Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Chloe Mac Donnell

Drop your hems, unbuckle your belts: top styling tips from the men’s catwalks

The Dior Men’s ready-to-wear 2024/25 show in Paris last week.
The Dior Men’s ready-to-wear 2024/25 show in Paris last week. Photograph: Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

This time of year, fashion moves faster than a Loewe puzzle bag at a sample sale. Men’s fashion weeks ended last weekend and couture fashion week – with all its wonderful, wacky and way-out-of-our-budget creations – is drawing to a close. But, while the trends from the menswear shows won’t start to trickle into stores until autumn, there are some takeaways you can adopt straight away, should you want to freshen up your wardrobe. So, before we start checking the weather forecast for New York, where the “Big Four” womenswear weeks will kick off next month, here are some styling tricks to borrow from the boys in Milan and Paris.

Pin a poinsettia to your lapel

Poinsettias at JW Anderson.
Poinsettias at JW Anderson. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

At JW Anderson, creative director Jonathan Anderson proved poinsettias aren’t just for Christmas mantelpieces by pinning giant versions on to models’ lapels. Head to your closest garden centre or even the reduced section of your local Xmas decorating shop to pick up an out-of-season bargain.

(Un)buckle up

Unbuckled belts at Loewe AW24 menswear
Unbuckled belts at Loewe. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

At Loewe belts were left open and hanging loose. Take one pair of tight-enough trousers and prepare for a lot of “sorry but do you know your belt is undone” comments.

Pop your collar

Half popped lapels at Dior’s AW24 menswear show
Half-popped lapels at Dior. Photograph: Stéphane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty Images

A look for the indecisive. Models at Dior wore tailored coats with one lapel flattened and the other popped.

Double up

Double belts at Hermes AW24 menswear
Double belts at Hermès. Photograph: Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images

Can’t decide between two different belts? Wear both. At Prada, snakeskin and glossy belts were styled together, one at hip height, one grazing bellybuttons; while at Hermès, double skinny belts came misaligned.

Adopt the new layering formula

Valentino’s AW24 menswear show
Slim ties at Valentino. Photograph: Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Valentino’s coloured roll necks neatly placed underneath wrinkle-free shirts and topped off with a skinny tie is the new fashion formula to learn. You can use a standard black roll neck, but for a bit more pizzazz, try a blush pink or teal.

Add white socks

White socks at Gucci AW24 menswear
White socks at Gucci. Photograph: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Gucci

For his menswear debut at Gucci, Sabato De Sarno showed chunky loafers with icy-white socks. Try digging out your gym socks. (But pop them on a hot wash first, please!) Warning: this trend carries the risk of looking as if you are wearing an ankle-support bandage.

Get uncoordinated

Non matchy twin sets at the Prada AW24 menswear show
Non-matching twin sets at Prada. Photograph: firstVIEW/Rex/Shutterstock

Prada’s non-identical twin sets are easy to replicate. Just take two opposing colours and … voilà.

Go back to class

Wales Bonner AW24 menswear
Ready for school at Wales Bonner. Photograph: Pixelformula/Sipa/Rex/Shutterstock

Dig out an old university sweatshirt. Grace Wales Bonner, Kenzo, Sacai and Rhude all showed college-inspired sweatshirts and varsity jackets.

Don’t hem yourself in

Puddle-grazing jeans at Louis Vuitton.
Puddle-grazing jeans at Louis Vuitton. Photograph: Pixelformula/SIPA/Rex/Shutterstock

Instead, just loosely roll trousers up as seen at Lemaire. In fact, ditch the sewing kit altogether. Floor-sweeping coats and puddle-grazing jeans came as standard at Valentino and Louis Vuitton, too.

Tuck and go

A model on the Givenchy AW24 menswear catwalk
Keeping it cosy at Givenchy. Photograph: Givenchy/SIPA/Shutterstock

Avoid the wind chill and tuck your sleeves into your gloves, as seen at Givenchy and Kenzo.

To read the complete version of this newsletter – complete with this week’s trending topics in The Measure and your wardrobe dilemmas solved – subscribe to receive Fashion Statement in your inbox every Thursday.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.