6 Coolest Menswear Trends for Spring/Summer 2025 (and How To Style Them)

Dare I say it, but spring is actually here. The tulips are beginning to bloom, and our attitudes are thawing at the thought of not wearing a hundred layers. Yet with that comes a slightly paralysing notion: what am I going to wear now that I can’t hide under my chunky knits, long wool coats and boots?

Well, you needn’t think too hard about it. Having rifled through my front (okay, sometimes second) row pictures taken at the menswear shows, I’m here to tell you about the spring/summer 2025 menswear trends that deserve a spot in your wardrobe – as well as how to style them.

Getting Waisted

Belts are generally a humble, muted accessory, often made in neutral tones so as not to distract from the overall look. Yet this season, it seems they weren’t just for practical use.

Miuccia and Raf at Prada styled their square-buckle designs below the waist, holding the model’s trousers up from the hips. Giorgio Armani swayed from grey styles fitted with bum bags to bright purple woven designs that popped against the collection’s concrete colour tone. Meanwhile, Rhude and Tom Ford were more playful, the former studding their own take with bottle top lids and the latter with eyelets.

Evidently, belts are having a bit of a moment. To make the most of it, you should style your eye-catching design with the kind of subdued outfit that Mr Armani is championing.

Candy Coats

The spring/summer collections are always imbued with colour, and this season it seemed like a majority of menswear designers had been rummaging around sweet shops.

Zegna had a zingy sherbet yellow suede jacket, while Sabato De Sarno’s penultimate show featured a leather car coat in a Toxic Waste shade of green. Strawberry bon bons came in the w of a pink satin number at Dries Van Noten, and to round off the selection, Hermès offered a Parma Violet option via a utility jacket.

As you’ll have noticed, these hues are popping up as outerwear options, so we’d advise keeping the rest of your outfit neutral to maintain balance. If it’s a rhubarb varsity jacket, go preppy with a classic white tee and classic mid-wash jeans. But you can be a little more adventurous with tailoring. Ami offers a suit in a foam banana hue that’s paired with a matching shirt, and while it’s certainly not for everyone, those who dare to should.

Denim Blue

At this year’s Grammy awards, Kendrick Lamar took home five trophies for his song ‘Not Like Us’. While this record-breaking feat was attention-worthy, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the Canadian tuxedo he wore to accept the award.

Eight or so months earlier, the same look was making an impact on the runway. Pharrell William’s iteration at Louis Vuitton was finished with a pixelated ensemble, while Bianca Saunders leaned into the western look, adding a bandana neck adornment onto the collar. MSGM’s variant paired jeans with a matching Eisenhower jacket.

At Kendrick’s Superbowl performance a few weeks later, he sported a pair of Celine bootlegs that went viral on social media. A big month for denim! And I doubt that momentum will slow.

Sadly, there’s only a short window as to when you can wear this look: strictly in spring when sunny days are upon us but temperatures remain between 15 and 20 degrees. Throw on a white tee, your tux, and a pair of black boots (the simpler the better) and you’re set. Add a bit of flair to the ensemble by looping one of the aforementioned belts into your jeans.

Patched Up

Menswear has become a lot more playful over the last few years – see the rise of coffee cup accessories and jewel-embellished shirts during the SS24 shows as proof. But this year, that sentiment is mixed with nostalgia, as the type of patches usually reserved for school or Scouts uniforms are back.

Juggling hands have been stitched onto suits at KidSuper, while Kenzo’s military jackets were finished with the brand’s badge, a poppy. Off the runway, Bode and Found both offer jackets with vintage-esque styles that lean into their respective kitsch aesthetics.

Of course, you needn’t buy new to engage with this trend. Find some patches that you like and start sewing. Doing so may spark some more memories, too.

Going Topless

A few years ago, knitwear started getting sexy with the (re)introduction of deep v-necklines and muscle-enhancing knitted vests. Since then, the menswear landscape hasn’t grown any more prudish (lest we forget the return of short shorts).

Now, instead of designing pieces to show off more skin, brands have eschewed basics altogether.

Waistcoats were worn without shirts or tops underneath at Giorgio Armani. The models at Prada wore their shirts open as if they didn’t have time to button up before walking. Our Legacy probably offered the most extreme option: simply layering a coat over a naked torso. Why not, I guess!

Giving the Cold Shoulder

Yes, the temperature dials are meant to be in the double digits, but it’s not like the UK is famous for its reliable weather. Time and time again, its residents have fallen culprit to a deceivingly sunny day that suddenly turns into a grey one, going from after-work-drinks-in-a-pub-garden climes to jumper territory.

For that reason, styling a light layer over the shoulders is a smart idea, and one that’s been spotted on the catwalks. Auralee, a Japanese brand whose reputation is only growing, wrapped jumpers around the neck so that one shoulder was exposed and the other covered by the knit. Another buzzy brand, Our Legacy, tied jackets over the torso as if they were cross body bags: over one shoulder and under the armpit. It certainly gives an air of nonchalance, and it’s hardly surprising that this particularly preppy way of styling has returned when that dress-code is at its peak. Giving someone the cold shoulder: not so bad, after all.

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By Carmen Bellot

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