THE JOURNAL
From left: ALYX. Photograph courtesy of FirstVIEW. Acne Studios. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE. Officine Generale. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE
What you’ll be wearing next summer.
Discerning trends from what fashion designers put on the runway is generally a reliable bellwether of what we’ll be wearing (or enthusiastically avoiding) in the future, and the menswear fashion shows for spring/summer 2019 threw up some interesting developments. Pockets are pullulating across every bit of clothing with a leg or a sleeve, shirts are being eschewed under suits, and there are murmurs of an uprising against the ubiquitous streetwear trend. But what does it all mean? We can’t profess to have all the answers, but we’ve compiled some of the trends from this season’s shows so you’ll know what to expect in the months to come.
HIGH-RAVE
From left: Commes des Garçons Homme Plus. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE. Fendi. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE. Palm Angels. Photograph courtesy of Pixelformula/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock
Perhaps it’s a nostalgic longing for those pre-internet days when nobody had to worry about drunkenly posting compromising content on their Instagram Stories, but menswear at the moment is stuck in an acid-house rave worthy of 1988. Not the sweaty, gurning mess you might expect, however, but considered, bright prints that somehow look quite sophisticated – not so much nu-rave as hi-end-rave. Think bucket hats and logo-soaked windbreakers from Fendi, fluoro jackets from Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, and vibrant party gear from Palm Angels.
QUADRUPLE DENIM
From left: Alyx. Photograph courtesy of Mr Laurent Viteur/Getty Images. Sacai. Photograph courtesy of FirstVIEW. Officine Generale. Photograph courtesy of FirstVIEW.
Double denim might have been a thing a couple of years ago, but this trend takes it up a notch. Full denim outfits – in different shades or not – were everywhere this season, and appeared at ALYX, Sacai, Officine Generale, Off-White and a number of other contemporary brands. Whether it’s jeans or shorts worn with a denim jacket or gilet (or all together), this is the Texan tux reinterpreted with a streetwise edge.
SHIRTLESS SUITS
From left: CMMN SWDN. Photograph courtesy of Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images. Dries Van Noten. Photograph courtesy of FirstVIEW. Officine Generale. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE
A suit isn’t generally considered the most comfortable or relaxed of outfit choices, but take the shirt away and suddenly it channels a kind of pyjama-esque élan, and looks surprisingly sophisticated. On show at brands including CMMN SWDN, Ermenegildo Zegna, Dries Van Noten and Officine Generale, we’re not sure that this will cut the mustard at black-tie events, but a move towards chilled-out tailoring can’t be a bad thing. And while baring your chest might be a step too far unless you’re particularly brave, it’s an indication that a T-shirt underneath a blazer is also a good look.
THE BACKLASH AGAINST STREETWEAR
From left: Lanvin. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE. Maison Margiela. Photograph courtesy of WWD/REX/Shutterstock. Raf Simons. Photograph courtesy of Pixelformula/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock
It seems that streetwear is the only thing that the fashion industry has been able to talk about for, well, seemingly forever. The trend has been the main buzz in the fashion hive-mind for a while, and recently peaked with Off-White’s founder and general sultan of streetwear Mr Virgil Abloh being appointed as the artistic director of menswear for Louis Vuitton. Inevitably, however, there are murmurs of dissent. What’s curious is that the people who are driving the rebellion against it are the ones who championed it in the first place. Mr Raf Simons has been pushing anti-establishment streetwear since the 1990s, and yet his latest collection was rooted in a refined silhouette, with not a printed hoodie in sight. Maison Margiela also kept things classy and tailored, while Lanvin included some streetwear pieces but decidedly smartened them up. It remains to be seen whether this is where things are going in the immediate future, but it’s an anti-trend worth keeping an eye on.
POCKET PROLIFERATION
From left: Acne Studios. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE. Neil Barrett. Photograph courtesy of firstVIEW. Undercover. Photograph courtesy of IMAXTREE
It could be down to the belt-bag trend that’s been so popular over the past few months, but the appetite for practical storage space seems to be growing, and now pockets can be seen across everything from jackets at Neil Barrett to pouch-covered coats at Acne Studios and Undercover. Who needs a bag anymore?
STATEMENT TAILORING
From left: Commes des Garçons Homme Plus. Photograph courtesy of Pixelformula/SIPA/REX/Shutterstock. Paul Smith. Photograph courtesy of Mr Antonio Barros/SplashNews.com. Thom Browne. Photograph courtesy of ABFR/SplashNews.com
What’s the opposite of a shrinking violet? A shouty daffodil? That’s perhaps the best way to sum up Thom Browne’s characteristically bold SS19 collection – the boxy, pastel-coloured suits the designer showed were charmingly clownish and signified one of the loudest trends of the season: statement tailoring. Also seen at Comme des Garçons Homme Plus and Paul Smith, suits were drenched in colours and patterns, and were unabashedly bold.
PERFECT BLUE
From left: Dries Van Noten. Photograph courtesy of FirstVIEW. Ermenegido Zegna. Photograph courtesy of Photoshot. Craig Green. Photograph courtesy of Getty Images
Got the summer blues? If not this year, you will have in 2019. Shades of cobalt, cerulean and lapis ruled the spring/summer runways, and were seen on co-ordinating sportswear at Ermenegildo Zegna, matching T-shirts and trousers at Dries Van Noten, and on printed coats at Craig Green.
TREND-LED
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