The Shorts That’ll Soon Be Everywhere—and 6 Other Standout Trends From Men’s Fashion Week

SPOTTED AT Milan fashion week: actor Chris Pine strolling the streets barefoot, pants messily cuffed, loafers in hand. Though scorching heat likely explained the hoof-baring move, it had echoes of “man stumbles home at dawn after raucous wedding.” Soon after, Pine redeemed himself. He breezed into the Zegna show, his pleated pants now unrolled and pooling over his loafers. His slouchy elegance would’ve looked at home on many of this season’s runways.

A stylist friend described the prevailing mood as “the new formal.” Meaning: clothes that are unstuffy yet pulled-together. Streetwear was scarce, colors muted, loud logos MIA. Labels like Dries Van Noten, Hermès and Prada served up drapey tailoring, wafer-thin knits and blazers so fine they felt like shirts when I got my hands on them. Such clothes are the right amount of dressy for postpandemic offices or when you want to make an effort on weekends or nights out, without appearing starched. 

Key to the sense of ease: volume. See the flotilla of boxy, billowing shorts—or the parade of roomy, extra-long pants whose hems gathered handsomely atop fisherman sandals, the shoes that hit runways with the persistence of “Jaws” sequels. A picture of gentle, romantic masculinity emerged.

Some runway trends will likely alienate average guys. Sheer shirts treated viewers to more nipples than a Chippendales revue. And certain pants were so exaggeratedly high-waisted that the waifish models wearing them resembled Tweedledum and Tweedledee after a juice cleanse.

Even more eyebrow-raising: The sight of Logan Roy warmly embracing…Cousin Greg? Yup. “Succession” actors Brian Cox and Nicholas Braun got the cameras flashing when they chin-wagged at Loewe. But nothing could compete with the star turnout at Louis Vuitton for the huge-news debut of musician-producer-designer Pharrell Williams as its men’s creative director. Heavyweights like Beyoncé, LeBron James and Zendaya gathered on Paris’s oldest bridge, the Pont Neuf, which was recast as a checkerboard runway. After the models walked, Williams and Jay-Z performed a series of bangers. As entertainment, the runway-show-bonanza was unrivaled. And the clothes? Eminently neo-formal and wearable, including dark, flowy trousers and knockout collarless jackets.

TRADING FLOOR COUTURE

Wall Street bankers in power suits and ties were evidently on the minds of several designers.

From left: seeing red in a good way at Giorgio Armani; off to do some deals in Brunello Cucinelli; Brioni’s power stance; suitably accessorized at Kiton; Ralph Lauren Purple Label commits to the look with a contrast-collar shirt. 

THESE SHORTS SPEAK VOLUMES

The season’s most dominant trend: Boxy shorts that ended above the knee yet were wider than an ox.

From left: Prada’s high-waisted, thigh-baring example; a rock’n’roll take from Gucci; Sacai had the blues; Dries Van Noten turns the volume up to 11; at brands including Wales Bonner, roomy shorts were teamed with boots; shorts sets were big at Louis Vuitton. 

BIG BIC ENERGY

Dressing like a highlighter is in.

From left: a neck-to-thigh hit at Homme Plissé Issey Miyake; peeking out at Auralee; Valentino does Pepto-Bismol pink; Dior Men found the exact shade you used on your school textbooks.

GO LONG, GO WIDE!

The reign of pants with exaggerated proportions continues.

From left: roomy all-round from Givenchy; graceful at Dries Van Noten; countered with a lean top at Loewe; everything’s peachy for Amiri; paired with a party shirt at Etro.

HEY, STERNUM

Pronounced, skin-baring V-neck designs brought a sexy loucheness to proceedings—and offered an untacky alternative to deep-V tees, which remain indefensible.

From left: in the navy at Officine Générale; waistcoats are a thing now, says Giorgio Armani; raciness from Zegna; Neil Barrett’s more demure version; plunging tailoring at 1017 ALYX 9SM.

SOUPED-UP TANK TOPS

Not your standard ribbed undershirt.

From left: Saint Laurent slinkiness; a neat Loewe set; red is everyone’s color in this Homme Plissé Issey Miyake number; a sophisticated bicep-baring example from Dior Men; Fendi’s net result.

CATCH OF THE SEASON

Charming (and a bit childlike), fisherman sandals beat out boots as the shoes to get.

Clockwise from top left: a classic take at Ralph Lauren Purple Label; Tod’s went to the dark side; Rhude chose a light style; Hermès’s chunky proposition; sandy suede for Canali. 

Moments We (Mostly) Loved

A lot happens during fashion week and much of it blurs together. These five things stood out.

TORSOS, RISING

At Dior Men, models emerged from beneath the runway via trapdoors. It felt like a scene from a sci-fi flick.

FAMILY REUNION

Nicholas Braun (left) and Brian Cox, who respectively played Cousin Greg and Logan Roy in ‘Succession,’ at Loewe.

SLIME PICKINGS

Prada’s models wore the shorts of the season while goo oozed from the ceiling, to surprisingly beautiful effect.

HOTFOOTING IT

It was a sizzling day in Milan, and actor Chris Pine clearly wasn’t in the mood for sweaty loafers. So he rolled his pants and went barefoot. (Ew or cool?) Soon after, at Zegna, he reappeared shod.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

After the Louis Vuitton show, Pharrell Williams did a lap of the runway with the house’s design team.