How to Wear the Top Fashion Week Street Style Trends from London, Paris, and Milan

Linguistically, architecturally, and culturally, London, Milan, and Paris can feel worlds apart. So when it comes time for them to host menswear insiders from around the globe for the Men’s Fashion Week circuit, each destination greets visitors with its own distinctive style.

Following suit, many of the most stylish and influential gents in the fashion industry seize their time in each city as an opportunity to showcase their own interpretation of its nuanced sensibility. The results may be different in spirit, they all display the same deep respect for sartorial vision.

Of course, you don’t have to actually be in Paris to take inspiration from the city’s latest dress code. Here are the stylistic traditions and trends on our radar after three fashion-focused weeks in Europe’s cosmopolitan centres.

1 Glen is Gold in London

Glen Plaid was heavily popularized by the then-Prince of Wales, Prince Edward VIII, thanks to his regular and elegant inclusion of the pattern in his royal wardrobe. Appropriately, it has since become known as “Prince of Wales check.”

Whatever name you choose to call it by, the pattern was everywhere in London this January. And as guests paid homage to the classic check, they experimented with colours, sizes, and textures to deliver their own individual twists.

Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

GET THE LOOK:

Prince of Wales Checked Jacket

Become the Prince of Prints and pick up this stunning Brunello Cucinelli Grey Prince of Wales Checked jacket, made with a mixed wool, linen, and silk blend. With soft shoulders, peak lapels, and partial lining, the Italian-made jacket is a truly international affair — just like this month of fashion shows.

$1,565 at Mr Porter

 

2 Glamorous Greatcoats in Milan

Topcoats, trench coats, and overcoats have all been having a moment recently. But it was the noble-looking Greatcoat that won the endorsement of Milan’s fashion crowd this January.

Spotted often during the 17thand 18th centuries and then adopted in the 19th as military issue for many nations, the Greatcoat has all the practical elements needed for heavy winter use.

Featuring dramatically wide lapels, low gorge, and long collars with a long hemline and draped, soft shoulders, it appears to be beginning a big resurgence. Time to invest in your own.

Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Photo by Jeremy Moeller/Getty Images

GET THE LOOK:

Prada Black Cashmere Double-Breasted Coat

Prada’s black cashmere take on the Greatcoat incorporates all of the details we love about this type of outerwear piece. Touting wide lapels, a double-breasted closure, and an extended hemline, it’s a fantastic introduction to the wonderful world of Greatcoats.

$8,050 at Ssense

3 Loosely Luxurious in Paris

Following the trend toward baggier, boxier silhouettes from the past few seasons, there were a notable number of Paris Fashion Week Men’s attendees letting loose this year with wider cuts and billowing drapes.

With regard to pants in particular, we saw a return to more full-cut legs and multiple pleats across waistlines. Big is back, evidently, and it’s starting to speak out to us with a chic French accent.

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images

GET THE LOOK:

Grey Wool Symbols Check Trousers by Gucci

Start appreciating the wider things in life and snag a pair of these statement-making trousers. Cut in a stylish straight-leg with a mid-rise and elasticized waistband, they take easy-wear to new heights (and widths).

$1,600 at Ssense