Fashion’s great pendulum, the thing that dictates what we all wear at any given time, is askew. It’s been a confusing time for menswear, thanks to global forces beyond our control. The male wardrobe has expanded significantly in recent years, which means more opportunities to play around, but also more opportunities to get lost. Investing in good-quality, timeless garments is as important as ever, but there’s also been a surge of technical gear (aka gorpcore), as well as a move towards upcycling and sustainable fashion.

This all feels slightly apart from the traditional trends we’re used to seeing and more like a new set of approaches to getting dressed. Here – as seen on London-based skater Mr Ludo Gordon – are the myriad ways in which menswear is going now. To find out which direction, or indeed directions, you’d like to go in, read on.

With the frenetic pace of modern life, not to mention the boom in fast fashion in the past two decades, the rise of brands that are taking things more slowly is a breath of fresh air. Appreciating the special details that go into making clothes are designers such as Story Mfg., whose pieces are notable for their expert embroidery and dyeing techniques. BODE is another brand leading the charge in this regard. American designer Ms Emily Adams Bode is known for incorporating vintage materials into her designs and reimagining them into pieces that feel entirely fresh. Then, of course, there’s Bottega Veneta – now under the creative directorship of Mr Daniel Lee – that continues to inspire and delight with super-polished, contemporary minded clothes that are made in Italy.

While sustainability and upcycling have much in common, the latter distinctly refers to the process of taking something old and unloved and repurposing it into something new and better. Greg Lauren, for instance, is known for taking vintage denim and flannel and remaking it into everything from hybrid sweatpants to kimono-style jackets. Another brand worth checking out is Gallery Dept. An LA operation run by Mr Josué Thomas, it’s become known for taking vintage deadstock and making it into garments that feel both nostalgic and contemporary.

For most of us, this past year has been incredibly dull, sartorially. The cleverer menswear designers know this and have provided an antidote. Colour! Embellishment! Prints! From Dries Van Noten’s jazzy jackets to its bright yellow trousers, the coming season is all about bringing some joy back into getting dressed by donning clothes that are simply too good to be locked up indoors. The rules? If something puts you in a better mood when you put it on, you’re doing it right.

Gorpcore – a term inspired by the good old raisins and peanuts hikers eat to keep their energy up – is one of the most unstoppable movements in menswear right now. It’s why you’ve noticed a huge rise in stylish gents wearing brands such as Arc’teryx and The North Face and why handy belt bags, as well as outdoor gear with too many pockets, are now an integral part of the modern man’s wardrobe. And it’s not just “outdoor” brands that are putting out clothes that feel more technical. Saman Amel, perhaps best known for its impeccable tailoring, has created a tech-twill field jacket that feels polished yet practical, which is what this is all about.

The days of casual Fridays or even smart-casual dress codes are long gone. Today’s happy medium is about retaining the lazy comfort of, say, sweatpants or pyjamas and elevating them to a place that feels refined enough to take them out to dinner. In practice, this means long, sweeping coats that could double up as dressing gowns (see also snoozecore) or striped trousers and silk bomber jackets from CELINE HOMME that somehow feel laid-back yet aggressively stylish. Call it the new nonchalance.

The unignorable need to move towards sustainability has forced the fashion industry into some serious soul-searching in recent years, but the good news is that designers are being more innovative than ever in making sure what they’re putting out doesn’t just look good, but is environmentally responsible, too. That old notion of sustainably minded clothing being for hippies is long dead; now, planet-friendly fashion is more stylish than ever, which means there’s no excuse not to get on board. See Gucci’s cross-body bag for instance, which is crafted from Econyl, an eco-friendly nylon that is made entirely from ocean and landfill waste, or adidas Originals’ vegan leather sneakers, which are made from 70 per cent recycled materials.

The true test of a good piece of clothing is whether you’ll still be wearing it in 10 years’ time. Mr Giorgio Armani once said, “The difference between fashion and style is quality,” so the key to finding something timeless is often in how well it’s made. Certain brands are head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to quality and should be your first port of call when looking for something that will last, if not a lifetime, then at the very least a decade. TOM FORD, for instance, has perfected the idea of a timeless masculine wardrobe with a selection of menswear in sophisticated hues that don’t date, while Loro Piana, which has been around for nearly a century, knows exactly which ageless sartorial notes to hit in terms of colour, fabric and cut.