From army to shiny, 5 key trends for men this winter
As the days shorten and humidity and temperatures start to fall, it’s time to consider how to wrap up warm over the colder months
The seasoned fashionista will know that 2016 has been a seismic year in the industry, what with all the comings and goings in the top jobs and the advent of “see now, buy now” phenomenon. Seismic in womenswear, that is; the men’s side seems humdrum in comparison, judging from the number of holdover trends that will still hold sway this winter.
Yes, the military trend and all its offshoots persist (like the bomber jacket, parka and more adventures in the colour green), and the utilitarian outerwear du jour is the duffle coat. However, there is a bit of spice this season with the global nomad trend (likely a one-off) and the prevalence of all things shiny.
Here we’ve listed the five key trends, and their chief exponents, that should tide you over till things start warming up again.
Army boys
A holdover from previous seasons, the military trend has become the Terminator of men’s fashion – blunt, hypermasculine and seemingly unstoppable. Thankfully, some of the more refined menswear designers have added a bit more interest and value to a trend that just won’t die. Chief among them are Dries Van Noten, who adds his signature detailed embroidery elements to heavy wool military coats. Alexander McQueen and Burberry keep things chic, favouring black military coats, whereas Moncler, Thom Brown and Balmain camp up the trend with OTT fatigue prints, medals, brooches and dandy-esque cuts. Korean label J-Koo followed the embroidery route for its military green parkas, which added a high fashion element to a very functional garment. Green in all its variants is still associated with the trend but the labels are embracing military coats and jackets in a variety of other colours including navy, sand and red.