Though in a cosmic sense there’s no real difference between 11:59 on December 31st and 12:01 on January 1st, we swan dive into the new year with the belief that change is good, and that the biggest menswear trends of 2024 are meant to be invented, not decreed. Once Andy Cohen’s voice stops ringing in your ears and the champagne hangover wears off, you can get down to the business of deciding what sartorial upgrades, shimmies, and experiments you’d like to try on for size over the next 12 months. And us? We’re here to give you some ideas.
To that end, we polled the GQ staff—self-voted as the most stylish content squad in the northern hemisphere for 64 65 years running—to predict what we think will break out in the world of men’s style in 2024. Some of these predictions will blossom from seeds that we’ve already seen sprouting the last few months; some come from peering into the menswear crystal ball (which is easier to do when you’ve been sitting front-row at fashion shows and sending notes from the frontlines).
Take a look, take what you like, and leave the rest. Just make sure you tag us when you drop your first big fit of 2024.
PREDICTION 1. GET SERIOUS
Playtime’s over. Menswear is heading toward sober tones and severe structure. The fun pops of color that have animated our wardrobes of late will fade into depressing hues of black, gray, and brown. Don Draper and other dourly-clad men will rise again as style touchstones. —Samuel Hine
PREDICTION 2. BEANIE BABIES
I’m not calling time of death on the brim-rolled beanie era—longshoreman cosplay habits die hard—but we’re already seeing the return of the skull-hugging caps that warmed the domes of ’90s snowboarders. They’re toasty, of course, and sleek, and at their best when graced with obnoxiously-sized logos, hi-viz colors, or both. —Michella Oré
PREDICTION 3. HEY SHORTIE
As goes the street, so goes menswear—except it’s 2024 we’re talking about, and the street is TikTok, where guys are eagerly cropping their tops. Whether they’re going for full-midriff exposure or a little waist-gracing action, it’s another sign that proportion is the name of the game. Especially now that we’re all wearing high-waisted pants, it makes sense to shorten up the shirt—and jacket—so everyone can see just how high that rise actually goes. —Tyler Chin
PREDICTION 4. THREE KIDS IN A TOPCOAT
If you’re catching on that menswear moves are either long or short, no in-between, then welcome to the party. Like my colleague pointed out, there are only two coat lengths now, and we’ve mentioned the shorter one. Option two: let it hit your knees. Nothing’s more dramatic than watching a person in a flowing, unbuttoned coat going swoosh-swoosh as they walk down the street looking for a place to score a bacon-egg-and-cheese. —Tyler Chin
PREDICTION 5. BACK IN BLACK
Not to coast off of Sam’s brutalist prediction of dark-n-dour suiting, but I know where he’s coming from. It’s been a tiring few years trying to pattern-smash and color-clash and ramp up the volume on every single outfit. We’re already seeing a red carpet revival of that fabled NYC fashion trope, the all-black outfit, and I think it’s only going to gain more steam in 2024—both as a reactive pendulum swing, and as a sigh of relief. In a menswear moment that prizes shape and silhouette, it’s easier than ever to go head-to-toe ebony without feeling short on surprise and delight. If you need inspo, just tape up this photo of Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, and Julianne Moore going in three different, extremely imitable directions. —Jon Wilde
PREDICTION 6. OXFORD EDUCATION
In the halcyon days of my high school years, I owned too many Oxford shirts to count. (It was the height of the #menswear craze, and I refuse to apologize for it.) Now I own two: both Brooks Brothers, both from the ’80s, both equipped with the kind of long, snaking collar roll that makes a very specific clothing fan quiver with excitement. Oxford cloth button downs (a.k.a., OCBDs) have lived a hundred lives since I was a teen—at their lowest, shrunken to stingy-collared cartoon proportions. But a new crop of brands is committed to making them like they used to. —Avidan Grossman
PREDICTION 7. SHOES WITH (UNI)SEX APPEAL
Despite the flurry of microtrends whizzing through our feeds, men’s fashion moves painfully slow compared to women’s fashion. Maybe that’s why, in recent years, dudes have been pushing the pace by shopping across the aisle—after all, clothes are just clothes. Call it boredom, or a general quest for drip, or a blurring of gender norms. The stretch into women’s footwear has only just begun (see: the small-but-loud contingent obsessed with Mary Jane shoes, these ballet flat boys, etc.) and it’s only going to continue. Expect to see men’s shoe rotations grow beyond the usual sneakers, boots, and loafers and into kitten heels, platform wooden clogs, sexy heeled boots, and more. —Gerald Ortiz
PREDICTION 8. BACK-TO-BACKWARDS
Based entirely off this one paparazzi photo of Justin Bieber on a date night with Hailey, I’m calling the return of the backwards fitted cap. The ’90s are being pillaged, Blink’s back, and frankly, now that the dad cap and bucket hat have become commonplace, we need a new headwear move. That both Todd Snyder and Jerry Lorenzo (via Fear of God) have already seen the light means the time is right. —Yang-Yi Goh
PREDICTION 9. CLOTHES WITH SEOUL
Every few years, a shift in the menswear zeitgeist propels a new capital of cool to the fore. Few cities have more mojo right now than Seoul, where labels young and old are busy establishing the thrumming South Korean metropolis as a buzzy epicenter of hyper-tasteful, surprisingly affordable clothes. Thanks to the endless sprawl of today’s e-comm landscape, the best and brightest of Korea’s crackling menswear scene are just a few clicks way. Stock up now—or book a ticket soon—before your Instagram nemesis beats you to it. —Avidan Grossman
PREDICTION 10. DOES YOUR BRACELET HAVE THE TIME?
One of the best things I bought this year was a teeny-tiny Seiko bracelet watch from the ’70s, which is definitely more bracelet than watch and all the better for it. It’s a women’s model, but I have dainty wrists—and these days, the gals are beating the guys at their own game, anyway. If the coos of delight my new watch-let elicits are any indication, small watches will only be getting bigger in 2024. —Avidan Grossman
PREDICTION 11. BELT IT OUT
Women have long known that a belt’s ability to keep pants from crashing to the ground is the least of its benefits. In 2024, guys will finally see belts as something closer to jewelry—a fancy flourish on par with an icy necklace, wild sunglasses, or new shoes. I’m talking about belts adorned with studs, painted in vibrant colors, and sculpted in ways that belie their ability (or lack thereof) to battle gravity. —Gerald Ortiz
PREDICTION 12. DO BE A SQUARE
Way back when, square-toe shoes were clunky and outdated, the preserve of sleazy car insurance salesmen and junior politicos from Iowa. In 2023, luxury powerhouses like Prada and Marni, along with zeitgeist-y labels like Martine Rose and Our Legacy, transformed the once-hapless silhouette into a just-left-field-enough flex. Expect to see a lot more of it this year. —Avidan Grossman
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