What are the biggest, boldest and most attractive men’s fashion trends in 2023? Your guess is as good as ours, my friend. In compiling these early-year vibration checks, we’ve come to a few hard-won truths: 1) unless you have Minority Report-type gizmo synced to your computer, predicting the future is more trouble than it’s worth and 2) who cares anyway? On GQ, we have never been in the business of bowing to the fickle whims of the fashion gods – we create trends, to hell with itand not follow them, and in 2023 this is precisely the energy we would encourage you to nurture.
The very variety of men’s fashion trends shown below reflects that sentiment. Will everything here tickle your fancy? Eh, probably not — but that’s just fine. Think of this list less as orders from on high (don’t covet your neighbor’s sweater, really) and more as a snapshot of the craziest, coolest menswear trends we can’t wait to try this year, from fluffy toques to protecting our legs with now-comfortable weird loafers in which we will keep our piglets all spring. Let’s leave the divination to the hapless jerks in Cupertino, shall we? There is no algorithm in the world that can come close to this pizzazz.
More elegant trench coats
What you it is not do you have Inspector Gadget on your moodboard 2023? The PI with the propeller hat swore by the classics, but the raincoats we’re talking about here are more like heavy swords: long, single-breasted and thankfully free of the epaulettes that previously defined the silhouette.
Zip-up hoodies
Consider the reign of the pullover officially over. Zippers are back, baby—and they’re here to revolutionize your bodega running outfits.
Quirky fleece hats
You know what’s better than a wacky scallop? A wacky beanie that draws its innate wackiness from a Frankenstein blend of plush, pillow-soft fleece.
T-shirts + Pants
The ribbed white tank looks good with almost anything. But what’s the smartest way to wear it in 2023? Tuck it into your pants, then accessorize with a sparkly gold chain and glittery belt.
Formal pants Capital-D
Gently break the news to your double knees: the pants you’ll be wearing the most this year are a hell of a lot dressier than any pair you already have in your closet.
Fuck your flip-flops
Your slides came out great. Flip-flops—the last frontier in so-bad-it’s-good fashion—are really, really cool again.
Box bombers
The MA-1 isn’t going anywhere. But the bombers we love most right now are the CWU’s closer cousins, early ’50s silhouettes defined by a neat pointed collar, cropped body and big, puffy sleeves. Bonus points if it looks like you grabbed it off the shelf at your favorite vintage spot—the more patinated the better.
Silkier scarves
Mea culpa, Serge Ibaka. The Bucks forward was on to something: When your collarbone is this sick, you don’t have to do much to build an all-star around it.
Cleaned buttons
Remember those starched shirts your old man used to take off as soon as he got home from work? This is not them. They may look alike, but their attitude lets the world know you’re wearing it because you are want yes, not because some dead-eyed corporate apparatchik sent out a memo banning sex in the office.
Nice shoes
After years of shoes that look like they could turn into Optimus Prime strutting down the runway, the footwear silhouette poised to dominate the menswear conversation is thin and slightly delicate, a riff on the ballet flats that brands like Miu Miu are bringing back onto the fashion radar—and flip flops that power brokers have been wearing for decades.
Boss level blazers
For some time now, the prevailing look for men’s tailoring has been soft, sluggish and unstructured. So the next time you’re getting dressed, why not reach for a double-breasted ballerina jacket—with cheeky lapels, strong shoulders, and a cinched waist—and look like ’80s-era Richard Gere?
All tucked away
In 2023, wearing your t-shirts (and shirts, and sweaters) isn’t about confidence—it’s the fastest way to make whatever you’re wearing look a little more artful…and show off your new belt.