New York Men’s Fashion Week SS16: 5 Trends spotted on the runways

While London, Milan and Paris already boast of well established men’s fashion weeks, New York was lacking one. Hence in an effort to fill that gap and provide menswear designers in New York with a new avenue to show their collections, last week, the American fashion capital kickstarted their inaugural Men’s Fashion Week to immense celebration from the industry. Although the addition of a new fashion week will only serve to further cramp up the already crowded fashion calendar and force editors to scuttle along to even more shows in a year, this does give American menswear the much needed attention they deserve rather than being covered up in womenswear shows every season.

Spanning only 4 days, the event may have been small but its effect was definitely felt and even attracted well known names who have decamped to Europe to return to New York – notably John Varvatos who presented the week’s finale show. All in all, we have to say the boys deserved the fanfare and before it all dies down, we’ve highlighted 5 of the key trends that emerged from the runways.

Trust us, boys, and men, you’ll need this to manoeuver around your wardrobe come summer.

Billowy Blowout

From oversized outerwear to wide legged and baggy pants, the volume dial was turned all the way up this season. From Billy Reid’s voluminous beach shorts to Richard Chai’s roomy pants and above ankle-length versions that resembled culottes, evidently, the men will be floating rightfully along during the hot months of summer.

Monochrome Madness

For the longest time, New York City has been synonymous with dark colours, especially black. So it comes as little surprise that the definitive colour on the debut Men’s Fashion Week falls in the same muted colour group. Whether it was all black suits in Tommy Hilfiger or edgy silhouettes in McQ, Rag & Bone and Public School, the bottom line was, black is rad.

Striped Sensation

Prints were far and few between, with stripes taking the limelight in full on suits as presented in John Varvatos and Tommy Hilfiger or realised in individual pants, jackets and jumpers. Horizontal or vertical, thin or thick there is no clear mandate on how you should be wearing the lines – as long as you have it in your outfit, you’re in.

Ultimately Utilitarian

Plastered across multiple runways was the re-emergence of rugged utilitarian elements. From slouchy pockets sewn onto jackets and pants to army green-coloured everything at Greg Lauren and John Elliot & Co, the verdict was apparent that for men, fashion is all about utility.

So Suited

Finally, there’s no way the men will be excused without busting out suits from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Greg Lauren, Jeffrey Rüdes and John Varvatos in varied renditions ranging from dapper to slouchy, vibrant and innovative. Suit up boys!

Tarandip Kaur