EUROPE RECAP AW/24: FLORENCE, MILAN, & PARIS

As the dust settles on the European runway shows, and the gaze of the press and fashion literati shifts towards the United States and New York City, the rest of us “in the biz” are already knee-deep into market. Here MR Magazine’s fashion director, Michael Macko, has summarized the major runway trends of the season. He watches the shows, so you don’t have to! 

1: Reclassification

In my opinion, the most influential trend that happened this season in all of Europe was at the Zegna show, not on the runway, but in the show notes, where the billion-dollar menswear brand, arguably one of the most influential in the industry, stated:

“Top, bottoms, underpinnings, and accessories are the working Zegna categories. The collection is an open system, made of elements that can be layered and combined in many ways, allowing the individual attitude of the wearer to come through in the form of personal styling.”

In this unique moment in menswear, as we put the pandemic behind us and men are figuring out how to navigate a new way of dressing, they are also being liberated from the strict parameters of what was “proper” business attire. What was acceptable, even on the red carpet is gone, so if you want to wear a leather shearling over a tux, go ahead, a cashmere coat with sweats, fine, or a suit jacket over running tights, why not?

ABOVE, Left to Right: Y3, Junya Watanabe, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Valentino, & Amiri

2: Diversity

Here at MR, we think the practice of diversity and inclusion are significant practices, we want everyone to be able to see themselves on the pages of our pages. In past seasons, it has sometimes been a challenge to accurately relate what is happening on the runways while also representing the diversity of our audience. I am so happy to say this season in Europe was the most diverse I have ever seen and I feel that brands have finally come to realize that their customers come in all ages, shapes, colors, and sizes. We hope this is not just a passing trend, but the new norm.

3: The Great Outdoors

Many of the showrooms of Europe could have been mistaken for an REI or LL Bean. There were clothes for hiking, sailing, skiing, and every other outdoor fall/winter activity you could imagine.  At Prada, even the runway itself was a clear floor constructed over a bank of video monitors, which became the outdoors itself creating a flowing river bank that the models followed.

We have to remember we are looking at collections that were designed well over a year ago, as we were just emerging from quarantine, so the focus on outdoor adventures is a no-brainer. It also plays into our first mentioned trend of reclassification and shows how two formerly disparate segments of a man’s wardrobe, are now combined into one.

4: The New Look for Men

In 1947 Christian Dior shocked the world with his “New Look” and his excessive use of fabric for full skirts after years of austerity and rationing, due to WWII. While we do not have one definitive designer or collection to credit, I do think fashion historians will look back to this post-Covid period as a seismic moment in menswear, when the suit did not “die:” We will always have suits, but they have evolved very quickly, especially for an industry known for moving at a slower pace. (Read more on this trend here:  Fashion Futures article from MR’s January 2024 issue, “A New Way of Working Requires a New Suit.”)

MICRO TRENDS: COLOR

5: Monochrome

Dressing in a monochromatic palette suddenly feels right, this is influenced by the media bombardment over “stealth luxury” inspired by series like Succession and brands like The Row and Loro Piana. It’s important to keep in mind that while you want to stick to one color, the shades and hues of each garment can vary and texture is key to keep it interesting, especially with darker colors.

6: Pink

Yes, these are all collections for fall-winter, but the palette was eclectic, one color that stood out in all the show notes was pink, always in washed-out and antiqued shades, this is not the pink from the Barbie movie but more of the medicine cabinet and Pepto Bismol bottle. This pale pink looks best when mixed with other colors and thank you to Dries Van Noten for teaching us how good pale pink and camel look together.

7: Lavender

Another surprising shade usually reserved for spring apparel was lavender, also presented in chalky and misty hues, but nothing too bright and vivid. I knew this was a thing when Brunello Cucinelli, a master of luxurious color presented this as an accent color to his traditional beige/grey palette.

MICROTRENDS: FABRIC

8: Velvet

I know, “Velvet for Fall. Groundbreaking,” but there it was in almost every collection, the interesting thing this season was that it was not always presented as evening wear, Ralph Lauren showed it with a coordinated dress shirt and tie, Dries with no tie, or shirt, as slouchy loungewear. The colors were a treasure chest of jewel tones. You will want velvet in your orders for fall.

MICROTRENDS: TAILORING

9: The White Suit

Not only were there spring colors on the fall runways, but one of the most ubiquitous items of spring the white suit appeared in almost every collection. We also saw this trend on the red carpet of all awards shows which has happened already this season. If you have ever had to purchase a gallon of white paint you know the shades vary immensely and that holds here, we have creams, eggshells, off-whites, and optic whites. The biggest question your customers will have is what color shoes to wear with it and the answer is always “black”.

MICROTRENDS: ACCESSORIES

10: The Capacious Bag

While we cannot blame the Tom Wamsgans character on Succession for creating this trend, he gets credit for naming it. All the luxury houses and brands know the immense importance that accessories contribute to the bottom line and it was evident on the runways, and while you do not have to supersize it, as shown here, unless planning to stay the weekend somewhere, you will want to have plenty of smaller sizes to offer.

11: Long Scarf

While we know the tie is not dead, and there was a very good representation on the runways this season, designers also presented other options for men to wear around the neck. One that we saw in several collections was a long narrow scarf or tie, worn loose or in what in womenswear is called a “pussy-bow,” as seen on the first Dolce & Gabbana look. (Yes. We will have to rename this look for men.) Some designers offered the scarves in self fabric, as part of the shirt, while others just added them on as strips of silk. Sabato De Sarno, the new designer for Gucci, showed them with almost every look in his first full collection for the house.

12: Neckerchief

We’ve been seeing square scarves for a while, usually in silk, but the very cool kids started (and continue) wearing them wrapped around their heads babushka style. Current iterations are more commonly wrapped around the neck in either a bandana or kerchief style, another manifestation of the Outdoors trend.

MICROTRENDS: OUTERWEAR

13: Duffle Coat

Also following along the great outdoors theme was this season’s outerwear style of choice the duffle coat. From super luxe options at Canali, made of double-face cashmere—including the toggles themselves—to the high-tech, nylon version at Neil Barrett.

14: Tubular

This is less of an item trend than a silhouette one: The long overcoat, which we’ve been seeing for a while now, was still present on the runways, but this season shown in a narrow, almost columnar shape that can only be described as “tubular.” The shapes come in the form of single and double-breasted as well as trench versions, and while we know that all the models wearing these looks are tall and lean, the tubular silhouette further exaggerates their proportions.

MICROTREND: BOTTOMS

15: Winter Shorts

Another byproduct of the overarching outdoor theme of the season was all of the shorts seen this season. Several knit versions were in a cable knit style that matched the sweaters they were paired with, while others were in wool and other suiting materials. This trend is also perfect for the warmer temperatures of the shoulder season before and after fall as well as the effects of global climate warming.

16: Slouchy Pants

Thom Browne celebrated his 20th Anniversary in business last year, which also marks the two decades that the menswear industry has been promoting trim pants for men. Of course that means its time for the fashion pendulum to swing the other way and, while there are still plenty of slim pants offered, the newest and most fashionable pants are pleated, fuller cut, and can be best described as “slouchy.” (Read more about this current trend in my colleague John Jones’ article in MR Magazine February 2024, dropping later this week.)

MICROTREND: TOPS

17: Lightweight Turtleneck

This season designers used lightweight turtlenecks in neutral tones as a base layer under almost every imaginable top, including shirts and ties at Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana presented them as an alternative to a formal shirt and tie, which we have also seen on the red carpet and is a new modern black tie look.