5 trends from Men's Fashion Week Fall 2023 to look out for

Brands big and small — from upstarts to old-school — gathered in Europe over the last two weeks to show their Fall 2023 menswear collections.

On the whole, the collections were typical of what one would expect from clothes designed for colder weather. There were chunky knits, down-filled jackets, warm wool coats, and when it came to styling, plenty of layering. But the big takeaways were about so much more than that, including a parade of checks, ties, and a standout shade of the season.

Here are five trends that stood out at the shows in Florence, Milan and Paris. 

A necktie renaissance

Every now and then, there's a trend that's seen both on the street and on the runways. A smattering of neckties outside the shows primed those watching to notice the menswear staple on the runways, where it was, of course, taken up a notch. It was bound to happen eventually: the time has come to forage through your closet — or your dad's or granddad's — and dust off those neckties. 

This season we were treated to a study in neckties of all shapes, sizes and styles. In Florence, Martine Rose — a guest designer at Pitti Uomo 103 — showed a collection in her trademark louche, counterculture style, with silky neckties scattered throughout, sometimes matching the patterns on the shirts. In Milan, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy showed colourful ties, but it was an oversized necktie-cum-dress, adorned with an illustration, that stood out. At Prada, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, ever the overachievers, opened their show with a pair of trompe l'oeil looks that featured elongated collars and curving lines that turned bare chests into tie look-alikes; real ones were shown later, in shades identically matched to collared shirts. MSGM and Magliano opted for a more laid-back approach, loosening the knot and pairing a tie with an untucked shirt, respectively. 

Fringes at the forefront

There's something esthetically interesting about a fringe — the way it moves, strands dangling, bouncing to and fro. And the look was on display over the last two weeks.

Some brands used the classic fringes usually found on a scarf. Belgian cult designer Jan-Jan Van Essche — another of the guest brands at Pitti Uomo in Florence — presented blanket-like shawls that bore thin fringing that tickled the floor. In Milan, Fendi showed similarly trimmed shawls and scarves. What really drove the trend home, though, was Fendi's purple hoodie with fringing at the hem. 

From then on, it was easy to spot the detail, even in a more subtle fashion, on accessories at Charles Jeffrey Loverboy and Magliano. And in Paris, Hed Mayner played with raw hems on his jackets … a microfringe of sorts? 

Purple's purple patch

Each season brings with it a colour that's set to shine, and for Fall 2023, that would appear to be purple.

It started at Fendi, where Silvia Venturini Fendi showed a smart collection of modern, laid-back menswear infused with shades of purple. At JW Anderson, it was statement leather pieces that were rendered in purple, including a motorcycle jacket and hardware-clad boots. 

The new, post-Alessandro Michele Gucci collection featured a purple overcoat as well as a lavender peak lapel double-breasted blazer. In Paris, Dries Van Noten showed a slimmer take on the latter style in a vivid purple velvet. 

Emerging label Bluemarble reimagined camouflage with a purple tint while also offering up sunglasses, outerwear, trousers and sneakers in different shades of purple. At Dior Men, Kim Jones was a touch more subtle, serving up purple Donegal tweed on a coat and a skirt. Even Yohji Yamamoto, ever dark in his work, incorporated a reddish purple in his palette for Fall 2023. 

Preppy patterns

With all the sharp styles, neckties and plaids on the runways, prep wear seems poised for a revival in the year to come. 

To these eyes, the star plaid was the gun-club check — twilled bands of varying colours that create a checkered pattern and, zoomed out, a windowpane plaid. It's one of the more classic patterns, and one that's often seen on warmer, thicker sport coats and trousers. That's exactly how Nigo presented it at Kenzo, while also applying it to shorts and outerwear, alongside other plaids across the collection. Even Walter Van Beirendonck, who, in recent seasons, has loved bright neon colours and latex (and whose work is rarely mentioned in the same sentence as prep wear), used a fine houndstooth pattern in heritage colours on jackets. 

Dries Van Noten presented checks, while Mike Amiri glammed up prep wear staples for his namesake brand with a playful, youthful take on argyle. At Louis Vuitton, menswear guest designer Colm Dillane, of KidSuper renown, reimagined plaids in a glitchy way, forcing tradition and futurism to collide.

Après-ski fun

While it wasn't surprising to see skiwear–adjacent styles — we did call these, on the whole, typical cold-weather collections — there was something different about these looks. For one, the outerwear didn't feel forced, as it sometimes does when a brand releases a skiwear capsule, say. Second, there was an embrace of the entire skiing aesthetic.

While Giorgio Armani and Louis Vuitton both offered up slope-ready looks — from puffy down-filled outerwear, to (very luxe) snow pants, to warm mittens and headbands — it was the likes of Gucci and Acne that drove the skiwear trend home by leaning into the après-ski look. 

At Gucci, it was more subtle, with tall ribbed socks calling to mind retro leg warmers spotted at many a ski resort and a grey ribbed hoodie and pair of sweatpants resembling traditional base layers. A decidedly weird Acne collection featured knee-high socks, but also body-con tops and one-pieces that seemed inspired by more modern compression base layers. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson also showed a collection with plenty of leggings. And one very alpine Charles Jeffrey Loverboy look featured Fair Isle knits, gloves and boots — and goggles to boot!

In addition to the aforementioned Armani and Vuitton, highly technical outerwear at 1017 Alyx 9SM and Hermès was done in the style of contemporary skiwear. Think Arc'teryx but artisanal. 

All in all, it paints a picture of a 2024 winter with plenty of skiing — and après-ski fun.