10 Trends We Expect to See in Men’s Street Style This Year
Here at Vogue Runway, we recently learned that there are now more Fashion Weeks than there are weeks in a year. That means it’s never not “fashion show season”—and we’re often covering multiple Fashion Weeks at the same time. In fact, in two days, the Fall 2019 Menswear shows will kick off in London, in tandem with our continuing Pre-Fall 2019coverage. So much for easing into the New Year!
Along with a glimpse at what guys (and girls) will be wearing next fall, we’ll be posting hundreds of street style photos that reveal what they’re into right now—and we have a few ideas about what to expect. Utility gear, luxurious outerwear, and strange pants are just a few of our street style predictions; below, we’ve outlined 10 of the trends you’re bound to see more of this month.
Covetable Cross-Bodies
We know, we know—guys have been wearing fanny packs and cross-body bags across their chests for over a year. But instead of fading away, this trend is picking up steam thanks to a few big debuts: Kim Jones at Dior Men and Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton. Both designers’ first collections included covetable new cross-body bags for boys: Jones put his spin on the Dior saddle bag (and showed it again in chrome for Pre-Fall 2019), while Abloh’s hewed more minimalist in croc-embossed leather. We guarantee you’ll see guys wearing bags from both collections all month long.
Spotted and Striped
In the world of womenswear, animal prints don’t exactly qualify as breaking news. But for men, a tiger-striped coat or leopard button-down still feels like a risk. We’ve seen a few daring guys wear leopard and zebra motifs on the street, but thanks to the animal prints on major runways—Tom Ford, Bottega Veneta, and Coach 1941 among them—we have a feeling they’ll catch on in a bigger way in 2019.
The Luxurious Coat
Statement outerwear has been trending in women’s collections for years, from faux fur chubbies to plaid trenchcoats, but it wasn’t until last year that we saw men trying it out. In lieu of standard-issue parkas and puffers, guys invested in plush furs, jewel tone toppers, and even couture-like tailored coats—perhaps an elegant response to the streetwear that’s still everywhere. For further proof, consider the gorgeous coats in Haider Ackermann’s final Berluti collection, or the glossy, rounded Astrakhan coat at Dior Men pre-fall.
Get Your Leather On
A leather jacket is practically the inverse of a trend: It’s an item you’re meant to wear for years and years, and it actually gets better with age. Maybe that’s why men and women are returning to classic, vaguely ’70s-ish leather jackets in shades of black and brown. Nine times out of 10, they’ve got a turtleneck underneath, too. It’s a look that makes a statement while remaining timeless—an ideal combination for those of us who’ve already done the statement-coat and puffer thing.
Down-Filled Dreams
Speaking of puffers . . . plenty of guys are still into them. What’s changed is that they’re moving away from enormous, absolute-unit-style puffers towards “regular”-size coats in Crayola colors. Instead of hiding your entire outfit, they’re simply the final layer—and most guys are wearing them unzipped, all the better to reveal what’s underneath.
For his latest Balenciaga men’s collection, Demna Gvasalia showed his idea of “tailoring for today’s generation”: easy, oversize shirt-jacket hybrids with matching trousers. “This is what I want to wear myself,” he told Vogue Runway’s Sarah Mower. Lots of men seem to be on the same page. At the recent shows, we saw guys in suits so relaxed, they didn’t feel “corporate” in the least, while others wore Balenciaga-ish button-downs and trousers in matching muted shades. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Valentino Pre-Fall collection included his take on the look, too: A gently creased crimson button-down with matching wide-leg trousers—and sneakers, naturally.
For what felt like a decade, the only pants we ever saw on men were of the skinny variety. The rule applied to jeans, chinos, suiting trousers, you name it—but things are changing fast. Guys are buying flares, cuffed wide-legs, and every variety of printed pant, from tartan to florals. It’s a trend that fits seamlessly into existing wardrobes: A printed pant works with a hoodie, blazer, sneaker . . . basically all the stuff you typically wear with jeans.
Utility jackets, cargo pants, camouflage . . . . The runways have taken a notably functional turn over the past few seasons. From Prada’s nylon rainwear to Junya Watanabe’s mash-ups with The North Face and Carhartt, notions of practicality, protection, and straight-up common sense have resonated with editors and consumers alike. On the street, we’ve already seen guys in artfully layered army jackets, padded vests, and harnesses, but as the Spring 2019 collections hit stores, we’re expecting them to test-drive Heron Preston’s fireman jackets and Lanvin’s shirting-striped parkas, too.
Say Bonjour to a Beret
For a while, you could hardly click through Phil Oh’s street style slideshows without seeing a woman (or three) in a beret. Dior and Gucci made it a trend last year, but guys seem to be feeling inspired, too. We’ve seen a few of them wear classic black or gray berets with suits or V-neck sweaters, though a word to the wise: They aren’t exactly meant for freezing days. Cover your ears with something warmer when the polar vortex hits!
That’s a Wrap
Another way to add something extra to your look? A bold scarf, be it of the printed silk or neon knit variety. Football scarves were an unlikely trend last winter, and brands like Fendi and Burberry have designed their own logoed versions ever since. We’re still seeing men wear them with checkered parkas or classic trenches—though guys leaning towards this season’s more elegant, luxurious outerwear might prefer a softer silk scarf.