The Male Cleavage

Male cleavage is not for everyone, but that slightly naked, sometimes hairy chest is an acquired taste and it’s back. The proof was on the streets of Men’s Fashion Week in Paris a few weeks ago. There, bare-chested swagger came in all shapes and sizes, clad in colourful can’t-miss-it printed shirts. Plus a splash of accessorising over a hairless chest with handfuls of silver “man jewellery”.

The trend has been spotted on other menswear catwalks this season, too. Dior Homme showed men in blazers with nothing underneath. Also, I found pictures of one model striding down the runway in a completely unbuttoned floral blouse, whilst another model showed off his tattooed torso in a novelty Hawaiian-print shirt.

Sure, this kind of ‘peacocking’ is all part of the fun in men’s fashion. But is it something that guys in the real world can pull off too? Is it a touch sleazy and a tad too “Peter Stringfellow” (god rest his soul)? Especially on a bloke with a super hairy chest.

 Like it or not, “manscaping” is now a fashion term and the Male Cleavage is definitely a thing in 2018.

Whichever side of the chest hair debate you fall on, the key to getting it right often depends on the style and silhouette of shirt. Harry Styles has got it spot-on with this “Mick Jagger-in-the-’70s” look.

But if you’re a working professional, those around you probably don’t want to see your belly button. And when wearing those bright, printed button-up shirts, be sure to lose those under Tshirts, or “sweat buffers” as they are sometimes called. Just undo a couple of the top buttons for a breather.

Aside from that, with a nod to a less-is-more mentality, style-conscious guys have every reason to bare their chests this summer.