The Good, Bad & Huh: A Review of Men’s Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023-2024
New year, new trends. Men’s fashion week is winding down and I’ve had a moment to think, reflect and collect my thoughts on the presentations shown and trends that I’ve noticed, and sadly, I’m unimpressed. I understand that with each collection designers do their best to pull inspiration from previous trend or time periods and reimagine what it would look like in modern day. But As I went through hours of runway presentations, I was incredibly underwhelmed.
There were some presentations that I saw and thought “I see what they are doing” or “It would’ve been cool if they did this” but for the most part a lot of the looks weren’t for me. Now, I recognize that the late 90’s and early 00’s is having a moment right now in fashion and that’s why these collections haven’t sparked something from me. Personally, I prefer the suit structure from the Harlem Renaissance era and street wear style from the 2010’s (I feel like that’s when we got it right) So, I figured let me give you my thoughts on the good and the bad of the Men’s Fall/Winter 2023 – 2024 runway shows.
The Good
Dior did something different their presentation was centred around rejuvenating and regeneration by pulling items from the archives of both the name sake Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent who was named Head Designer of the illustrious brand from 1958 – 1060. The show took elements of nautical fashion with elongated fisherman’s smock, off-the-shoulder tailoring and large knits.
Another presentation that I enjoyed was Dolce & Gabbana. They effectively mixed elements of 70’s glam and 80’s punk with a modernized twist that works for present day styles. Rather than go with the crowd the managed to put together a collection that remained true to the brand, felt modern and current and still spoke to the audience.
However, my absolute favourite presentation was by Amiri. Mike Amiri put together feast for the eyes, first of all it was musically curated by DJ Premier and the Badder Band #IYKYK. The show pulled all the right elements of 80’s and 90’s Hip-Hop fashion while still using modern cuts and fits and silhouettes. It was Nostalgic in all the best ways, as if Mike Amiri and DJ Premier co-produced the collection together. Elements of newsboy caps, sweaters with graphics, wide leg pants and bold coats with intricate details.
The Bad
It felt like several designers were struggling to capture what the 00’s fashion was for men, and as a result some presentations mixing 00’s fashions with other style decades that did not merge well, like Gucci. To be fair there have been several shake ups within the brand, but the Fall/Winter 2023 presentations was so underwhelming. Mixing elements of 80’s punk, 00’s relaxed fashion and 90’s grunge together. The collection didn’t work for me, nothing stood out or felt cohesive.
And then there’s Givenchy… Have you ever gone into a store and thought “Their trying it right now?” Oddly mixed silhouettes, multiple patterns in one look and aggressive layering felt like an assault on the senses. Also, I take offense anytime luxury designers try to make what many would consider the “working class” or “homeless” aesthetic and pass it off as high end. It’s insulting. So, with Givenchy I’ve got questions, like what was the inspiration, or the concept because I didn’t get it. It was maddening and uninspired.
Now, that you have a better idea of what’s to come I hope this gives you a better idea of what to look for and you can expect to see in major retail stores. But I’d love to hear from you, what did you think of the recent presentations? As always let’s keep the conversation going in the comments.