Winter florals, thriftcore and square toes: The eclectic trends from the Fall 2025 Men's Fashion Week shows

Menswear is in a bit of a state of flux, with key labels facing vacancies and rumours swirling about a game of designer musical chairs. Everyone seems to be anticipating the great reset — and talking less about the actual clothes.

At Dior in Paris, for instance, my seatmates were more focused on Kate Moss's attendance — and whether it signalled Kim Jones's exit from the house (with Jonathan Anderson rumoured as his replacement) — than they did about the garments, which were elegant and beautiful. 

For the most part, it even felt like brands were more focused on everything besides the collections they were presenting for Fall 2025. 

In Milan, the big news was that designers Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto got married during their JordanLuca show. In Paris, Pharrell Williams's Louis Vuitton collection — co-designed with his longtime collaborator Nigo — was overshadowed by an archive of the pair's most significant pieces curated by Williams's contemporary auction house, Joopiter.

Then, Simon Porte Jacquemus returned to men's fashion week with two shows — one mostly reserved for celebrities, designed to dazzle the massive crowd that gathered outside after he shared the address the night before. 

The show itself was shot and livestreamed exclusively on iPhones, a fact that was repeated often in the build up. It all felt like a magician engaging in a bit of sleight of hand, trying to create excitement by having people look elsewhere than the runway.

Still, while the shows seemed to take a backseat — and lack a defining collection or piece — there were a few common threads that stood out among them. From colours to consider next autumn to styles embracing vintage nostalgia, here are some strong trends from the Fall 2025 runways.

A spectrum of pink and purple

Shades of pink and purple appeared prominently across collections, ranging from dusty pastel pinks to bright violets and rich berries. It was an interesting contrast, as menswear trends seem to be shifting toward a more conservative classicism rooted in traditional masculine tropes. But these colours have always been flattering on men — and will continue to be next fall. 

In Florence, MM6 Maison Margiela's debut runway show featured an aubergine leather trench and a ripe berry denim suit. At Magliano, in Milan, there was a mauve tweed jacket and an airy, light pink suit, while Prada showed bright purple trousers and boots. 

In Paris, Auralee's signature blush knits appeared throughout, and Louis Vuitton's Japanese-inflected collection — staged on a pink circular platform at the Cour Carrée du Louvre  — was awash in cherry blossom pink. Ditto at Kenzo, where the hue was almost as dominant (surely Nigo and Pharrell would have swapped notes). 

At Walter Van Beirendonck, there were bold purple bombers and shirts, while Kim Jones leaned into barely there pinks at Dior, including the showstopping finale: an embellished couture coat with matching blindfold. Speaking of unique headwear, at Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, pink and purple both took a striking turn on embellished military helmets.

Winter florals

While florals were a notable motif in the Fall 2022 collections, they were even more ubiquitous in the 2025 shows. In some settings — like at Comme des Garçons — they took on a subversive punk edge, while in others — like at Amiri and Dries Van Noten — they felt romantic and posh.

At Prada in Milan, there were hippie florals on skin-tight T-shirts and others not unlike what you might find on dated wallpaper applied to boots, sneakers and detailing. Models also sported floral boutonnieres on outerwear and tailoring. There were boutonnieres, too, the following week, as Willy Chavarria made a highly anticipated Paris Fashion Week debut. Only this time, they were supersized in red, blue and brown, and affixed to hats as well. 

At Kenzo, there were Futura-designed florals rendered in all-over prints, while models walked holding bouquets and loose flowers alike. And in a show staged on a brasserie terrasse, Officine Générale had oversized boutonnieres, flower-shaped small leather goods and one model carrying a bouquet for good measure. 

At Emporio Armani and Amiri, the florals were rendered in a painterly style with a gold tinge and overlaid on tailoring. 032c, on the other hand, preferred its florals in black and white on a mohair long-sleeve polo, with the shaggy fabric giving the blooms a psychedelic look. 

Louis Vuitton also featured statement trunks with pressed florals. Designed with artist Azuma Makoto, the transparent pieces showcased real flowers suspended between pieces of acrylic glass. 

Thriftcore

Between the brands' apparent efforts to draw the eye away from their new collections and the prevalence of what we'll call "thriftcore" on the runways, perhaps designers have reached a point of creative fatigue. Far and wide there were nods to thrifted aesthetics, as if encouraging a return to the past rather than pushing for bold newness.

The two best examples were at Prada and Louis Vuitton. At the former, the clothes looked like what one might find at a thrift store, from the retro florals and scuffed up boots to the faded denim, weathered bowling bags and mismatched styling of it all. At the latter, the aforementioned archive curated by Joopiter not only offered a snapshot of Pharrell and Nigo's pop-cultural footprint, but also of the pieces that had inspired them. 

At Simon Cracker, there was also a healthy dose of eclectic, thrift-like styling, with pre-pilled sweaters and shirts in colours one would only find in a remote corner of a vintage store. There were silk scarves with patterns that called to mind questionable bootlegs of Fendi and Louis Vuitton monograms, and, as if to drive home the point, the show closed with a jacket made up of clothing tags — a garment literally fashioned from what gets cast away. 

Other examples include the 3.Paradis show, where designer Emeric Tchatchoua showed pieces with vintage NBA logo patches sewn on, and the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus and Maison Mihara Yasuhiro presentations, where models sported pieces fashioned from olive drab that looked sourced from an army surplus store. 

Fur, anyone?

Once synonymous with luxury, fur is now an undoubtedly contentious material. But if the runways are any indication, this symbol of the bourgeoisie of old will make its grand return this fall. 

In Milan, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons served up the most fur-heavy runway with Prada's Fall collection, which saw fur haphazardly affixed on jacket collars or patched together for vests, and a healthy dose of shearling, too. Giorgio Armani also showed eye-catching fur coats and vests, both at his eponymous label and the more commercial Emporio Armani. Zegna then closed out Milan Fashion Week with shearling collars and a cosy teddy sport coat. 

In Paris, Auralee showed faux-fur vests and aviator jacket collars while Egonlab offered up a caricature of sorts, with exaggerated cuffs, collars and bags in shaggy material, and one impressive white coat. Chitose Abe's Sacai collection also featured shaggy cuffs alongside fur boots and coats and cowprint shoes.

But perhaps the most interesting take came at Rick Owens, where boots were rendered in what might best be described as alien fur — too long and shaggy to be lizard-like, but definitely lacking the softness one would associate with a mammal pelt. 

Hip to be square

While it may not be wearable for everyone, square-toed footwear seems to be gaining traction. 

At Pitti Uomo in Florence, where traditional menswear aficionados usually prefer their toes rounded, both guest designers showed square-toed options. At MM6, there were loafers and dress shoes with a slightly elongated toe that was abruptly squared off, while Setchu showed motorcycle boots and Chelseas with blunt toes. 

In Paris, Sean Suen and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi both showed a host of leather shoes and boots with square toes. Meanwhile, Willy Chavarria took a more unique approach, offering up sneakers with exaggeratedly wide soles that gave them a square-toed silhouette when viewed from above.

But nobody did it quite like Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons Homme Plus. Over the years, Kawakubo has pushed the envelope with shoes, designing everything from comically upturned boots to double-toed derbies. For Fall 2025, she offered up the ultimate square-toe footwear: shoes with soles folded upward at a 90-degree angle beyond the toe, creating a veritable wall of tread.