2023 menswear fashion trends: More skirts, casual suits and cashmere

Ludovic de Saint Sernin

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Gone are formal suits, the traditional jeans and polo shirt combo, or even jeans and a shirt. Men can now aspire to a wardrobe that's both more sophisticated, elegant and sexy, and which strives to deconstruct the myth of virility, making masculinity a more multifaceted concept. This trend is being accentuated by the increase in the number of female designers getting into men's fashion, and working on this new wardrobe, as well as the emergence of young designers, such as Ludovic de Saint Sernin, who are striving to push back the limits of a notion of masculinity that now seems outdated.

This, in particular, sees clothes seemingly 'borrowed' from women's wardrobes, like the skirt, slowly but surely making their way into menswear. According to the global fashion search engine Stylight, Google* searches for 'skirt for men' were up 15% in January. And the phenomenon continues to grow, since the #skirtsformen hashtag already has some 12.7 million views on Gen Z's favorite social network, TikTok.

Cashmere and more casual suits

Miguel Medina/AFP

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While the pandemic transformed men's wardrobes, relegating shirts, suits and ties to the background in favor of more comfortable clothes, men are now returning to a more elegant style. The suit is making a comeback, as seen on the catwalks of Milan and Paris, but it is shedding its formal aesthetic to embrace more casual cuts and materials, as well as a more laid-back look. This is poised to be a strong trend that will prevail throughout 2023.

In the meantime, men are already getting onboard with elegant, well-crafted pieces for a polished look. Cashmere, for example, is proving popular among men. Stylight reports an increase in search interest of more than 1,000% for the animal fiber on its international platforms in January, compared to the same period a month earlier. In terms of clothing items, note the return of clothing and accessories that embrace both style and comfort, such as boat shoes (+240%), cable-knit sweaters (+22%) and oversized trench coats (+8%), as well as highly distinctive creations such as bomber jackets (+20%).

The color palette also follows this trend with the dominance of neutral and muted shades. Still according to Stylight, beige appears to be the most sought-after color, with an increase of +355% in clicks in January, compared to December 2022, far ahead of light blue (+21.5%) and gray (+10%). However, as seen on the Paris catwalks, there are still a few flashes of brighter shades like red, yellow and orange.

If one thing's for sure, it's that men's wardrobes are breaking free from certain preconceptions to be reinvented with not one, but many forms of masculinity. This is also being echoed in the underwear and beauty sectors, which are adapting to men's desire to take care of themselves, and to assert themselves, through an increasingly well-groomed look.

 

*Google search data is based on the overall increase in searches for the specified keywords, according to Google Trends and Glimpse. The data for Stylight clicks follows analysis of the shopping behavior of the platform's 120 million annual shoppers for the periods of January 1-13, 2023 compared to the period of December 1-13, 2022, and January 1-23, 2023 compared to the period of December 1-23, 2022.