menswear...do we care?
a migraine-induced review of (almost) every spring 2027 menswear show
I wasn’t going to talk about the recent menswear collections. Why? Because I never really have—at least not in any long-form newsletter.
Does anyone even care? Spoiler alert: I do.
But as I sit here on a random (undisclosed) weekday, cozied up in a blanket in front of my television with a debilitating migraine, I thought, “What better way to spend my sick day than to binge every single menswear show?”
I didn’t anticipate having SO many thoughts that I’d have to take notes, pause, AND rewind. Or as Missy Elliott would say, “put my thang down, flip it, and reverse it.”
I was surprisingly inspired by many of these collections, and it’s kind of crazy (and embarrassing) that it’s taken me this long to really pay attention to menswear in this way—very naive of me. There is real creativity here. Real fashion that I’d otherwise be missing out on. Real stories being told.
So, here’s to all the men (in my real life) that tell me I should write about menswear. I’m sure they are all waiting with bated breath and are reading this right now, taking notes. I’ll be sending out pop quizzes afterward.
Dior Men
Dior Men Spring 2027—or as I like to call it, “cunty little prince discovers ripped jeans and Keith Richards.”
As much as I love Jonathan Anderson as a designer, I had mixed emotions about this collection. I appreciate the mixing of fashion genres (so to speak), but the more casual aspects of this collection were simply styles I vehemently dislike. It was like Young French royalty x One Direction circa 2010 x the worst guy you know at open mic night with an acoustic guitar.
This look alone gave me war flashbacks to the #shipwrecked-looking One Direction X-Factor performance of Torn at Simon’s house.
And all the long scarves woven in throughout did not help me stop thinking about the Harry Styles of it all…
Okay, jokes aside, this collection didn’t spark joy. The styling felt too simple for me and lacking any of the extremely detailed accessories Jonathan Anderson is known for—especially in his women’s designs. All the looks yearned for some sort of animal-shaped pocket watch or chain detailing, IMO. Too stripped down. Too bare bones. I want more whimsy. Where are the cool book totes? All we saw here were some pretty forgettable, suede messenger bags and a strange “Dior does Missoni” weekender bag design at the end. The accessories felt like an afterthought, which is never usually the case with Anderson’s women’s collections.
I didn’t catch any new ideas being brought to the table. It was an amalgamation of what we’ve already seen from Anderson at Dior, meshed with the effortlessness of his namesake brand JW Anderson…which is cool, but it’s not exciting. The colors were pretty much neutral throughout, but the looks I did like the best were the few that introduced color.
The ripped jeans did NOT do it for me, either—especially the ones that had a yellowish tint to the rips. It made me desperately want to give them whatever the Crest White Strip equivalent for frayed denim is. Gnarly.
So, what did I like about this collection? Let’s sprinkle in at least some positivity.
The first few suiting looks were great—love a sheer/organza printed jacket. Would have loved to see this theme carried into the rest of the collection more.
The sequin/sparkle scarves embedded into the blouses was super cool. I loved how they were sort of peering out underneath the jackets.
A butter yellow and navy fit always hits
The more preppy ensembles in the middle of the show looked cool—I love the bright button ups under the suits with the flower boutonnieres. The sneakers in this section also worked for me!
The orange sparkle knit with the giant glitter flower brooch was my favorite look. Something about the sparkle, the orange, and the grey just feel unexpected yet cohesive. The metallic shoe ties it all together in a really fun way.
Overall, I wanted more. Maybe I’m greedy, but my criticism for Dior comes from a place of love. I see the amount of effort Anderson is putting into crafting an image for Christian Dior womenswear and I want the same for menswear, especially since he’s no stranger to designing for men. It’s completely in his wheelhouse.
Am I being too harsh? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Louis Vuitton
First and foremost, I must hand it to Pharrell (creative director for Louis Vuitton menswear) for an excellent set. I’m not even sure how to describe it, but it was essentially a giant breaking wave that models would emerge from the center of, making their way onto a runway of sand. A “surfing dandy” was essentially how Pharrell described the collection to Vogue journalist Luke Leitch. That’s exactly what it felt like. 100% accurate.
Unfortunately, the production was so cool that it overshadowed the clothes, for me personally. The music flipped between rap and a live orchestra with a choir, which I liked very much.
The silhouettes of the clothes, though? We’ve seen it all before in different fonts. This one just happened to be in Good Vibrations Regular.
They should have just collaborated with Vans if there was going to be this much checkerboard print, canvas sneakers, and striped crew socks. But at the same time, it almost wasn’t surf-y enough? Too much outerwear for me to fully be invested in the #beach of it all. I would almost definitely pass away from a heat stroke if someone made me wear this stuff anywhere with authentic sandy terrain. More breathable streetwear would have been neat to see.
I quite liked the surfboards as props and thought that the dudes wheeling in the giant LV trunks were quite comical—I just wish I liked the design of said surfboards and trunks better. I also have a bone to pick about the empty, flaccid bags being gripped throughout, not by the handle, but by the side. Also, the wetsuits were hideous.
What did I like?
The dark turquoise color introduced throughout with various jackets, suiting, and leather pieces was a highlight for me.
Light highlighter/butter yellow pieces in the middle, palm tree printed tops, and sparkly palm tree sweater vests were COOL
Overall, the colors felt intentional and the styling/pairing of said colors were visually pleasing. Suiting was also nice—fit well.
At this point, what even is Louis Vuitton, though? Pharrell has such a strong vision that I feel he should just start his own brand, rather than creating whatever the hell he wants, slapping LV monograms on it, and calling it Louis Vuitton. I respect him as an artist—I just don’t know what it means in the grand scheme of things, especially since they have Nicolas Ghesquière designing Louis Vuitton womenswear, operating on an entirely different (worse) playing field. The brand itself isn’t cohesive. And sales are dropping. It’s kind of wild to see one of the largest luxury fashion brands in the world knowingly fumble the bag in this way.
Anyway, I thought the show was just: good. I don’t have beef with Pharrell. I think he’s doing a good job and Louis Vuitton menswear is miles better than whatever train wreck is happening on the women’s side of things.
Prada
Futuristic. Stripped down. Utilitarian. Tight. Flaccid belts?
These are the words I wrote down as I was watching Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’s latest menswear collection. Apparently the idea behind this presentation was the idea of rejecting “decoration for the sake of decoration” in fashion—fussy designs that ultimately mean nothing.
“Fashion is what you think is right to wear in that moment.” - Miuccia Prada
What else did I write down during my viewing?
Lol, the loud Pac-Man intro sound was fun
Rock and roll ???
Leather !!
Kind of hate the pants…
Love the all green fit tho
Once the orchestra kicked in, the outfits got better
Intentional color blocking—callback to women’s collection
Tight pants with looser fitting jackets are more palatable
Riveting stuff, truly.
I should never underestimate Prada. Even if I don’t think I enjoy a show at face value, the more I “stew” in it, the more it intrigues me. Straight up though (in this moment in time), I’m personally not a fan of the super tight looks—shrunken denim is actually one of my biggest fears. And a thick, worn leather belt…also pretty frightening. However, I get it. Everything has been oversized for so long, that we have entered the cycle where everything is skintight all over again. It’s just the way it works and I have to accept that…even if it makes my skin crawl.
This show felt like a 2000s Nokia ad. The stark white clothes on a white background with intentional pops of color—it all felt very “the past’s idea of what the future is like.”
Many of the monochromatic looks had the thick leather belt (that looked like it was put in the washing machine about 1000 times) and a colored pouch clipped onto it as the “main attraction” accessory.
Matching, restrictive leather or denim sets with just a sliver of midriff showing. Asymmetrical sunglasses that I swear were going to go full Juni Cortez.
Pretty genius. This creative partnership between Miuccia and Raf has proven very fruitful for us Prada lovers, and they always know how to push the envelope with restraint. Nothing is overly styled, accessories are few and far between, but the intentionality of said accessories speaks volumes and elevates the looks in such a sophisticated way. And as a color blocking fanatic, I am endlessly impressed with the hues they choose to highlight and the colors their pair together. The middle section of colored clothing served as a callback to the Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear collection that was HEAVY in color blocking.
Overall, I’d say it was a pretty solid collection. While there were some pieces that personally irk me, the vision was clear and I liked the rest of the show regardless. Tight pants and all, I’ll take it.
Saint Laurent
See-through jelly dress shoes. Decorative suit buttons. Highlighter windbreakers. Jewel tones galore. “I’ll show that but in every color.”
Straight up, watching this collection on my television pissed me off. The presentation of the models walking around a giant, circular hollowed-out room is excellent, but whoever was in charge of the smoke machine was a little too trigger happy. I found myself one concealed look away from mimicking the act of swatting away at my screen.
The more I stew on this collection, the more I appreciate it, though. Anthony Vaccarello’s way of presenting very similar silhouettes with minute edits has become somewhat of a signature for him at Saint Laurent. He knows exactly what he likes and he’s going to give it to you in every single colorway.
While I could have done without quite so many repetitive suits, I did enjoy the flower-esque, jewel encrusted button detailing on many of them. They were tailored with extreme precision. Hell, I’d wear any one of them! The color profile of this entire collection was gorgeous—Vaccarello has been on his 80s-inspired kick for a while now and the jewel tones he chooses to play around with never cease to stop me in my tracks. The neon windbreaker section was a stroke of genius. Truly some of my favorite menswear looks (possibly ever) came out of this show.
I wasn’t a fan of the restrictive neck ties around many of the model’s necks—too thick, too glaring, and they prevented me from enjoying the whole look in a balanced way. If Vaccarello threw all of them into the nearest garbage can before the show, I would have regarded this collection as one of my favorites…
And, of course, we have to discuss the main attraction…the shoes. Everyone online is having a discourse heyday in regard to these guys:
Don’t hate me (or do), but as impractical as they may be, I find them fun. Who said a man can’t enjoy a jelly? The popularity of jelly material has grown immensely in the past few years and we’ve reached the point of no return. Instead of cranking out the same silhouette, we have evolved as a society. Now, jelly must transcend. Transcend into new forms—dress shoes, bags, belts, etc. Saint Laurent capitalizing on that in this way is very smart and “of the moment.” And who doesn’t love when fashion perfectly reflects society in SUCH a topical way?
Much like Prada, this collection was intentional with its accessories, also introducing matching jelly belts throughout to fully drive home the #vibe. Collection as a whole? Like Steve from Sex and the City says, “there’s good stuff here!”
Celine
Feathers will be ruffled with this one.
I just don’t think I am a “Michael Rider Celine girly,” and that’s okay. Just when I think I’m vibing with his vision, he goes and sends something like THIS down the runway, and I’m confused and disgusted all over again:
I’d love for someone to defend this look. I beg of you. DM me. I am ALL ears.
Jokes aside (for now), I do love the amount of color he has injected into the brand and the womenswear collections make infinitely more sense to me, but everything else feels a bit disjointed? Like he’s throwing a handful of spaghetti at the wall in between the genius.
He has obviously mastered the preppy, effortless vibe of a suit jacket, relaxed denim, and fun pops of color, no doubt from his time at Ralph Lauren. But there are random slivers of strange outfits that look like an art school kid got dressed with their eyes closed, and it takes me out of the moment. I understand that he is trying to evade a certain “trendiness” with his collections, but when the successfully timeless looks are juxtaposed with some of the ugliest pairings I’ve seen, I cannot help but to be confused.
This collection made me feel like if Ralph Lauren and Tibi had a baby that was a little too much of a Harry Styles fan.
Too much negativity? Fine, here are the looks I DID like:
Everything else pretty much had a scary, tight cropped pant that made me want to crawl out of my skin. Or a shrunken little jacket with “too short” arms.
“Tight little clothes for skinny little men” seems to be the theme for many of these collections…unfortunately.
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren always has the most delicious styling. It’s never too much, the layering is impeccable, and the accessories are pretty much always in a state of harmony. Everything is exactly as it should be. It’s hard to say anything bad about a Ralph Lauren show—even for a certified hater like myself.
Many of the looks definitely felt dandy-esque. Pinstriped suits, pocket watches, berets, and funky little ties. Classic but with some personality. Then, we see a series of looks with tuxes but the top suit jacket is something a little off—patchwork denim, bomber jacket, etc. I’m obsessed with the fisherman sandals many of the models were wearing in brown and black. I’m not typically a sandal lover (especially on a man), but these felt classy and not revealing of the #toes.
The whole time I was watching this show, I thought, “John Travolta needs to wear ALL of this.” His slutty little beret probably yearns for these suits.
A mix of this, a pinch of Patrick Bateman, and a sprinkle of Diane Keaton. It’s what you want to see from a Ralph show.
Halfway through, we got an intense change of scene—primary colors, patchwork plaid streetwear, Mister Polo Bear himself, and some truly exceptional duo-toned sneakers. Preppy, sporty, and chic—Polo really is SO much fun. I’d wear any of these looks. And the accessories? Topical. Boat totes with scarves tied around the handles. Beaded bandanas. Primary-colored striped canvas belts. This is the kind of balanced styling I wanted for the Dior show.
No notes.
Thom Browne
Thom Browne is having a Bug Girl Summer! This collection was apparently inspired by… A Bug’s Life? Who’d have thought? Embroidered ants, honeycomb patterns, seersucker bees, grasshopper suits, and plaid patchwork dragonflies—it was a fresh perspective on his signature Thome Browne vibe and playful as always.
Models wore dapper straw hats that reminded me of the hat that Cecilia wears (that flies away) in the 1993 animated movie, We’re Back. Ever seen it? Certified classic, according to me.
Others wore beekeeper veils over said hats. The layering with ties, short vests, dress shirts, and some double stripe action gave the looks a deconstructed vibe—as if strips of fabric were patched together and hanging off the models. I could seriously look at the detailed shots of this collection forever. There are so many hidden intricacies you miss the first time around and that I definitely didn’t notice watching the live stream.
I’ve actually been meaning to write a newsletter on “bug fashion,” because I recently became obsessed with beaded and embroidered ants on clothing. This collection is certainly more fuel for that fire.
Thom Browne himself ended the show by coming out in a giant, netted frog hat. What an icon. Not to put an expiration date on Ralph Lauren, but I really think Thom Browne is geared up to be THE American designer of the next generation. He’s one of the most consistent, meticulous, and creative people we have working today and I really think there is something for everyone.
Here are some of my favorite details (if you get giddy for bugs like I do):
Rapid Fire Reviews
I could seriously sit here for years dissecting every single detail from every single show, but now is the time in the newsletter where I force myself to remain…brief-er. Let’s talk about the rest:
Dries Van Noten
Anyone else feel like we were witnessing a real-life Mii Plaza simulation at the end of this show?
Oh, yes the clothes! That’s what we’re here to talk about. The skin suit prophecy was fulfilled. Big sequins for men were worn. And the sheer layering did work on me. I enjoyed this collection very much—the music, atmosphere, and lightness of the collection made me feel like I was in a fairytale. It was light, and airy—it evoked images of Bambi galloping through the forest. The colors from one look perfectly melted into the following look like gradient brush strokes.
Simone Rocha
Although Simone Rocha has dabbled in menswear before, this was her first full menswear collection.
I thought it was gorgeous. Feathered boas, culottes, white lace, flower brooches, and of course…sequins for men—the talk of the town! This show managed to strike a delicate balance of introducing historically feminine accessories and detailing (ones popular in Rocha’s womenswear collections) to menswear in a way that didn’t feel forced. This genuinely just seemed like the natural progression of the brand and none of the garments struck me as “try-hard” or like Rocha was trying to put a square peg in a round hole.
Nobody show Harry Styles these clothes, though! Avert his eyes. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt the rest of us.
Cartoon Villan Shoes (Not a Designer but a Movement)
And That’s All the Time We Have, Folks
This concludes the great ‘it’s critical.’ menswear extravaganza. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the shows—was I too hard on Dior? Is anyone else perpetually confused by Louis Vuitton’s place in the industry? Am I a tasteless bitch because I don’t like Michael Rider’s Celine? Let me know.
And more importantly (maybe), let me know if you enjoy the menswear coverage. If you all are digging this, I can most certainly carve out time to talk about it more often, rather than treating it like the redheaded stepchild of this newsletter.
For business inquiries email me at: emileerussell1998@gmail.com
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“cunty little prince discovers ripped jeans and Keith Richards.” i'm dead
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