Brat boys, brief encounters & bricks & mortar: all the SS25 men’s trends

The trends coming out of the men’s shows have never been as salient or abundant as those from the women’s circuit, which are basically catnip for every new -core waiting to be anointed on TikTok. But that’s partly what makes digging for them more fun: menswear trends are oftentimes silly and absurd because, well… They have to be. How much can the needle really move when it comes to suits and tailoring?

With menswear’s trend cycle being less frequent, spotting them is a bigger challenge but ultimately a lot more fun. They say a lot about the direction where menswear could actually go – if men would actually get over themselves and embrace the chaos. Click through the gallery below to see what common themes emerged for SS25, from those that began to take shape a few seasons ago to new ones that seemed to pop out of the blue (or lime green in this case).

Call it the lingering effects of Miu Miu if you must, but dropping trou has finally crossed over to the men’s runways en masse. The no-pants look was a hot commodity at Wales Bonner, the better to showcase those delicious drawstring briefs that my group chats are already salivating over. Lazoschmidl used their lookbook to debut new underwear styles and jockstraps paired with nothing more than skimpy tees and tanks. Or, in David Koma’s case, with tall boots and snug cardigans – his underwear is made of leather and made a clear case for briefs as clubwear.

The ever untraditional Magliano, meanwhile, offered a dichotomy of sorts: corporate on top, Speedo down below, ready to ditch the Zoom call (and suit jacket!) to go dive in someone’s pool somewhere. And I’ll admit, I’m not sure what, if anything, is paired below the long blazers at Random Identities – the model could be going commando for all I know – but clearly pants were not on the memo.

One need only look at what The Row is proposing to know that flip-flops for men are no longer in the pits of casual fashion hell where they used to be. Paired with elegant pleated trousers that hit right at the top of the foot, these thong sandals actually look kind of… Smart?

Auralee, one of many insiders’ top shows of the season, followed a similar lane with minimalist versions in leather. Of course, not all flip-flops are created the same, as Dries Van Noten showed – his had caramel-colored furry straps, perfect to go with his signature long wide shorts that menswear dudes go bonkers for. The list goes on: White Mountaineering, Masu, Lazochmidl… just one thing fellas – a pedicure is your best friend. Make that appointment!

As the people’s pop star Addison Rae once preached: “My waist, to die for!” Who knows if it’s the Ozempic kicking in or the ongoing impact of Kid Cudi’s Coachella crop top slay, but no body part got more airtime this season than the bare tummy. Whether it was at Prada, whose shrunken sweaters revealed the just slightest sliver of skin, or at Maison Mihara Yasuhiro, where shirts extended to just below the chest, crop tops of varying lengths came out in full force.

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy kicked off the trend in London, while Dsquared2 (no shocker there) sent out tanks that cut across at an angle to flash the models’ six-pack abs. And Loewe went the artsy route, with polo shirts skimming down to just above the belly button while framed by sinuous belts. Add in more styles by Egonlab, Doublet, and Acne Studios, and it’s safe to say you’ve got yourself one big menswear macro-trend.

One of the more peculiar trends that emerged related in some way or form to the humble house. It first started with Prada’s show, where OMA staged a white fenced walkway that led to a pitched-roof house where the models (and eventually Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons) emerged. A few hours later, JW Anderson showed men’s cardigans that resembled various English architectural houses. A literal townhome facade.

But the theme really took off in Paris, where a Bianca Saunders t-shirt laid out the ingredients for “A Happy Home Recipe.” Dior Men and Undercover had tops with illustrations of a single house, and Sacai’s set was built to resemble the wooden framework of one. S, were designers just really homesick? Not much in the way of explanation was offered, but it doesn’t take much to infer that everyone was likely feeling connected to the idea of a home, as in a safe space. Protection. In these times? I feel that.

There’s something going on in the handbag space, or more specifically, how they’re being customised. It seems the thing to do now is affix charms upon keychains upon charms again like a crazy person until you’re left with a giant trail of trinkets and other assorted accoutrements hanging down from your purse. Balenciaga basically made this the accessory trend du jour with their Rodeo bag a few seasons ago, and now everyone wants in. Acne Studios went haywire with theirs, while ERL, Doublet and Lazoschmidl offered less manic but still hefty versions with their accessorised bags. Personalisation on steroids, if you will. 

Many things shifted when Charli XCX’x banger new album dropped a few weeks ago, but few could have predicted its impact would reach the upper echelons of menswear. Lime green, Shrek green, puke green – whatever you wanna call it, that slimy radioactive hue from her brat cover has spawned something of an internet movement.

And now it’s on the runways, with Prada and Gucci leading the charge in Milan. As in full-body lime green, seen also at Kiko Kostidanov, and Homme Plisse Issey Miyake. The one that feels almost identical to that particular shade comes courtesy of Ambush, which is offering a full bodysuit drenched in the stuff, perfect for listening to those “club classics.” As The Guardian recently declared: Barbie pink is OUT. Brat green is IN.

While tennis and basketball had their moments in the sun this season, no sport came as close to infiltrating Fashion Week than football (yes Americans, the soccer kind). It was most evident in the use of jerseys like the ones Silvia Venturini Fendi sent down her men’s runway, complete with house crests coinciding with her brand’s 100-year-anniversary. White Mountaineering, Eytys, Doublet, and Moschino also went the jersey route, while Y-3 actually debuted the official uniforms for the Japan Football Association.

Elsewhere, at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell seemed to be in the same wavelength as Egonlab, with both brands debuting football-shaped handbags held by a strap. The simplest explanation for all this, for those who are more challenged in the sports sector, is that the Euro Cup and Copa América are both going on at the same time. Let’s goal!

While the hot goss amongst the front row crowd centered on the Chanel-Virginie Viard saga, some of the brand’s codes actually appeared on the men’s runways. A few designers winked to Rue Cambon with what looked like interpretations of the brand’s classic tweed jacket: JordanLuca showed a boxy version featuring big shoulders, Moschino went the oversized cardigan route, and Bed JW Ford had one in navy with chain trimming. Ditto Ernest W Baker. Another rumor among editors was that Hedi Slimane would launch Chanel Homme if he was appointed, making these tweed jackets all the more timely and fitting amongst the menswear crowd.

We’ve yet again reached peak bonkers belt season, a trend that just won’t seem to go away. Designers used the stuff virtually everywhere outside its intended purpose, which is to…. Hold up pants, remember? The belts at Prada were actually painted on top of the trousers trompe l’oeil-style – an effect similarly applied at Acne Studios.

A dozen of them were wrapped around the models’ waists corset-style over at Craig Green. Jeanne Friot had the real thing and the fake (belts printed on shirts) while 3.Paradis had layers upon layers of them stacked on top of each other on jeans with multiple waistbands. And Arturo Obegero adorned his models with velvet versions in oxblood that spiraled around the torso like a slithering snake.

Dreamy landscapes, vacation portraits, and other artworks were blown up and applied on everything from technical outerwear to cozy sweaters. At MSGM, seaside villas and cliffs were printed on tops evoking a Mediterranean getaway, while Moschino conjured La Dolce Vita with pictures of waterfront views and delectable table settings printed on their tailored jackets. More intricate techniques were seen at Kidsuper, where abstract illustrations covered coats in beautiful brush strokes. Ditto at Wooyoungmi, where a coat was rendered in one big fanciful painting that took your breath away.

A flurry of familiar and not-so-familiar faces were plastered on looks as disparate as goth tailoring to plain white t-shirts. Multiple visages printed on a Martine Rose button-down were photo booth shots of the designer’s friends, family, and colleagues. Magliano utilized a similar technique in one of his shirts that had a bunch of faces whose features were slightly warped. More faces came by way of MSGM’s illustrations of summer lads, while artwork from Bernard Buffet took hold at Prada. But the mugs weren’t all abstract; Sacai had Hollywood heartthrob James Dean front and center on t-shirts, and a Masu sweater featured a photograph of designer and the Godfather of Japanese prep himself, Kensuke Ishizu.

It was all about the slogan tee at several top shows, including Dior Men, where one cream sweater had “Dior for my real friends” embroidered across the chest, based on a plate given to the ceramicist Hylton Nel by designer Kim Jones. A slogan that felt too real emerged at JW Anderson, with “REAL SLEEP” hitting home for a lot of weary editors. A personal favorite came via MSGM: “NOT A TOURIST I LIVE HERE,” something I know many New Yorkers and Londoners and basically anyone from a big capital will appreciate.

Referencing the Moschino founder himself, Adrian Appiolaza had  bowler bags and tees inscribed with “It’s better to dress as you wish than as you should.” But no collection was as much in your face as the one A$AP ROCKY showed. “Protestors” clutched signs reading “Temporarily unable or unwilling to speak,” and “Don’t be dumb,” the alleged title of his next album.