Exposed toes, bare skin, and bold colours and prints prove major menswear trends for spring 2026. Benjamin Fitzgerald reports
Men’s luxury fashion is heading into a bolder, brighter and more refined era next summer. The spring/summer 2026 men’s shows – spanning Florence, Paris and Milan – shifted the conversation away from the sportswear of seasons past and instead spotlighted a collective mood of playful sophistication.
Colour and prints took centre stage, with punchy brights and graphic iterations injecting energy into tailoring and classic menswear items. Louche suiting – fluid, relaxed, yet elegant – signaled a confident move away from streetwear dominance. At the same time, designers leaned into lighter, more romantic fabrics and textile details, bringing a sense of sensuality to traditionally masculine wardrobes.
The result was a season that felt liberated and expressive: fashion that embraces refinement without rigidity and luxury that isn’t afraid of colour, delicacy or ease. The biggest fashion upset of the season? The toe-revealing flip-flop, which toppled the urban sneaker as the go-to footwear choice for men for summer 2026. Better book in that pedicure pronto, gents.
1. Exposed toes
Next summer’s biggest trend for men isn’t a floral shirt or linen pants, but the unassuming, and barely-there, flip-flop. The very casual footwear got a luxury revamp at Louis Vuitton, whose runway – a blown-up Snakes and Ladders board game, made in collaboration with Studio Mumbai – sent out flip-flops inspired by a hot Indian summer, crafted in burnished dark leather, pastel suedes, tan, and blue and white crocodile.
Miuccia and Raf for Prada also looked East for their version of next summer’s exposed toe. The Italian brand’s new T-strap leather sandals were styled simply with black socks, paired with long schmock shirting and raffia flowerpot hats. Post-show, however, the Milanese marque came under fire from Indian social media users who said the sandal closely resembled Kolhapuri chappals – a traditional silhouette handmade by artisans in Maharashtra, India – known distinctively for its toe-ring design; one that Prada adopted in its new sandal offering. The furore was addressed by the fashion giant, who agreed to work with local artisans of the sandal before its release into the retail world next year. A step in the right direction.
2. Micro shorts
Short hems are climbing much higher up the thigh this season. Prada kicked off the micro short trend in Milan’s Fondazione Prada, with its answer to sister brand Miu Miu’s miniskirt from the womenswear season, sending out some of the shortest shorts of the season, and even a pair of skimpy khaki bloomers with practical front pockets; a collection of boyish innocence that channelled the “opposite of aggression, power, nastiness”. Elsewhere, Saint Laurent unveiled a series of pleated mini shorts in dark chocolate and black, in an homage to those worn by founder Yves Saint Laurent in his youth, while Japanese brand Wooyoungmi featured micro shorts in a 1920s-style, bodysuit version; for a fashionarchives twist on this mainstay men’s fashion staple that isn’t going anywhere.
3. Colour your world
This season saw neutrals and monochrome take a backseat, as colour – both bright and pastel – went into overdrive. Dries Van Noten successor Julian Klausner sent out a very on-brand men’s wardrobe featuring louche tailoring, slinky shirting and bold prints on prints, washed in jewel tones – shiny gold, rich fuchsia, emperor purple and ruby red.
Still in Paris, Saint Laurent colourblocked billowy shirting and pleated trousers in rich ’70s-inspired deep purple, mustard and ochre orange, while nuclear green spilled over AWGE’s latest show by A$AP Rocky (with Rihanna and son Riot perched front row) and saccharine pink sweetened classic tailoring at 3.Paradis.
Pastels also had a major presence. Jacquemus’s latest collection featured lavender and peach that pointed to the southof- France brand’s Provençal summer, while Giorgio Armani’s signature grey suits were softened by mint green business ties for a springtime play on Wall Street.
4. See-through chic
Paris and Milan gave men permission to show a little skin next season, eschewing traditional fabrics of complete coverage for decorative lace and barely-there sheer textiles. Saint Laurent sent out sheer high-necked blouses tucked into cinched-waist trousers for a high-fashion take on American Psycho corporate garb, while Egonlab placed drapey lace under sailor’s hats and Feng Chen Wang integrated floral lace into a tank top layered under a black blazer.
5. Pyjamacore
Menswear is taking it to the bedroom, with pyjama stripes all over the catwalks this season. Italian house Dolce&Gabbana hosted a massive pyjama party during Milan Fashion Week, offering up luxury pyjama sets and dashing silk striped robes designed for more than just lounging around the house. A sentiment backed up in Paris at chez Dior, where Jonathan Anderson’s debut for the French house featured pyjama-striped shirting tucked under statement coats and as a twinset with matching boxer shorts.
6. Feminine touch
There’s nothing like a feminine touch to add a dash of ornate elegance to even the most masculine and modern pieces. In Paris, Bluemarble’s metallic rope embroideries and bejewelled rhinestones sparkled over washedout jeans and crisp white T-shirts, and embroidered fish and plastic bottles floated over knit sweaters at Doublet. Elsewhere, French house Isabael Marant and Los Angeles brand Amiri crafted embroidered silk and satin jackets for an Americana sophistication. In Milan, Dolce&Gabanna’s “wrinkled romance” collection featured pyjama-style ensembles with beaded floral embroidery accessorised with statement brooches worthy of a palazzo dandy.
7. The tie
Escaping the office for the summer, the tie symbolised a new kind of hybrid elegance for men this season. At Saint Laurent, the traditional neck accessory was crafted more like a neckerchief, and styled tucked into a flowy shirt, while AWGE made a fashion statement with its oversized faux-fur version. Dior’s 19th-century-inspired tailoring – think waistcoats and tailcoats – was accompanied by romantically big bow ties.
8. Playful prints
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. The irony of The Devil Wears Prada’s most quoted line wasn’t lost on menswear this season. But rather than recycling tired tropes, designers reimagined florals, and other not-so-typical prints with wit and nuance. In Paris, Dior crafted blossoms on heritage tailoring, turning petals into emblems of romance and power, while Craig Green’s return to the City of Light saw floral coats inspired by vintage bedsheets sourced from thrift stores, riffing on a kind of “flower power” aesthetic that monologued the monotony of household chores.
Elsewhere, tiger print was infused into faux-fur coats at Kenzo, Bluemarble translated the Toulon–Mont Faron cable-car route into a photographic print that climbed up the legs of tailored trousers, and illustrations of mini dinosaurs and palm trees were stamped over relaxed suits at Louis Vuitton; leaving a playful mark on one of menswear’s most joyfully refined seasons yet.
Also see: Chanel vintage returns – Tyla, Jennie, Kylie Jenner, and more reinterpret the classics
