, then allow me to introduce you to the last trend: unconventional layering. You might recall when womenswear collections first began showing looks that featured excessively layered-on pieces in fall/winter 2022. In a way, this menswear trend is a relative cousin of that, but a bit cooler. It's not about adding on an obscene amount of layers but rather using what you do add on to create visual intrigue. 

Some designers used layers to accentuate the silhouettes they wanted to highlight. For example, a slate-gray blazer was tied at the waist with another blazer at Louis Vuitton. Hèrmes made the collar on a button-down the focal point of the look by styling a short-sleeve sweater over it. At the same time, a knit bralette was styled over a sweater, and a sweatshirt was tied on top of a knit skirt at Auralee. And other designers really just stacked on the layers to make the looks feel cooler. I'm thinking of how Givenchy styled multiple T-shirts over a sweatshirt and then added a leather vest or how Juun.J styled a bomber jacket on top of a hoodie and underneath a longline coat. Kolor layered skirts over trousers for men's and women's runway looks.

But possibly the most unconventional take on layering seen in menswear collections was through the pieces you'd think of as "under layers" styled on top of outerwear. That manifested in how multiple brightly hued cardigans were layered over (not under) a blazer at Botter. At Martine Rose, that meant styling an oversize sweater-vest on top of a pinstripe blazer. While they were combinations that deviated from the norm by every standard, they were a great reminder that everything always comes back to styling. Anyone can wear a sheer top or embrace a trend from the opposite side of the aisle. You just have to be willing to break conventions. And if you do have the courage to do so, you might strike outfit gold. 

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Next up, I Wore Men's Clothing for a Week, and the Resulting Looks Might Surprise You