The idea of formality in menswear is more fluid than it’s ever been. Which is why when models came down the runway at Auralee this season wearing faded hoodies over their suits and ties, it felt perfectly realistic.

Now that suits aren’t as mandatory as they once were, there’s pleasure to be found in wearing them just because – especially when the designs are as charming as those by Kartik Research. The New Delhi-based designer Kartik Kumra spoke about the idea of celebrating “weird” suiting, which in practice meant blazers or trousers decorated with rabari – an Indian embroidery technique similar to blanket stitch.

Suiting silhouettes were also more relaxed than ever this season, with wider tailored trousers and unstructured blazers as seen at Officine Générale. Smart enough to pass muster at the office, sure, but equally stylish when worn with a casual tee and loafers.

Trad fabrics such as tweed and corduroy were once the province of local librarians and dusty, country pile-dwelling aristocrats. However, this season they felt straight-up cool.

ZEGNA’s consummately elegant collection read as an ode to houndstooth. The Scottish pattern appeared on gilets, coats and thick woollen suits, plus gun club check on shirts and jackets.

Grey tartan was particularly prominent, too, employed on suiting at Our Legacy and Brunello Cucinelli and on double breasted, party-worthy jackets at AMIRI. Meanwhile, SAINT LAURENT showed a tasteful mix of glen checks and houndstooth on suiting with peak-lapels that were sharp in every sense.

Maybe it was because the weather in Europe has been so miserable over the past month, but one of the most appealing trends this season has been the huge amount of faux fur, fluffed-up fleece and fuzzy knitwear.

Cuddly-looking gilets appeared at Auralee, Canali showed an excellent teddy-bear fleece jacket and SAINT LAURENT closed its show with a dark quartet of boa-style scarves and shaggy black overcoats – think Marla Singer from Fight Club if she’d been a menswear nut. KENZO’s woolly suits and cardigans also brought the fuzz, while Sacai took inspiration from Where The Wild Things Are, showing Gruffalo-worthy outerwear that sprouted tufts of fur.

To dip into the trend without going full yeti, opt for a faux fur-trimmed jacket. As well as keeping you cosy, it will add some welcome visual texture to an outfit.

Brown is a relatively consistent trend in menswear – it’s smart, but not severe, and pairs well with just about anything. This season, it was more prominent than usual, with shades of espresso, chocolate and toffee worn top to toe in the tonal tailoring at AMIRI, Massimo Alba, Brioni and AMI PARIS.

LEMAIRE, the Parisian brand whose clothes are always imbued with a kind of sophisticated self-assurance, made the case for a muted brown suit as just about the most elegant thing a man can own. ZEGNA went even further, showing coffee-coloured wool coats layered over billowing brown trousers and accessorised with brown scarves. Just the thing for a winter wardrobe pick-me-up.

For an idea of just how well leather jackets were represented on the runway this season, look at Auralee. The Japanese brand sent one model down the runway wearing two of them at once. It wasn’t just jackets, either – LEMAIRE showed sleek leather blazers, while AMIRI had leather trench coats that looked great styled with a shirt and tie.

SAINT LAURENT showed what must be its most leather-heavy collection yet, with a legion of thigh-high black leather boots (sometimes worn over leather trousers) and a belted leather trench. Elsewhere, Sacai teamed up with Carhartt on some robust and glossy bikers in black and brown as part of a collaboration that will surely be a hit come autumn.

If you can’t wait until then, there’s plenty of excellent leather outerwear for all persuasions to invest in right now: CELINE HOMME has a rock star-ready biker, TOM FORD makes a great leather peacoat and The Row’s calf-sweeping leather coat channels a subtly gothic swagger – think Nosferatu meets quiet luxury.