How To Take Inspiration From the Menswear Runways This Season

Elle

30-06-2025

Once a shyer younger sibling to its glamorous September counterpart, men's fashion week has increasingly become a moment to watch. In recent years, women-led menswear labels—including Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, Bianca Saunders, and Bode—have increasingly set the tone for a new wave of masculine dressing. Before his departure from Gucci, Sabato De Sarno often showed complementary looks between each category. Not to mention Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons's continued co-creative directorial collaboration at Prada, which has made both the men's and women's shows equally compelling events to watch.
If anything, men's and women's fashion have become more communicative than ever. And the spring 2026 collections were filled with ultra-contemporary pieces that can be worn across any gender. At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello has found great success reinvigorating bold-shouldered suiting for women and electrifyingly editorial over-the-knee leather boots for men. At the men's show in Paris on Tuesday, Gabbriette, who attended as a guest, was the embodiment of the sultriness that the original le smoking evoked. These sartorial translations were also seen at Jonathan Anderson's highly anticipated debut at Dior last Friday—the iconic New Look and Delft dress were reinterpreted into subtly shaped structured jackets and voluminously pleated cargo shorts.
But the biggest current trend on the men's spring 2026 runway? Easy styling that combines a multitude of high-low elements, whether it be pairing a pajama short with a designer jacket or a casual shoe with a brocade blazer. The message was less about a single, unattainable piece of luxury and more so how to interpret this season's brighter and bolder color palette. 'We saw collections rooted in beauty, certainly, but also grounded in real clothes designed for real lives—pieces to covet, wear, and ultimately keep,' says Simon Longland, the fashion buying director at Harrods. Wales Bonner was a beautiful example of this, as designer Grace Wales Bonner unveiled her classic interpretation of that grounded-in-reality aesthetic. Track pants (also everywhere this season) were paired with beautifully cut jackets and sheer blouses tucked into low-slung baggy jeans, a styling mix representative of real life.
Thanks to freshly debuted designers like Julian Klausner at Dries Van Noten, who is beautifully honoring the legacy before him, prints (and clashing them) are coming back in newly exciting ways. Oversized silk scarves were tied like sarongs both over pants and bare legs. Junya Watanabe also played with the item, incorporating one into an asymmetrical draped blouse. This motif is something that can be immediately applied to any wardrobe as an exciting visual addition to simpler outfits. Plus, if you still have an Alexander McQueen skull scarf from back in the day, Charli XCX just wore one as a top during her performance at Glastonbury.
For more than a few designers, mid-calf socks were paired with penny loafers and teeny-tiny microshorts that sometimes bordered on bloomers, cementing a popular styling choice already seen on both men and women on the streets today. Same with barely-there minimalist flip-flops (which are really having a moment thanks to brands like The Row)—when styled with baggy jeans or oversized chinos, like at Ami Paris, the look becomes OG The O.C., perfect for the summer heat waves.
Prada, Dior, and Saint Laurent favored chunky color blocking that immediately brightened up the runways and nodded to prep's new-wave revival. Grass green, mustard yellow, navy blue, and burgundy were prominent across many of the collections. If previous seasons refrained from 'loud' dressing, all inhibitions in that regard have finally been shaken. Whether it be large stripes or huge swaths of interrupted color, vibrant hues—complemented by even brighter, oversized accessories—were the key to leaning into this aesthetic.
Even though September has yet to come, menswear has quickly become a mid-season mood board inspiration. Take it from the runway experts: boldly colored dressing, funky yet minimalist footwear, and casual styling are here to stay.