There is, for want of a better word, something oddly nostalgic about this coming autumn’s menswear collections. Granted, that’s not a concept typically associated with new-season fashion, which concerns itself with looking forward, not back; but 2020 has been quite the year thus far, and so much has happened since these collections were first unveiled to the press in January that they arrive to us now like a sepia-tinted snapshot of a simpler, more innocent time. 

You might think this somehow renders them passé, and if you’re the kind of person who likes to channel the zeitgeist through your personal style then perhaps you’ve got a point. Unlike fast fashion, the world of designer fashion still operates on a biannual cycle, and while there are clear benefits to this model – the clothes are better, for a start – there’s no getting around the fact that this season’s collections were designed at a time that already feels like ancient history. If you ask us, though, that’s exactly what gives this season its unique appeal.

Designers are already in the process of reacting to the events of the past six months, with the recent SS21 runway shows – most of which took place behind closed doors and were broadcast digitally – appearing notably more austere and utilitarian, in a reflection of a radically changed world. Until those collections arrive in another six months’ time, though, we have this: a season of menswear full of fun, colourful and brilliantly wearable clothes designed for a 2020 that never was.

Read on for MR PORTER’s six key takeaways from the AW20 season, featuring snaps from our Journey To Land’s End campaign – a style expedition inspired by our innate sense of adventure, sartorial and otherwise.

This season’s collections provide ample opportunity to flaunt your artistic side by injecting a little colour into your wardrobe, with shirts being the palette of choice. Here, Our Legacy, a Swedish brand with an international following, paints kaleidoscopic patterns onto its louche, 1970s-inspired shirting, while Marni, in the foreground, offers proof that monochrome doesn’t have to be monotonous with its abstracted heart-print shirt. One word of warning: when wearing a big statement of a shirt like this, you really don’t need to do much with the rest of your outfit. In fact, it’s probably best if you don’t. Prints like these need room to breathe.

It’s only natural during times of uncertainty that people will prioritise comfort. The knitwear presented in this season’s menswear collections is particularly strong, with chunky, oversized sweaters so big you could get lost in them – see the example from Dries Van Noten, above – and stylish sweater vests from Prada that look like they were designed with autumn Zoom calls in mind. (Although, unless you work for a progressive employer we suggest that you avoid the sleeveless look seen on the runway at Prada. But, in this case, we’ve completed the outfit with a shirt from BODE.)

The words “coloured leather” might bring to mind Mr Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, but don’t look away just yet. With the right colour and the right leather – in this case, a dusty shade of pink that sits somewhere on the colour wheel between salmon and burgundy, applied to a slim-fit trucker jacket made from butter-soft suede – it’s a look that you’ll find yourself returning to again and again this autumn. The trick to applying colour in a tasteful manner is to think tonally: subtly different shades of the same colour work well together, washed-out colours go with other washed-out colours, and so on. It’s a strategy executed to perfection here, where the soft pink of the jacket by Mr P. can be seen mirrored in the scarf from Séfr, which also has echoes of the pale greyish-blue of the jeans.

This autumn, trousers – one of the unsung heroes of the male wardrobe – get their long-overdue moment in the spotlight, even if it does come at a moment in history when, thanks to the working-from-home revolution, our below-the-waist style choices have never felt less consequential. (Our advice? Look at it the other way: if you’ve ever felt like mixing things up in the legwear department but couldn’t pluck up the courage, what better time than now?) The pertinent point from the new season is not one of proportion, but details: take the black trousers in the image above, which feature detachable, jodhpur-style stirrups borrowed from the world of equestrianism, or the reinforced knee patches on L.E.J’s workwear-inspired cotton-twill trousers, which can be seen on the right.

The boxy shape of this cardinal-red coat from Prada – heavily padded shoulders, minimal suppression in the waist, and cut short, like a naval peacoat – feels like the logical conclusion of the last few seasons, which have seen a slow-but-steady abstraction and softening of the traditional masculine silhouette. Pair this with the standout colour, and you’ve got what feels like an entirely new proposition for the way men ought to dress: a celebration of individualism that feels particularly apt at a time when the influence of corporate culture, along with its expectations of sartorial conformity, is quickly fading from our lives.

Hear the word “neutrals” and you’ll likely think beige, grey and camel. There’s a good reason these colours are so popular in the world of style: they’re incredibly easy to wear, they combine well with each other and they never feel old. But they never feel particularly new, either, which is why we’re cheering the arrival of an earthier, warmer colour palette this season. Sure, burnt orange or moss green might be a little further out of your comfort zone than, say, charcoal grey, but these colours are much easier to wear than you might think – and a lot more fun than the classic neutrals, too. Go wild.