Styling Tips I'm Taking from the Men's SS25 Shows
5 outfit tweaks you can start making this summer.
I take an interest in the men’s shows every season. I like the tailoring, the relaxed fits and the general wearability you tend to get with menswear (as I wrote about at length when I recently recreated looks from my unexpected style icons). And as someone interested in fashion in general, I like looking beyond the brands or items that would be typically “me” and at what’s going on in the wider industry, for a wider perspective.
The men’s SS25 shows have just wrapped up. Maybe it’s just the content I consume, the fact that it’s summer and I’m spending less time online, or purely the way my algorithms are wired, but I haven’t seen a lot of talk about the collections. Apart from the much-deserved coverage of Dries Van Noten’s last show, of course, including the excellent round-up of what the audience was wearing, by
. Oh, and went to a load of showrooms in Paris and, thankfully for us, documented it for this post for Magasin. I’ve taken note of every brand he mentioned.I didn’t attend any of the shows but that didn’t stop me from jumping on Vogue Runway the moment the images and coverage were posted. As I was looking through, there were elements of certain outfits that I loved the look of, sparking inspiration for how I could wear items in my own wardrobe this summer (and next). Below are the outfit combinations, the colour pairings and, simply, ways of wearing a button-down shirt that I’ll be referencing this season.
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Undone shirts at Hermès
When I was flicking through the images from the Hermès SS25 show, what drew me in most was the short-sleeved shirts. Firstly, they were mostly colourful, and when paired with cropped wide-leg ecru trousers like this look, they stand out. But beyond that, it was the way they were worn. Buttoning stopped at the midriff, with a touch of a plain vest peeking through. Some of the fabric was tucked into the waistband, while some of it was left hanging out.
It’s a casual way to wear shirting in summer and one I’ll be trying out over the coming months with the short-sleeved shirts I have in my wardrobe. (Side note: men’s short-sleeved shirts tend to be longer than women’s, so there are more styling options.
recently did a round-up of some great men’s short-sleeved shirts in her post Did I Just Solve Summer Dressing? as did in Test-Driving the Men’s Short-Sleeve Button-Up.)A mac over shorts at Lemaire
If you’re a regular reader of The Jones Report, you will have heard me lament the Great British Summer. If you’re not familiar, we may get a good week or a few days here and there of ‘proper’ sunshine-filled, hot summer, often settling for grey skies and drizzle the rest of the time. So this look from Lemaire is one I can see myself wearing over the next few months. There are long shorts with sandals, a loose shirt, a light jacket, and finally, a rain-friendly mac popped over the top. All of the pieces look quite light so you won’t overheat, with practical layers you can swap in and out depending on what the weather’s doing.
Blazers, shorts and Mary Janes at Wales Bonner
This is the high/low mix I’m all for in summer. I love getting dressed up but sometimes an occasion calls for something that isn’t overly dressy — a fancy (ish) dinner for a friend’s birthday perhaps, or drinks on a rooftop somewhere on your European summer jaunt. This look from Wales Bonner is the perfect solution: a basic white T-shirt or vest, a pair of shorts, a smart blazer, and a pair of flat black Mary Janes. The monochrome nature of the outfit makes it easy to wear but to make it more ‘summery’, you could go for tonal whites or browns instead.
Layered vests with loose trousers at Neil Barrett
What I like most about scrolling through all the show coverage, is landing on a look that is so simple and so wearable, yet instantly sparks inspiration for an everyday outfit. This Neil Barrett SS25 look is exactly that. At first glance, there’s not a lot to it. A white tank top and navy trousers, so what? But at second glance, you see the glorious details. The trousers are wide-leg and loose, falling and gathering at the ankle. And the vests are layered, bringing another dimension to what would otherwise be a simple top. I have a couple of T-shirts and tanks in different lengths so I know I can recreate this look this summer and put a different spin on my basics.
A hint of red under beige at The Row
This isn’t an original take for a fashion newsletter, but I genuinely believe The Row can do no wrong. Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have nailed everyday minimalism without it ever feeling boring or try hard. I may never physically buy an item from The Row (unless I suddenly win the lottery that I never play) but I still take in every look each season and find that I can incorporate a lot of the elements into my outfits. I recreated one of my favourite looks from the SS24 collection and as for the SS25 men’s collection, it’s this look in particular that I’m drawn to.
Like the Wales Bonner look above, there’s a great high/low mix — the flip-flops, what looks like a posh pair of sweatpants, and the tailored jacket on top. It’s all very tonal, and then you get a little unexpected detail — very The Row — in the flash of tomato red. It gives the otherwise light grey/beige/white outfit a lift in a way that is so small and subtle that it speaks to my minimalist tendencies but it’s such a clever use of colour that adds so much to this look. I’ve been looking at all of the colourful items in my wardrobe (not many, admittedly) and conjuring up ways to add a small touch of colour to my outfits ever since. It doesn’t have to be red, either. Switch that out to a green or cobalt blue and you’ll get the same effect.
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I loved the looks you are getting inspiration from! The Wales Boner look in particular I will be recreating! Also, that pop of color from The Row looks almost like magic; where is it coming from?!
PS- thank you for the mention! SSBDs are a secret sauce.
Men’s fashion week?!? What an embarrassment to men. No wonder you’re getting tips from the shows. The guys are dressed like women. This all looks like some weird humiliation ritual.