Colour and confidence are back in men’s fashion for Spring/Summer 2026. Although the global economic and geopolitical situation is deteriorating by the day, designers broadcast an optimistic message on the Florence, Milan and Paris runways. Vibrant colours are back, bringing a welcome breath of fresh air. A dreamy yearning for softness floated around the collections, and Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince became the new inspiration at 3.Paradis and KidSuper. Easy does it was the key to the collections presented at the menswear fashion weeks held between June 17 and 29, featuring items that were cool yet always stylish and sophisticated, thanks to their textural fabrics. Items to be worn nonchalantly, rolling up the sleeves of shirts and jackets for a more casual vibe. Designers went for fluid, ethereal silhouettes, featuring destructured jackets, often minus the lining, ample flowing trousers and vintage V-neck polos, the ideal garments for a torrid summer thanks to natural, breathable fabrics.
 

1 Anti-heat outfits 

As temperatures went crazy in Florence and Paris, designers seemed to have come to terms with the rigours of global warming. They have changed the codes of menswear, making the garments eclectic and versatile by using increasingly lighter fabrics with a strong summer feel. All kinds of deconstructed, airy jackets combined with generously cut, fluid trousers – the more elegant ones with darts, others with straight legs and a skinny fit – with Bermudas or other types of shorts, in looks that always oozed a certain elegance. The emphasis was on lightweight materials stacked in thin layers: Cotton, poplin, gauze, organza and seersucker fabric, the latter making a major come-back, as well as natural fibres such as hemp and the ubiquitous linen.

2 Palazzo life

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Men are increasingly keen on comfort and favour loungewear, but always with a classy feel suitable for bon vivants living the palazzo life. Next summer, pyjamas and dressing gowns will replace suits and overcoats. So said many designers, including Dries Van Noten and Ziggy Chen. Sometimes, this took the form of a classic light cotton shirt, or a striped one with subtle piping, completing an everyday look (as seen for example at Dior, Hermès and Officine Générale), or a straightforward pair of striped trousers with a gathered waist, at Louis Vuitton, while Saint Laurent opted for shorts. Overcoats and kimono-style bathrobe/jackets in embroidered silk also made an appearance. At Dolce & Gabbana, every item had something of a pyjama look. Amiri crafted embroidered silk and satin jackets/dressing gowns, complete with tasselled key rings in 5-star hotel-style, while Rowen Rose designed a collection ideal for a rejuvenating stay at a luxury resort, featuring bathrobe/coats in terry cloth.

3 Stripes

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Stripes were all over the catwalks, and the streets. They cropped up absolutely everywhere, from tennis- and pyjama-style outfits to sailor stripes, in a variety of colours or black and white, vertical and horizontal, thin and wide. And they featured on all kinds of garments: Pinstripe suits in wool or linen, classic shirts, trousers, gilets, knitwear, T-shirts and even swimsuits.

4 Briefs

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After women, it was men’s turn to dare to wear briefs! Prada took the lead with a retro model of slightly baggy cotton briefs, puckered at the top of the thighs like a baby’s bloomers. Shorts have been extremely popular for several seasons, and are now a permanent fixture of summer wardrobes, in increasingly micro proportions. In some cases, they looked like ultra-short, skin-tight vintage swimsuits, with stripes or 1970s prints. Wooyoungmi featured them in a bodysuit version, 1920s style, while CREOLE opted for swimsuit briefs.

5 Colour explosion

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Neutral, classic and natural colours remained predominant in men’s collections, alongside pastel shades. But next summer’s wardrobes will include an unexpected explosion of colour. From deliberately colourful items adding vibrancy to rather austere looks, to artful combinations of bright hues in colour-block mode. The favourite shades were gold or chick yellow, red, turquoise, meadow green, pink, and electric blue.

6 Nylon tops/windbreakers

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Designers used lightweight nylon and performance fabrics to create feather-light outfits that could hardly be felt on the skin, like the parachute canvas garments seen at Pronounce and KidSuper. Several designers also gave the classic windbreaker a fresh twist, converting it into a top or a shirt, as at Saint Laurent and David Catalàn, or into a jacket/gilet, as at Bluemarble. Ultra-light nylon overcoats were ubiquitous too, super-useful in case of unexpected rain.

7 V-neck tops

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V-neck, slightly retro tops are back in fashion, often with a deep neckline. Like Ami Paris’s wool lozenge gilet, Rick Owens’s sheer top, Officine Générale’s sailor-collar polo, Sean Suen’s crocheted sweater, and the long-sleeved T-shirts with unbuttoned collars seen at Bluemarble, Auralee and Wales Bonner. Not to mention the V-shaped sweater which Prada and many others have duly reinstated.

8 Cropped preppy cardigans

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A preppy streak, perfectly consistent with the V-neck trend, featured in next summer’s men’s collections, with plenty of sensible polos and cardigans. But these classic items were often reinterpreted in tongue-in-cheek cropped versions. Sweaters and cute little gilets came in tight, short, and highly fitted silhouettes, for example at Fiorucci, Egonlab, Sean Suen and Camperlab.

9 Three-in-one trousers

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The trend for clothes with double and triple layers continued unabated, with layering and trompe l’oeil galore. Jackets and sweaters were worn in multiples, while boxer shorts peeking over the edge of low-waisted trousers were uber-popular, even with luxury houses. At Egonlab, wearing three pairs of socks was the rule. But next summer’s must will be the three-in-one trousers, notably seen at Fiorucci and 3.Paradis, where four pairs were layered neatly on top of each other, and at Simon Cracker, where multi-trousers transformed into dungarees.

10 Flip flops

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While the models at Zegna and Craig Green took to the runway barefoot, this season most designers favoured the simplest shoe type in the world, flip flops. They came of course in the most luxurious materials and versions, as seen among others at Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Prada, etc. Flip flops, pool slides and other types of beach sandals have become entirely acceptable as footwear, even worn with a business suit. The style was as relaxed as possible, with models for real or pretend holidaymakers, and variations on the theme like mules, slippers, ballerinas, and even platform shoes looking like children’s sandals.