HERE, TO GIVE YOU THE INSIDE TRACK ON ALL THE BIG TRENDS COMING YOUR WAY THIS SUMMER, WE TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE RELEVANT SNIPPETS FROM INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEKS, COMPILED BY GQ, FOR SS19
1. A RETURN TO ELEGANCE
Tailoring is back – and back in a big way – in London, Milan and Paris. Sure, there were plenty of beautiful suits at the usual suspects (Canali, Corneliani, Ermenegildo Zegna), but even the more outré brands dabbled in tailoring.
The entire Comme des Garçons show was an avant garde musing on the suit, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy showed several tailored two-pieces and even the king of streetwear, Virgil Abloh, threw in a suit or two into his inaugural collection for Louis Vuitton. The most elegant of all the collections, however, was Kim Jones’ couture-inspired outing for Dior. You’ll never look at a double-breasted blazer (more on that later) in the same way again.
2. YOU NEED SOME SHORT SHORTS
GQ Fashion Director Luke Day has long been a proponent of ultra-short shorts, and for Spring/Summer 2019 his time has come. Tiny bum-skimmers were all over the runways this season, with the best found in neoprene at Prada, tie-dye leather at Louis Vuitton and swirly-whirly retro print at Dries Van Noten. Invest in some now, stop skipping leg day and you’ll be ready to go by spring.
3. SUITS WORN WITH BARE CHESTS (IT’S A THING)
Now you’ve got your suit sorted, you need to figure out how to wear it. Luckily, your friendly local style shrink is here to help. For Spring/Summer 2019, you should be wearing your suit with absolutely nothing underneath. That’s right: nothing. The trend was everywhere at the shows, from the baby-blue two-piece worn with naught but a bare chest at Ermenegildo Zegna to the ultra-chic stone-hued suit shown sans shirt at Hermès. If you’re going to try the trend yourself, be sure to invest in some super-strong, mark-free deodorant first…
4. YOU ALSO NEED A HANDBAG
Yup. Not a manbag, not a murse, not event a pochet… Spring/Summer 2019 is the season of the handbag. At Dior, Kim Jones reinterpreted the classic saddle bag, originally designed by John Galliano, into a series of shoulder bags and cross-body styles. At Zegna, little tassel bags where held in many of the models’ hands. It was at Prada and Valentino, however, that the look was most literal, with actual handbags sent sashaying down the runway. After all, men have stuff too.
5. YOU SHOULD BE WEARING YOUR DOUBLE-BREASTED EXAGGERATED
Double-breasted is the suiting shape of the season. We’re not talking tightly tailored, body-con DBS – the kind that was big news in 2015 – rather big, baggy, super-fluid double-breasted suits with plenty of room for the turkey belly you accumulated at Christmas. The best thing about these double-breasted suits? They’re best worn open.
