Menswear’s classic swing
There’s a clear swing back toward classic menswear — fuller cuts, pleats and an ‘old money’ polish are popping up in street feeds and fashion‑week looks. (A WellBuiltStyle post highlighting collared shirts and loafers gained traction, and outfit formulas promising an “expensive” look with simple pieces also trended online this week.) (x.com) (x.com)
The easiest way to spot the shift in men’s style right now is on people’s feet: loafers are replacing the all-purpose sneaker, and runway buyers were already calling them the go-to men’s shoe for spring 2026 by August 2025. Footwear News said Dior and Celine helped push loafers as the “sneaker alternative,” and Nordstrom’s men’s fashion director described the category as dressier but still easy to wear. (wwd.com) That shoe change is tied to a bigger clothing change: menswear buyers in Milan said spring 2026 collections were full of relaxed tailoring, deconstructed jackets, fluid pants and softer volumes. Mytheresa’s menswear buying director told Women’s Wear Daily the season felt like “a reset,” with designers moving away from rigidity without giving up elegance. (wwd.com) By January 2026, Milan’s fall shows had pushed that same idea further into outright polish, with Footwear News describing the season as a “broader return to polish classicism.” On those runways, derbies, loafers, topcoats and tailored trousers kept showing up together, which is why collared shirts and leather shoes suddenly look current again instead of corporate. (wwd.com) Business of Fashion used almost the same language during the January 2026 men’s shows, calling one dispatch “The Power of the Classics” and another “Fashion’s Quest For Clarity.” That tells you the mood is not peacocking or logo overload; it is clothes that read clean, familiar and expensive even when the pieces are simple. (businessoffashion.com) The cut matters as much as the items. The new version of classic menswear is not the razor-slim suit of the 2010s; it is a fuller trouser, a softer shoulder and more room through the leg, which is why pleats have come back with it. (wwd.com) That is also why the look travels so well online. A collared shirt, straight or pleated trousers and loafers photograph clearly on a phone screen, and each piece already has a reputation for moneyed settings like offices, clubs and private-school uniforms, so the outfit reads “expensive” before anyone checks the label. (businessoffashion.com) (wwd.com) There is a practical reason this swing happened now. Buyers described the past year’s menswear as less boardroom and more leisure, so brands loosened tailoring first for comfort, then kept the cleaner shirts, jackets and shoes because they gave relaxed clothes some structure. (wwd.com) So the “old money” part of the trend is a little misleading. What is actually spreading in 2026 is not inherited-wealth dressing in the literal sense, but a modern uniform built from heritage pieces: loafers instead of sneakers, trousers instead of stacked denim, and jackets that sit softly instead of squeezing the body. (wwd.com 1) (wwd.com 2) If the swing keeps going, the next obvious casualty is the skinny, hyper-casual silhouette that dominated a lot of men’s wardrobes for more than a decade. The runway evidence from Milan and the buying notes around spring 2026 both point the same way: roomier pants, classic leather shoes and tailoring that looks composed without looking stiff. (wwd.com 1) (wwd.com 2)
