In my opinion, that term has a certain connotation menswear. I immediately think of suits, and when I think of suits, I think of a certain cut. Namely, a fitted jacket and tight pants that barely reach the tops of the shoes (leather, of course). It’s about looking not only polished, but sharp, and that’s been the default for most men for nearly two decades. Which, of course, means we’ve arrived in time for a rethinking of what a suit means – and how it should fit.
In 2023, if the suits we’ve seen so far are any indication, it’s all about the baggy look. It’s all about relaxed silhouettes, oversized blazers, wide-leg pants and a general look of, “Oh, this old suit? It’s just something I put on.” It’s about being oversized and underdone – not necessarily in a Big Suit-era David Byrne way, but in a softer, softer, more androgynous way. The one that reminds American Gigolo-era Armani and the heyday of 80s and 90s sloppy tailoring, but he dressed it up. One where streetwear and haute couture intersect, and the lines between the sublime and the everyday are blurred.
Things have already started to change in 2022, of course. For example, Jerry Lorenzo’s latest Fear of God collection was relaxed, cheeky and perfectly on point. Forward-thinking guys like Seth Rogen embraced that vibe early, both in and out of FoG. But the changing winds really hit me in December, when Dua Lipa — the pop star known for her skin-tight, glittery Mugler outfits — showed up at the Variety Hitmakers’ Brunch wearing a gloriously voluminous suit from The Attico. It was gray. It had stripes. It was masculine and boxy and nothing like what Dua Lipa usually wears, and it was freaking cool. The jacket was so long that it brushed her fingertips; the trousers, with their billowing legs and abundance of fabric, were clearly also leaning towards baggy. It was chic, not because Dua Lipa wore it (sorry, Dua), but because she wore it so nonchalantly, as if it took less effort to put on than a pair of jeans.
The prayer was just the beginning. At the 2023 Golden Globes, Emma D’Arcy hit the red carpet in an oversized Acne Studios suit. The actor was classy and nonchalant at the same time – with a black tie, with a touch of casualness. A suit with all the components and completeness of a suit, but also the ease and detachment of youthful fashion. D’Arcy found points of contact between Generation Z and the older generations in a suit that, due to the exaggerated cut, becomes extremely cool instead cold.
Saw the same night Abbott Elementary SchoolTyler James Williams in a blue striped Amira that, although nipped in at the waist, had a pajama-like silhouette. It was at once unexpected and completely welcome. Refined, but extremely relaxed.
And at the Louis Vuitton show in Paris, baggy cuts had their star moments. Desmond Tan may not have chosen a suit, but the jacket he wore was bigger, boxier—and, most importantly, longer—than we expected. In a sea of thin shoulders and cinched waists, this subversive approach to sophisticated dressing is a breath of fresh air, setting the tone for the state of menswear in 2023, where trends and traditions are not mutually exclusive.
At the rest of the Autumn/Winter 2023 menswear shows in Europe last week, it was impossible not to notice designers following suit (ha) in relaxed, easy-going style. This seems to be the year of rest and relaxation for menswear (seriously; models from Prada and JW Anderson walked down the runway with pillows), even when it comes to suits. At Gucci, the post-Alessandro Michele era begins with a distinctly casual flair. Elements of ’70s glitz and glamor remain, of course, but slouchy jackets that actually cover the ass, pants that gather around the ankle, and relaxed silhouettes take over.
At Etro, suits on the runway were so loose they bordered on waves, with the fabric flowing around the model’s knees and calves. Even Fendi relaxes and embraces the baggy suit, with an androgynous look that, even when decked out in shimmering embellishments, carries a decidedly polished look to it.
All this yielding is not very surprising. Fashion is cyclical, and the dominance of tight-fitting suits should have disappeared. But even when the menswear pendulum starts to swing back—from tight to baggy, traditional to experimental, or whatever—it rarely stops exactly where it started. Unlike the baggy cut of the past years, the baggy cut of 2023 speaks not only of rethinking the structure of the suit, but also of the structure of the society in which it exists. Androgyny, experimentation, gender and social fluidity…all these elements are incorporated into baggy suits in 2023. This should come as no surprise, given the growing influence of Gen-Z on the fashion world. But it’s still good news for all of us—and for the broad suit.
Collusion Oversized striped jacket
Collusion Oversized striped jacket
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Collusion striped flat pants
Collusion striped flat pants
COS double-breasted jacket in a relaxed fit
COS double-breasted jacket in a relaxed fit
COS tapered chinos in a relaxed fit
COS tapered chinos in a relaxed fit
Acne Studios Juylio Unstructured Faille Blazer
Acne Studios Juylio Unstructured Faille Blazer
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Acne Studios straight pleat pants in organic cotton and twill
Acne Studios straight pleat pants in organic cotton and twill
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Trishna Rikhy is Associate Style Editor for Esquire. Her writing has previously appeared in Vogue Runway, PAPER Magazine, V Magazine, V MAN, etc. She lives in New York, but can probably be found wherever the strongest cup of coffee is.