Everyone who struggled through 2020 will likely remember it for the rest of their lives. Wearing surgical gloves and masks to visit Tescos, and leaving parcels out in the porch to ‘decontaminate’. Of course, at that point we didn’t know any better. Culminating in a 2020 festive season when we were told not to spend it with our closest relatives – “We must, I’m afraid, look again at Christmas,” said Boris Johnson from behind his (by then familiar) Downing Street pulpit, with the UK Government’s infamous garden party location only a few drunken footsteps away.
2021 was a similarly eerie and uncomfortable. A somewhat watered-down version of what we’d been through in 2020.
Onto 2022….
We are, it’s fair to say, past the pandemic now. We’ve been free to enjoy the year we thought we might have in 2021. We could meet new people, go back to the office, indulge ourselves in the festival season and down pints at the pub in an unbearable heatwave — 40 degrees in London — a worrying reminder of how the climate crisis will impact our world. Governed by leaders with a wavering interest, at best.
Plenty of other events have occurred – good and bad. But mainly bad. Across the pond, the Supreme Court overturned the nationwide legal right to abortion in the biggest roll- back in women’s rights we’ve seen in the US in decades. Daily life in Britain seemed to be breaking down — railways, public services, a summer of strikes, energy prices — culminating in a scary reality for the cost-of-living crisis that looks to consume our lives for a few years to come. In just two months, we’ve had three prime ministers. Liz Truss was our shortest-serving PM ever, lasting only 45 days before acknowledging what most of the UK could see from day 1. That she was not remotely up to the job — but not before tanking the economy and shooting mortgage rates up towards the stars.
And I don’t know if you heard the news, but the Queen died. We did what we’re famous for as Brits: we queued and queued — on this occasion to see her coffin. Everything stopped for a day to mourn HMQ.
We’ve learned to expect the unexpected now. The coronavirus pandemic may be over in the form we knew it, but now we live primed and ready for normality to be shattered at any time.
2022: the year that football finally came home
The triumphant roar of the Lionesses provided the wake-up call of inclusivity that the badly needed.
It all just felt a bit nicer than the Euro 2020 final of the previous year. There were no fireworks being shoved up bottoms in Leicester Square, no mass violence on Wembley Way and, thankfully, no vile racist abuse directed at players who had given their all. Instead, it felt like an inclusive, all-welcoming celebration that gave women’s football in the UK its long overdue recognition. Now, it’s up to the football governing body to build on that success and ensure that the women’s game has a bright future.
2022: the year we went on strike
Public support for strikes has not been this high for generations — a once-in-a-generation attack on living standards has stirred the British mood.
While the French seem to strike at the drop of a beret, the English drink cups of tea and get on with things. Or so the stereotype says. True or not, there’s a definite sense that for the past few decades we have been a nation of serfs in an unquestioning state of deference to the political class.
2022 is surely the year that put a serious dent in that status quo. As railway workers took strike action in July, BBC news hit the train stations, expecting to hear from fuming passengers. Instead, they found the public to be overwhelmingly supportive of the strikers. Presumably because members of the public feeling the financial pinch could easily relate to railway workers taking action over falling wages.
Onto 2022 fashion….
2022 will be remembered as the year that we saw more micro-movements than ever before. Here are five that, five years from now, we may just remember
The look: Tweed 3.0
‘Devoting the entire collection to tweed is a tribute,’ says Virginie Viard, who went so far as to cover the Chanel show venue in different shades of the fabric. That was where the reverence stopped, though: the Queen in the Highlands this was not (even though fishing waders made a surprise appearance on the runway). This season’s take on the trend is sweet but not saccharine, sophisticated yet still playful, with an upbeat and entirely youthful spirit. Tweed shorts suit to the office, anyone?
The trend: School uniform
Pleated plaid kilts, Peter-Pan collars, half-undone neck ties, white tights and gym-kit tops: AW22 produced plenty of looks designed for bunking off behind the bike sheds. A Sixties insouciance informed the Miu Miu show – these are styles for girls who are too cool for school.
The detail: Tied up
The printed silk scarf gets a glow up this season. Clash colours and contrast, because anything goes – as long as you master the Sloane Ranger knot. Alternatively, toughen it up with a leather tie.
The silhouette: Gender neutral
The lines are blurred when it comes to gendered dressing. What works now is a flexible take on both masculine and feminine fashion, using timeless tailoring as a starting point for subverting style norms, as seen at Erdem: ‘I was thinking about the avant-garde expressionism of Weimar Berlin. Imagining characters like the dancer Anita Berber, and how she would wear a suit. I loved the idea of showing the same tailored silhouettes on both men and women – they are fluid and interchangeable.’
The piece: On the fringe
Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta debut was full of sure-fire hits. But this season’s super-soaraway, street-style standout will surely be his fringed leather midi skirt. ‘Bottega Veneta is in its essence pragmatic, as it is a leather-goods company. Because it specialises in bags, it is about movement and going somewhere. There is fundamentally an idea of craft in motion,’ he says, of his inspiration for swinging fringe. ‘It is style over fashion in its timelessness. That is part of its quiet power.’
The length: Short and sweet
A youthquake of mini dresses appeared on the AW22 catwalks, where Sixties rebellion collided with Noughties exuberance in a pastel-hued parade that was anything but sickly. Miu Miu hit the hemline highs again, but sweet little looks were everywhere from Loewe to Simone Rocha. ‘My most recent collection was originally influenced by the [Irish myth] Children of Lir. The children are transformed when they are still young, and I wanted the youthfulness and naïveté to be translated into the silhouette. So some of the hemlines became very teenage, very micro,’ says Rocha.
The accessory: Thigh high club
‘The taller, the better’ is the motto of this season’s footwear. These are boots for styling with mini skirts and dresses – look out for metallic and jewel tones.
The shape: Maxi coats
We don’t usually like style diktats, but AW22 has made one thing clear: if in doubt, throw a long and lean coat over it.
The statement: Catsuits vs bodysuits
Dolce & Gabbana, Alaïa and Christian Dior
How short, tight, cut out and sheer can you go? This is a trend for those who dare to bare.
The mood: I see through you
Risqué necklines, slinky slips dotted with delicate sequins, and sumptuous lace garments dominated catwalks this season. Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons’ take involved crystal-studded mesh numbers, while Erdem’s Thirties-inspired collection included numerous dresses in translucent lace.
The texture: Pull the wool over
Isabel Marant and Etro
It’s time to turn down the heating and turn to sweater dressing. From coats to cardigans, two pieces and twin sets, anything goes so long as it’s knitted.
The vibe: Pretty in punk
Gucci, Miu Miu and Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini
Rebellion is always a good idea. Punk energy flowed through AW22: lingerie dressing got tough with crystal embellishments, vinyl boots gave an edge to babydoll silhouettes and feminine subversion was everywhere. If you only take on one element, make it Miu Miu’s velvet-and-diamanté choker.
The return: The corsetry
Last season’s sex obsession has turned from hot to haute for AW22. Fastening a corset over a tonal top is the new way to do body-con.
The moment: Oh my goth
Go hell for leather this season – make sure it’s black, slick and super shiny. More protective than provocative, AW22’s styles resemble a kind of body armour. From military-inspired corsetry at Dior and Balmain to enveloping coats and tinted visors at Dolce & Gabbana and glossy combat boots at Alexander McQueen, embrace the dark side.
The spectrum of men’s apparel keeps getting more expansive as we surf through the years of androgynous and sexually liberated fashion trends. The past few years have been a cultural reset for the fashion industry. As many old trends are revived, we have witnessed them in a new and socially conscious light as sustainable and gender-neutral fashion becomes the new cool.
While for women, androgynous fashion is nothing out of the ordinary; men’s fashion has gone through more significant changes. GenZ fashion for men has taken a leap into cross-cultural and non-binary norms towards an inclusive and quirky world of men’s floral corsets, waist trainers, pastel clay jewelry, and skirts. Read ahead and walk through the biggest changes inmen’s fashion trends in 2022.
The comeback of older trends in men’s fashion
Men’s fashion trends through the decades had been one of the least interesting niches for many years in the past. With the same tuxedos, polo t-shirts, and tennis shoes doing rounds in the trending section. While in the early centuries of laced shirts and leather waistcoats, there wasn’t much to choose from, the later decades brought in a much wider range of styles for men.
Many trends like sleeveless vests, quirky and shiny formals, and ultra-loose shirts have made glorious comebacks in 2022. Early 2000s men’s fashion trends like low-waisted jeans and street style clothing have been revived from the fashion morgue and made better than ever. But as the newer generations work towards removing gender norms in fashion, the world of men’s fashion and the comeback of older trends have been styled like never before.
Most popular trends in men’s fashion in 2022
There’s no denying that 2022 has brought some of the biggest changes in men’s fashion. Whether it’s creativity that boiled up into a fashionable bubble or inclusivity and sustainability becoming inseparable from fashion, men’s fashion has experienced a cultural revolution. So let’s take a look at what are the latest men’s fashion trends:
1. Streetstyle
Hip-hop and street-style fashions were obscure trends in the late 90s and the early 2000s. However, 2022 has popularized the men’s streetwear fashion trend through sustainable athleisure and bold accessories. Loose joggers and sweatshirts, with a shoulder pack and all paired with heaved chains, make the perfect outfit to pull out the swagger like it’s the 2000s again!
2. Floral themes
Genz men’s fashion trends in 2022 have bid their final goodbye to the years of gendered fashion styles that kept men from truly exploring floral themes. With new trends like floral bottoms and jewelry for men, 2022 is the year men’s fashion blossoms!
3. Skirts
Skirts, being predominantly a women’s clothing item, has finally been set free from the shackles of the gender binary. Men wearing skirts and dresses are the new rockstars. With the popularization of punk, alt, and gothic aesthetics; skirts have become one of the hottest trends in men’s fashion.
4. Crop tops
Loose shirts look amazing, but have you seen men in crop tops? Well, 2022 is the year you get to see a large number of men wearing crop tops to boost up their Instagram aesthetic game!
5. Men’s Corsets
Men’s corsets have become one of the most booming trends in 2022. Predominantly thought of as women’s undergarments and shapewear corsets for men have become a bold fashion statement in 2022. Many artists like Conan Gray have revived victorian fashion trends and thus bringing light to unconventional trends like men’s leather corsets.
6. Flared Bottoms
The 70s and early 2000s’ dear trend, the flared bottoms have made a show-stopping comeback into men’s fashion trends of 2022. Skinny jeans have become a rare sighting as wide-legged and flared pants keep the men’s apparel industry cool and chic.
7. Quirky suits with informal shoes
Not that this trend is native to 2022, but quirky suits with unconventional color schemes and patterns have become a common sight among many notable personalities in 2022. Artists like Harry Styles, known for their gender-fluid and quirky fashion, have made way for this trend to be one of the hottest styles in men’s fashion in 2022.
8. Fusion sarees
When talking about changes in men’s fashion, there is hardly much to say about ethnic clothing. However, 2022 has made way for one of the best men’s ethnic fashion trends – fusion sarees. Whether worn as a simple saree with bold statement jewelry or worn as wraps around a western outfit; men in sarees are taking over 2022!
9. Pastel and bright colors
If you think of pastel colors, a male presence hardly comes to mind. But 2022 has changed that as pastel and quirky bright colors dominate men’s fashion this year. Pastel clothes, pastel clay jewelry, and even pastel makeup; dull colors have become a thing of the past. After all, why should women have all the fun colors!
10. Vests
Vests have been one of the oldest, yet overlooked clothing items for years, not this year though. Sleeveless tanks, cardigans, and business casual vests, all paired with trendy flared bottoms have given men a completely unique and aesthetic look in 2022!
Conclusion
Men’s fashion, for centuries, has been an uninteresting topic with little to fawn over as the same few trends keep being recycled and upcycled back and forth.2022 has made significant progress in expanding the world of fashion for men and making huge changes to the men’s fashion trends in 2022.
Whether it’s ethnic fashion or western fashion, 2022 has transformed the trends and created a more inclusive and sustainable space for men’s fashion. Men’s skirts, men’s flared bottoms, men’s corset vests, and many more exciting trends have offered a wider range of clothing styles for men to choose from.
