I started reporting on the menswear trends at the women’s collections after the spring 2023 ready-to-wear season. That initial report covered the launch of Simone Rocha’s menswear line alongside the occasional men’s look on the women’s runways of Molly Goddard, Collina Strada, and Blumarine, among others. The items identified in that “men’s at women’s” roundup derived from the women’s collections and offered either a men’s alternative or a simple accompanying look to the women’s concept, which remained the focus of the show.
Cut to today, and brands like Versace, Etro, and McQueen have folded their menswear into their ready-to-wear shows. These looks now go beyond the occasional menswear riff on the women’s messaging, and are now fashion propositions in their own right. The presence of womenswear alongside these men’s looks now has the opposite effect than it once did—rather than relegate menswear to the role of the companion, it enables it to be the bearer of playful and directional ideas in the assortment. Recently, a colleague who almost exclusively covers menswear mentioned that missing the ready-to-wear shows was now out of the question. There’s simply too much menswear on the women’s runways to not cover them with the same gravitas.
The story at the men’s collections, as reported in my fall 2024 menswear trend report, was that traditional masculinity was back. The menswear trends at the ready-to-wear collections this fall 2024 season expand on what we observed in January, but the energy is friskier. The streamlined, slender silhouette proposed by Dries Van Noten and Junya Wantabe has been taken to extremes with bodycon styles at Mugler, Marni, and Vetements. Ties, the comeback story of the men’s collections, have morphed into pussy bows, while frilly detailing and rounded silhouettes show a softer side of menswear. Thigh-high boots and fetishwear—think leather aprons at Luar and bondage detailing at Willy Chavarria or Thom Browne—take the sobriety of the January shows into a cheekier, less self-serious space. Scroll through to find nine menswear trends from the fall 2024 ready-to-wear shows.
Vacuum-Packed
The body takes the spotlight with these tight, aerodynamic styles.
