This was the season during which menswear fully unfurled its freak flag. In AW19, all that rule-breaking and ostentatiousness that’s been effervescent underneath for the previous half-decade erupted in a carnival of colors, prints and luxurious materials.
However menswear’s more-is-more second makes it surprisingly robust to establish traits. Something is truthful recreation proper now, from sportswear to tailoring, spray-on leather-based to super-loose velvet.
To assist, we’ve damaged down the seems to be that appeared throughout a number of runways and which we will think about really including to our wardrobes. Some may appear discordant, even oppositional, however that’s why AW19 is finest summed up not by a glance, however by a mindset. Proper now, menswear is experimental. It’s private. It’s transgressive. And that makes it extra enjoyable than it’s ever been earlier than.
Rock God
These trying to flip their wardrobe as much as 11 can decide their poison for AW19. Rick Owens put a goth spin on glam with Kiss-influenced platform sneakers and skintight black denims, whereas at Celine, Hedi Slimane channelled New Wavers along with his black fits and blacker shades. Punk was ubiquitous, particularly (and appropriately) in London – see Liam Hodges’ shredded tailoring and John Lawrence Sullivan’s leather-based trousers – whereas that frontman go-to, leopard print, was noticed in every single place from Neil Barrett to Dior. Serve blended with teen spirit.
How To Put on It
Just like the music, the rock look exists on a spectrum. The simplest method in will all the time be through black denims and a leather-based jacket, however this season a black go well with and chunky Derbies or brothel creepers is a good higher technique to be part of the band. Or, simply add some animal print: a printed coat in case you’re feeling courageous; a tonal shirt in case you’re not.
Grown-up Sportswear
Man-made materials, from nylon to polyester, had been throughout this season’s runways, turtles be damned (though the prevalence of reclaimed and recycled materials can soothe your conscience considerably). The grasp was, as ever, Prada, which deployed head-to-toe nylon for shellsuits you would put on to a job interview. Craig Inexperienced did his weirdo romantic factor with screen-printed pac-a-macs and tracksuit king Cottweiler branched out into sharp however sporty outerwear (the buckle-up trenches had been notably dreamy). At Alyx, Matthew Williams went huge on black plastic outerwear that was excellent for heading to the health club after the apocalypse.
How To Put on It
This season’s sportswear was about going covert. For AW19, operate brings extra clout than huge logos, so persist with muted colors and little to no detailing. The facility transfer is sportswear particulars on non-obvious sportswear items – nylon shirting, taped sweatshirts and even, as at Dior, nylon tailoring. Suppose fits for the observe, not tracksuits for the workplace.
City Explorer
Designers doubled-down on practicality this season, to the purpose that it began to look a bit impractical once more. If final 12 months was about mountain climbing garments for town, this season noticed outward-bound particulars tweaked for city survival. At Alyx, that translated to knee-length shell coats and all-over camo (a glance accessorised with what appeared like a sleeping bag). On a brighter notice, Kenzo opted for major color fleeces and zip-off mountain climbing trousers, and showcased the type of swaddling puffers and Physician Who-sized scarves that additionally appeared at Loewe, Valentino and Fendi.
How To Put on It
Begin from outerwear in. A knee-length puffer is the quickest – and cosiest – strategy, and in case you can’t stretch to the high-end variations, relaxation assured that the excessive avenue shall be dropping its iterations imminently. Subsequent, boots. It’s lengthy been suggested that you just steer away from vivid colors lest you appear to be you’re really going mountain climbing, however this season, Day-Glo footwear has stepped into town.
Pupil Stylish
With each decade for the reason that Nineteen Fifties trending indirectly, it’s unsurprising that AW19 runways have a nostalgic really feel, as if the designers had been rummaging via their native classic outlets. At instances, it made for a scholar wardrobe vibe, albeit at far-from scholar costs. There have been duffle coats at Berluti and Valentino, corduroy tailoring at Oliver Spencer and zip-up observe tops at
How To Put on It
Begin by going for a rummage via your native classic store (or your dad’s garments within the loft). You’re in search of every period’s key items – suppose ’60s duffle coats, ’70s corduroy, ’80s leather-based jackets or ’90s sportswear. Then bung all of them on nevertheless feels proper.
Equipment Overload
As if affronted by the looks of ludicrously sized coin pouches, the remainder of trend blew up its baggage. As you’d anticipate from a baggage home like Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh confirmed backpacks sufficiently big to camp inside (excellent for drop day queues). Hermès blew minds with an even bigger, higher model of its iconic Birkin bag, which had been bested solely by Kim Jones’s killer holdalls at Dior (see additionally: his space-age cross-body baggage and chest-rigs, which provide the identical storage however nonetheless go away your palms free).
How To Put on It
The great thing about an enormous bag is that you just’ll all the time discover issues to fill it with, from spare cellphone chargers to an additional jumper, in case the climate turns. If you happen to go for one which’s a bit attention-grabbing – suppose novel colors or surprising materials – you’ll create a focus that lifts no matter else you’re sporting.
New Tailoring
This was fairly probably the season that fits formally returned. No assortment was full with out at the least one, ideally 5 or 6, and at Louis Vuitton, Dior and Celine, it appeared as every part had a tailor-made ingredient. We noticed funeral fits (Prada, Ermenegildo Zegna), patterned fits (Berluti, Dries van Noten) and an surprising glut of velvet fits (Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana,
How To Put on It
The important thing takeaway could be: nevertheless the hell you need. Suppose fits with one thing surprising, be that one thing so simple as a boxy match, all the way in which as much as embroidery. Alternatively, play with cloth or color; bottle inexperienced, brown and even black are simple however extra attention-grabbing alternate options to navy.