With Post-Pandemic Fashion, Why Do Men Get to Have All of the Fun?

Throughout quarantine, I have rarely worn exciting clothes but I have taken nearly every opportunity to think about wearing exciting clothes. I made a Pinterest board of outfits for my fantasy vacation to Mexico City. I subscribed to four different fashion magazines, and I’m nearly addicted to scrolling TheRealReal’s new arrivals every morning. My favorite version of fashion escapism, however, has been perusing runway shows while breastfeeding. Throughout my hours of scrolling high fashion, it has become apparent that the exciting, post-vaccination, Roaring Twenties return that’s been prophesied is coming, but only for men.

Crop tops for work (or Zoom?) at Fendi

A romper at Prada. (Not sure I’m sold on those black socks…)

Men’s Fashion is having a reckoning. Last week was Men’s Spring Fashion Week and it left plenty to be curious about (if you’re a fashion-forward dude). There were midriff tops from Fendi, short shorts rompers at Prada, and filmy embroidered tops from current fashion darling Bode. Skirts were commonplace! From large and voluminous at Louis Vuitton to straight and subdued at Dries Van Noten. Even Ferrari, with its new high-end fashion line, showed unisex styles. (As a brand known for sports cars and its F1 racing team, I would have expected full machismo.)

Plenty of poof from Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton

A skirt a la Kurt Cobain at from Dries Van Noten

A nearly matching look for women and men at Ferrari

I’m not sold on these black socks, either.

But this evolution away from manly-man masculinity shouldn’t come as a surprise. If anything, high fashion is racing to catch up with where society is already running. Male celebrities have been playing with the idea of masculinity in fashion both on and off the red carpet. Billy Porter has been wearing skirts and dresses in every appearance he makes for years. Harry Styles was on the cover of Vogue this past December in a dress, and Leslie Odom Jr.’s red carpet looks were spectacular and untraditional. This month’s GQ cover star is A$AP Rocky in a kilt, and in the accompanying editorial spread he’s literally dripping in pearls. The pearl trend isn’t just for magazines, either. The street style photos from Men’s Fashion Week in Paris show several men rocking pearls, too.

In contrast, womenswear is a literal snooze. Nap dresses, the love child of a nightgown and Laura Ingalls Wilder, are apparently a thing. It’s like designers are saying, “Hey! The advancement of women in the workplace was pushed back decades in the pandemic. Here’s a sack dress. Enjoy your time back in the kitchen.” If, instead of wearing a sack, you’d like to feel the sun on your skin again, there are revamped cut-out dresses from four years ago. There are still matching sets. More maxi dresses. And the poofy sleeve trend? It will. not. die.

Of course, of course, it’s not all bad. They are some beautiful, useful, quality pieces. But that’s also the problem. Useful, quality pieces are not very revelatory. They don’t say let’s sprint toward the future, let’s celebrate our lives and our health and our ability to be together. I don’t think this opinion is unique. Many designers showed some of their menswear on female models, as if implying that if you can’t find the style revolution you’re looking for in the women’s section, there’s plenty of new excitement to be had in the men’s.

Curious about menswear? Here’s more to read:

Is Fashion Too Obsessed with TikTok? - GQ

A$AP Rocky is the Prettiest Man Alive - GQ

Dan Levy Reviews the New Dior Men’s Collection - Vogue

Gen Z is Reimagining Masculinity. Brands Are, Too. - Business of Fashion

Milan Men’s Wear Shows Signs of a Renaissance - The New York Times

(A note: I wrote this piece before the Marc Jacobs show this past Monday. If you’re looking for exciting womenswear, I’d start there. I particularly enjoyed this review from Vogue.)