At Balmain, Olivier Rousteing turned his models into well…him…Bright colours and draping outfits combined French, Ethiopian and Somali design influences to produce a collection that was iconically Olivier. Image via

I’m Bored. There. I said it, I am bored with men’s fashion. I’m bored of seeing five thousand brown trench coats and ranks upon ranks of trousers and button downs. I’m bored of tall, slender boys in bucket hats and the runways that really don’t seem to lead anywhere. I’m bored with men’s fashion and I really don’t think the male consumers of fashion deserve to be bored. I’m not going to lie, menswear months of the past were on quite the roll, but right when I thought menswear was getting a major overhaul towards somewhere more dynamic, inclusive and creative, Fall 2020 hit and I’m afraid I’ve fallen into a rut of boredom once again.

Maybe it’s me. It’s totally possible that designers aren’t thinking about dressing men like me or perhaps my untrained and tired eyes have begun to form clouded opinions about the clothes coming down the runway, though I’m growing increasingly more concerned at an unnecessary homogeneity forming during this season’s presentations. I can’t blame the notion of ‘trend’ because what I believe we’re seeing is less of a capitalizing on common thematic elements in fashion but rather a fear that more outlandish or innovative pieces that frankly, I find incongruous with what I believe to be the crux of fashion, even for men.

With that being said, the monotony of this season’s tragedy was littered with pockets of something more inspiring: a handful of interesting runway presentations and certain shows that explored dressing men with a little bit more scrutiny. Two in particular who I think slayed the season were the shows of Undercover by Jun Takahashi and Gucci by Alessandro Michele, which both featured dynamic runway presentations and interesting aesthetic messages and themes. If you haven’t seen Takahashi’s take on Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood featuring live performers and fabulous samurai-inspired puffers and prints, you’re missing out, seriously. Ditto for Michele’s Anti Toxic Masculinity show backed by a soundtrack of Vladimir Shostakovich’s Waltz no 2.

Undercover explored Japanese silhouettes alongside a stage performance of Throne of Blood, Kurosawa’s take on Macbeth. Image via.

Other affects that I found promising lied mainly in the prominence of genderqueer elements. I loved that we saw such a presence of men wearing garments that are seen as traditionally feminine. Fabulous dresses and bags came walking down at houses like Loewe and Rick Owens that I hope to see more of on men in today’s world, hopefully to break down the unfortunate reputation that toxic masculinity has left on the contemporary man. I was also glad to see designers pushing themselves to use new techniques such as the hybridization of incongruent garments and the implementation of more couture elements in everyday looks.

A bit of the occult, gender bending and playfulness infiltrated the Charles Jeffrey Loverboy show in London this season. Image via.

Finally, to address the ever present discussion on sustainability, I was glad to see some designers very explicitly making statements about the state of our planet and the state of fashion within the discussion of climate change, but I fear that designers may be using sustainability as an excuse to not produce innovative designs. If I could wish for anything in the upcoming seasons, it’s to see designers use sustainability as a means to reach innovation. How can we engineer new textiles, designs and dreams in an eco-friendly and sustainable way? Certainly not be creating another six hundred boring trench coats.

And with that, here are MODA Blog’s top trends for Menswear Fall 2020!

Check it Out

Warm, preppy and playful, checks covered the runway at this season’s shows. Mixing collegiate vibes with sophisticated subversions of silhouette and color, the check trend is an easy way to customize, or elevate looks moving forward. As a Canadian, I have to mention DSquared2’s fabulous anniversary collection that featured a gorgeous black and red check coat that is truly and iconically Canadian, that I can imagine many Canadians happily wearing next fall.

In the Bag

It’s murse season. You heard be right, the murse is here at last. In an era characterized by very odd (and sometimes very small) bags for women, it was only about time for the trend to permeate through the menswear scene. I think that it’s touching to see designers across the world thinking about how to incorporate a womenswear staple into the wardrobes of today’s men, and I’m certain that many of these bags will becomes staples for the contemporary man. I found the bags at Dries Van Noten to be quite interesting as many featured fox tails, as well as the bags at J.W. Anderson which were made in adorable miniature form. I think in the efforts to soften the image of masculinity, a murse is the perfect accessory.

COUTURE!

With couture week looming right after menswear week, it was nice to see many designers implementing beading and embroidery into their collections. I especially like Loewe’s stoned poncho with the matching studded elephant bags that added a touch of punk flair to the month and of course, who could forget the closing look at Kim Jones’ show for Dior that featured silver beads erupting from the neck of a staple Dior coat. I absolutely loved the hints of glam from this trend that I think would be so much fun to implement into party looks for the new decade.

Dress To Impress

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Give me more dresses! I love a good dress on a man, there’s something so beautiful about the elongating, playful quirkiness of the dresses we saw this season. From Telfar’s more deconstructed gowns to Palomo Spain’s fabulous monastic dresses to Charles Jeffrey Loverboy’s club-kid inspired get-ups, the dress for men belongs rightfully in the wardrobe of today’s man. I’m interested to explore how brands will market the garments and also how garments will be sold in department stores of the future! Will gendered shopping division finally be a thing of the past?

Hybrids

Many designers this season seemed to be exploring how to combine complimentary or contrasting ideas this season. How can you stay warm while also looking sharp? Combine a puffer and suit like at Junya Watanabe or layering multiple types of fur like on the coats at Fendi. Perhaps also an effort to sustainably make use of leftover textiles, the hybrid trend makes sure no scraps go unused! Perfect way to create and wear one of a kind pieces for years to come.

Big Sustainable Statements

I suppose for those who can’t hear the cries for sustainability, designers wanted to really make the point obvious. I absolutely must credit the house of Walter Van Beirendonck for showcasing giant logo tees on masked models with slogans regarding fast fashion, alongside discussions of equality and creativity. I must also cite J.W. Anderson’s graphic sweaters with burning houses also adorning the bodies of mannequins sitting front row at his show. At the end of the day, I think designers really are trying to make the effort to tell their consumers that their brands really do want to commit to a sustainable life style and what fun it is to see them bring those statements to life on the runway.

All Images via Vogue Runway

Featured Image via