THE DIARY 03: The Men of Spring

“Men Are the New Men” wrote Guy Trebay, men’s fashion editor of The New York Times, last June in his review of the Spring 23 shows presented in Paris. What that means is open to interpretation, but, in his view, “despite the prevalence of clutches, totes, murses, skirts and various other frilly things some designers have successfully drained of traditional feminine associations, men’s wear this season focused on those who skew masculine.” Evidence number one was Thom Browne, a designer that has been pushing the envelope for decades and that this season sent his models to the catwalk in a collection that, as Vogue put it, was “suspended almost entirely from jock straps”. It was raunchy, it was sexy and it was fun. It was also a good sign of where things seem to be going; the continuation of the gender fluidity trend that started almost a decade ago, now finally landing a new kind of masculinity.

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Seeing a man in a flowy candy-colored top (Dries van Noten), a soft shouldered pink suit (Zegna), or a double-breasted cocktail vest without a shirt (Alexander McQueen) or stepping out in strapping bold and playful layers (Thom Browne) suggest today more virile confidence than feminine flirt.

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Dries Van Noten, Men’s Spring 2023 via FashionUnited.com: Paris Fashion Week Men’s: In Paris, extravagance drowns out the clothes

Zegna, Men’s Spring 2023 by Giovanni Giannoni

Alexander McQueen, Men’s Spring 2023 via Vogue.com

Thom Browne, Men’s Spring 2023 via Vogue.com

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At the Venice Film Festival, Timothee Chalamet got all the attention and flashes with his skinny red pants and seductively backless red top, and at 58 and at the top of his career, Brad Pitt has been creating sensation in the red carpet lately with a series of colorful Haans Nicholas Mott cotton-linen skirts;

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Brad Pitt exploring his softer side in Haans Nicholas Mott via Trstar Media

God’s True Cashmere, Pitt’s new line, via Instagram by Guy Aroch

Reviewing the Marrakesh-inspired Saint Laurent collection for Esquire, Nick Sullivan wrote that designer Anthony Vaccarello had taken “the drape of women’s clothes—loose, open, gauzy blouses and, here and there, a pussy bow—and applying them without fuss to men.”

It was the opposite mirror of what the legendary Yves Saint Laurent did in the 70’s, giving traditional men’s tailoring a twist for women. That move, at a time when a woman in pants was still a shocking sight for many, helped to liberate women’s fashion. Now it’s the men’s turn. Or, as Brad Pitt explains it, “'We're All Going to Die, So Let's Mess It Up'.”

Celine, spring 2023 by Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times