The most memorable shows included Pharrell Williams’ star-spangled, glitch-printed debut at Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones' disappearing men at Dior, and ooze at Prada. Clothing had the last word at Loewe with Johnathon Anderson’s one-silhouette-wonder, Rick Owens’ all-black triumph in the rain, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s much-anticipated first show since leaving Ann Demeulemeester after one season. Yes, it was all very dramatic.
Whether or not you were taken by Pharrell’s creative interpretation for the major maison, it appears the internet (as always) has the final say. In terms of eyeballs on his ‘damouflage’, influencer marketing platform Lefty reported a record-breaking 547% increase in visibility for Louis Vuitton with 49.2 million followers engaged with the show, followed by Dior at 32.8 million and Prada at 27.9 million. Who helped us see it? K-pop stars, of course. The highest charting influencers were BTS’ Cha Eun Woo helping 8 million of us tune in to Dior, and Enhyphen pushing 8 million toward Prada.
With many designers putting on a masterclass in dressing for warm weather, masculinity had simultaneously begun to rewrite itself with a disposition of elegance, with a certain strength in soft tailoring, sheer fabrics, and ethereal shapes. Elsewhere, heavy-duty workwear and cargo-everything writ large across the collections with quite literal interpretations of utility, see: Etude, Alyx and Carhartt’s input at Sacai. Still, some of the more progressive displays took off where their womens’ counterpart collections left; Saint Laurent showed plunging tanks, wide blazers, and sheer blouses, Fendi opted for utility-belt-skirts over pants, and Rick Owens shared the collective enthusiasm for skinny waists, cropped jackets and punctuated shoulders.
Overall, the biggest punchlines came not from celebrity arrivals or hoverboards, but from the simplest of clothing items convincingly rendered in fresh new silhouettes. Ones that highlighted excellent, unfussy craft. Just don’t call it quiet luxury.
Find out the top menswear trends from SS24 coming in hot to a range plane near you.
Tall Boys
Having just wrapped our heads around the return of the low-rise, now we’re feeling the silhouette whiplash. From Loewe to Prada, the waist rose high, the torso shrunken and the waist nipped in, with this perspective playing on daily items such as chinos, shirts and blazers. Rick Owens, like Prada, took to overly long skinny sleeves, and his ghoulish pants flared at the bottom, while Dries Van Noten’s ‘study of elegance’ and Ludovic de Saint Sernin looked for length from head to toe. Will these taste-makers have the power to influence a slimmer silhouette than we’ve seen since the 2010s?
Short 'n' Suit
If you were hoping to free the knees this summer, even the chicest of menswear labels appears to support this wholeheartedly. There were knee-length skorts and tailored shorts with oversized blazers and collarless jackets at Louis Vuitton, and softened boxy blazers with short shorts at Valentino. Schoolboy shorts and pleated tailoring matched broad shoulders and a cinched waist at Prada, while lighthearted, youthful interpretations of the short suit were seen at Sacai.
The 'Going Out' Top
Knit polos, sequined silk shirts, embellished tailoring, and glittering tanks—menswear has cottoned on to what womenswear has been banking on for years; the going-out top. Etro executed the brand’s signature bohemian vibe in sequins, as did Dries Van Noten, offering bronzed and shimmering party shirts matched with relaxed trousers. Dior and Prada similarly embellished and bejewelled office shirting with florals, fringing and crystals.
It's All Becoming Sheer
Gossamer, silk, open-weave and mousseline, the fabrics of SS24 took a turn for the delicate, as transparent garments took over the runways. The abundance of skin-baring styles appeared to make very good sense amid the soaring temperatures and provided a fresh, effortless outlook for summer. Saint Laurent added pussybows and high necks for a fluid, feminine touch, while Hermes offered the Succession set cotton with lattice-like mesh in shirting, and sheer fabric jackets.
The Handyman Can
Let there be pockets. From Fendi’s luxury leather work belts to Etudes utilitarian jackets and nylon trousers, there was a heavy focus on workwear, which appeared quite literally as workwear with all the extras—including D-rings, waist straps and pockets in all iterations. In fact, the cargo vest came out on top as the season’s must-have, with Givenchy and Prada looking to the ‘real-world’ worker garment to artfully layer over tailoring and trousers.
Slated for Success
The ultimate investment piece (or pieces) arrived in the form of neutral, light slate or gray suiting, taking a relaxed stance on elegant formal or occasionwear to beat the heat. Most notably at Zegna, where 70% of the collection was crafted from Oasi Linen to create boxy jackets, pleated straight-leg pants and v-neck knitwear. The fluid tailoring and oversized blazers offer the perfect canvas for pops of colour, loafers and the season’s new bags.
It’s going to be a hot boy summer alright, with all the expressive iterations of masculinity we’ve seen from the week (or, fortnight) at large. With the global economic climate competing against the social media environment, it appears new versions of old ideas are the best ones to win consumers over for investing in clothes that will take them through the summer, and the months that follow.
Main Image Credit: Vogue
