After Paris, Menswear Gets Quiet, Sharp and Useful

After several seasons of louder and louder dressing, the mood settling over menswear this autumn is calmer. The strongest wardrobes are not the ones with the most pieces, but the ones where every piece has a reason to be there.

That shows up as relaxed tailoring with softer shoulders, straight-leg trousers that sit between slim and oversized, and earth tones — camel, tobacco, bark — doing the work that logos used to do. A brown blazer over black separates reads as deliberate without needing a single visible brand mark.

The practical version is simple: pick two or three directions, commit to them, and let the rest of the wardrobe stay quiet. A well-kept loafer and one confident colour are enough to carry a week.

If one jacket sums up the season, it is the M-65 field jacket. Designers at every level have been reworking it — in satin, in blacked-out slim cuts, and with a belt cinching the waist.

That belted version is the telling detail. It takes something rugged and functional and gives it a body-conscious shape, borrowing a styling move usually seen in womenswear. The result still reads as a field jacket, just one with a point of view.

For everyday wear, the lesson is simpler than the runway: the chore coat and the field jacket are the two outerwear shapes that do the most work this fall. Wear them over a hoodie, over a shirt, or over tailoring — the jacket carries the outfit either way.

Men's bags have stopped apologising. Across the SS27 runways, totes went oversized and tactile — woven, raffia, canvas, soft leather — and the message was that a bag can be the most confident thing in an outfit.

Two softer shapes sit alongside the tote. Puffy, slouchy hobos in supple nappa collapse into organic folds, and drawstring pouches give the drawstring a luxury finish.

The buyable version of all this is refreshingly practical: a waterproof tote for the commute, a structured one for the laptop, and a drawstring or packable tote for everything else. The trend is generous, not precious.

The smallest details are doing the loudest work this fall. Brooches and lapel pins — floral at awards shows, sparkling at the collar in Venice, oversized on the Milan runways — have become the standout men's accessory, and vintage pins are the easiest way in.

Rings have followed the same logic: signet and pinky rings, worn alone or stacked, plus one substantial chain or medal rather than a tangle of small pieces. Against chunky knits and heavy coats, a single bold piece holds its own where delicate jewellery disappears.

The finishing pair is eyewear and wristwear. Flat-top sunglasses with chunky frames and dark lenses carried the fall runways, and dress watches are back at the cuff with tailoring.