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There’s more to celebrating the New Year at the GQ office than just champagne and resolutions. It marks a new starting point for men’s fashion trends that will start 2025 on the perfect foot. Every year around this time, we give thanks to sweats and shorts, set aside fuzzy sweaters and raw jeans in favor of fuzzy sweaters and raw jeans, and start sprinting toward new sartorial horizons. A question arises here. What do you expect to come around the corner in 2025?
To answer that, we polished our crystal ball (and mixed our metaphors) and eagerly peered into its dark depths to discover 15 men’s fashions that are way more exciting than starting a movement half-heartedly. I discovered trends. . (This crystal ball is actually the brain trust of GQ Recommends. We’re a little more calculating than a mystical orb, and a lot less cursed than ChatGPT. But the point remains.)
To predict next year’s must-see menswear moves, we scoured runway stills, street style shots, and our own mood boards to see where this very particular union situation will head next. I understand. Take a look, collect what you see, and start shifting your 2025 fit into top gear.
1. Pants with a literal twist
What’s in store for the big pants agenda in 2025? Instead of worrying about fit, you should think about construction. And if there’s one thing to watch out for, it’s pants with twisted seams. Whether it’s the front or back of the leg, a bad seam has all the ingredients to enjoy a breakout year. It’s a familiar touch of rough-and-tumble freak with just the right amount of 2000s nostalgia. If you’re looking for your next change of direction, take the curve. —Michael Noredo
2. Clasp on Fire
We see classic styles like pea coats, truckers, and wax jackets updated with clasps reminiscent of vintage firefighter jackets. (Mfpen has a beautiful denim firefighter clasp jacket coming out in the coming months.) I love it. Simple changes add a workwear edge to more formal pieces, allowing you to still enjoy the functionality of classic styles, but without the need to evoke, say, Barbour’s large zippers or giant round peacoat buttons. There is no. eBay and Depop have some very special bargains, but if you’re looking for something new, here are a few. —Louis Cheslow
3. Cowichan knit
For more than a century, Indigenous artisans from Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Nation territory have knitted the eponymous sweater, a rugged shawl-collar cardigan made to combat British Columbia’s cold. I continued. You can still steal the real thing from traditional knitters like Kanata, but these days there are plenty of modern interpretations to choose from, like Faiz TS’s bomber jacket hybrid and Haven’s blackout banger. —Yang Yi Go
4. Bulky boat shoes
Boat shoes have been all the rage in the last few years, so I realize that declaring every area of polarizing style a “return” or “trend” isn’t all that helpful. But within this category, bulkier, sturdier, and more structured ones are much more interesting and more practical than the classic second flat-soled models. That’s why I see them worn everywhere, in all situations, and with everything. Maybe this is more mainstream than a trend, but either way, it’s happening. —Reed Nelson
5. Clean, crisp raw denim
Since the last raw denim renaissance, we’ve seen bold blue jean trends, from frayed shred options to tripped-out colorways to overdyes and acid washes. But in 2025, there will be a reset to a cleaner, simpler aesthetic. Bring pure, deep, inky indigo back into your wardrobe to accentuate any outfit. We may not be grappling with this issue any more than the color-changing denimheads who became obsessed with selvedge in the 2010s. Rather, it will be a sobering and denim detox. —Gerardo Ortiz
6. Bold pinstripe
Those who wore pinstripes were once divided into two camps: the Yankees (New Yorkers) and the Gordon Gekko Acolytes (also New Yorkers). You don’t have to be one or the other to be successful with today’s cold weather patterns, but coordinating your style around the latter is a great place to start. We love a sober suit just as much as the next guy, but the most legitimate way to flex your sartorial chops this year is something a little more draconian. Cheeky lapels, strong shoulders, nipped waists, and a healthy dose of swagger. —Avidan Grossman
7. Ruffling
Shiny silver is becoming more and more distressed, and with retailers like SSENSE and Harrod’s stocking designer pieces like The Ouze, the trend shows no signs of stopping. I’ve never worn jewelry before because I didn’t want that kind of flashy attention, but I’m loving the rougher pieces I’ve been getting over the past few months. —LC
8. Retropinny
2024 was a banner year for both mesh and cropped shirts, so it seems only natural that people would discover there’s an existing garment that already combines the best of both worlds: the practice jersey ( and pinny), preferably modeled after models worn in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Fluffy, a little (or a lot) naughty, and often with funky details like knitted trims or funky collars, you can make them as unique as you like with vintage T-shirts. You can. Vintage is still the best route, and eBay’s inventory is great, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of modern options. —RN
9. Tartan dress shirt
Indeed, plain and striped dress shirts are safe to combine with suits and sports coats. But throw some plaid into the mix, and you’ll always be a bit rumpled and professor-like, like Redford and Wes Anderson in The President’s Men, rolling up your sleeves, loosening your tie, and getting to work. i am ready. —YYG
10. Sloppy sweatshirts
Jogger is dead. The sweatpants that killed them were cut like Y2K-inspired jeans, big and baggy, with hems that spilled over sneakers, slip-ons, and (for die-hard Saint Laurent fans) kick boots. If your pants already worship at the altar of Armani’s ruche heyday, the jump should be easy. —A.G.
11. Belt It Out
Women have long known that the ability of a belt to prevent pants from hitting the ground is only one of its benefits. In 2025, men will finally see belts as something more like jewelry, something as flashy as an ice necklace, wild sunglasses, or new shoes. I’m talking about belts decorated with studs, painted in bright colors, and engraved in ways that belie their ability to defy gravity (or lack thereof). -go
12. Crew neck cardis
There are plenty of curvy knitwear moves you can pull off right now (see above), but this season’s best are the simplest. Introducing the crew neck cardigan. Like Grandma’s humble guarantee, it supports a fit like no other sweater. A simple neckline adjustment allows for more wear than a standard khadi. It can be left open in the front or buttoned all the way to the top for an intentional spin on the classic crewneck sweater. You don’t need to add pearls, but you won’t be offended if you do. —Minnesota
13. Gentleman Gope
If Gorpcore’s first round was all about technical materials, the second round is for men who no longer want to do just the outdoors. They want to go outdoors wearing fabrics that their great-grandfathers might have worn. For example, if he was an Austrian shepherd. Corduroy, boiled wool, felt, and fleece. “-Tex” is not included. —LC
14. Tiny Ticker
One of the best things I bought this year was a small Seiko bracelet watch from the ’70s. This is definitely more of a bracelet than a watch, and even better. This is a women’s model, but my wrist is delicate. And these days, gals are beating the guys at their own game anyway. If the glee my new watchlet provokes is any indication, small watches are going to get even bigger in 2025. —A.G.
15. Zippy sweater
Indeed, zippers and sweaters have an uneasy relationship. Getting caught in zipper teeth can be fatal, and the mechanisms that secure zippers to knitwear are often fragile. But I don’t care about these things at all, and others seem to agree with that sentiment — zip cardigans are coming out more often in place of button types, track jackets, quarter zips, etc. It’s coming. Although it may be a little troubling, this partnership is a fruitful one. If the zipper is bulky or shiny, it will contrast with the knit in a more dramatic (re: interesting) way than buttons, and if it’s subtle, the placket will disappear from view. This is not possible with a button. (I’ve been wearing the old one for two months and can’t stop.) —RN
