13 (Quite Interesting) Things We Learned From the A/W 2024 Menswear Shows

Following hot on the kitten-heels of Timothée Chalamet and his glitzy, shimmery black jacket at the recent Golden Globes, the catwalks were a-twinkle with glitter and sequins. At Gucci there were vest tops and denim festooned with crystals, as per newly-appointed designer Sabato De Sarno's ambition to convey “a party at the first light of day... a story of music, nights out, sweat, dancing and singing”. There were monochromatic lamé-style polo shirts worn under vests at Fendi and tuxedos that shone like diamonds at Dolce & Gabbana. Meanwhile Giorgio Armani closed his (extensive!) Emporio Armani presentation with overcoats, bomber jackets and jumpers all shimmering with silver beads.

Has there ever been a wider/odder selection of hats going down the men’s catwalks? Knitted swimming cap-styles in bright Skittles-colours, plus yellow balaclavas at Prada. Sailors’ hats at Emporio Armani. Leather caps at Giorgio Armani. Stetsons at Louis Vuitton. Leather bucket hats and woolly deerstalker-styles at Fendi. It’s no secret accessories are what sells for brands – are hats the new bags?

If we said the words ‘stylish royal’, who'd comes to mind? Lady Di? King Charles III? Um, Harry? We’d give strong odds one name that wouldn't would be Anne, Princess Royal. Charles’ sister and the 17th in line to the throne has a personal style noted, if at all, for headscarves and a fondness for wearing full military regalia. Once upon a time the media liked to depict her as ‘aloof’, ‘haughty’ and ‘her royal rudeness’ – until it got fed up and turned its attention to other royals. One person who definitely is on board with Anne’s style is Silvia Venturini Fendi – grande dame of the storied Italian house. For A/W 2024 Signora Fendi designed a collection that included twinsets, heritage fabric coats, waxed jackets and sturdy winter skirts – this is still menswear, we promise – inspired by HRH herself. “I fell in love with the style of Princess Anne who, to my mind, is the most elegant woman in the world,” Fendi commented, backstage at the Milan show. “When I saw the Coronation last year with Princess Anne in her uniform, I thought she looked beautiful. So I said ‘let’s be inspired for a men’s collection’.”

So now you know.

Michael Fassbender on the front row at Zegna. Idris Elba at Gucci. James McAvoy at Prada. Impressive A-list gets, as no one could deny. But for sheer WTAF-factor, it was hard to beat the sight of Jeff Bezos sat front-and-centre at Dolce & Gabbana. Was the world’s third-richest man in the market for trading his leather jacket and aviators in for a white poplin smoking shirt, or a buttonless blazer accessorised with a froufrou bow? Was The Everything Store about to add an Italian fashion giant to its basket? Or was JB there because his finacée Lauren Sánchez’s 22-year-old model son and (checks notes) 'Gen Z heartthrob’, Nikko Gonzalez, was walking on the D&G catwalk? Yeah, it was the latter. We can’t tell you why Elon Musk’s mum was on the guestlist at Louis Vuitton, however. But she was.

At Louis Vuitton Pharrell took inspiration from his home state of Virginia to present a cowboy and rodeo-inspired collection, complete with stetsons, shirts embroidered with lassos and fringed coats. “One of the things that I'm supposed to do is to take the house [Louis Vuitton] to places and tell stories and give a platform to the different destinations that we go to, and how they inspire us not to take anything or appropriate,” he said. “That's not what we are here to do. We are here to appreciate where we go and what we learn, and come back and share those stories in the way that we do when I express myself through the clothes and the show.”

As well as its exceptionally nice clothes and its extraordinarily fancy Fandazione Prada institution dedicated to contemporary art and culture – a handy place to hold a fashion show, as it turns out – Prada's Fandazione is also equipped with some very social-media friendly bathrooms. Which explains the line of fashion editors who felt compelled to whip out their iPhone 15 Pro Maxs and get them on record. Also guilty. #content

In January 2024 we're in the midst of an outsized sloppy jacket trend – look, they're not supposed to fit – and it's a look that seems set to continue through the year. Outsized trench coats and slouchy shirts prevailed at the A/W shows, while top of Esquire’s winter wish list is Fendi’s peerless parade of wale corduroy trousers. Cosy.

It was the winter collections, after all. But labels – notably Brunello Cucinelli and Emporio Armani – continued to make strong showings for their winter sports lines. The latter sent snowboards down the catwalk, the former built on its Mountain Series of padded trousers, ski goggles, neck warmers and lust-worthy lined mountain parkas.

For fashion show attendees the issue of what to wear can be a fraught one. (Yes, we know: nightmare.) What to do? Show brand loyalty by turning up head-to-toe in a complete look? Or affect a certain nonchalance and steer well away, as if cleansing the palate to fully concentrate on the season’s newness? It tends to depend on the brand. Prada, for example, inspired a high level of showy devotion – those sharply-collared shirts from last season, particularly. But perhaps no brand invited dress-up loyalty more than JW Anderson, at whose show anchor logo-print joggers, popcorn tote bags and jazzy long-sleeved mesh tops were in abundance. Bonus points for the people who wore their frog loafers when it was flipping freezing outside.