• Men’s Fashion Trends

Men’s Autumn/Winter 2015 Fashion Trends Preview

Now that summer’s pretty much been and gone and sale rails have been picked over, it’s time to start getting excited for the season to come.

Well, maybe not excited, but definitely equipped. With harsher weather on the horizon, we turn our attention to the major autumn/winter 2015 trends and break down what’s worth spending on to brave the elements while looking bang on-trend.

1. The Shearling Effect

Chalk it up to the 1970s revival or pin it on 2015’s rugged masculinity, but shearling is far and away the biggest trend for autumn/winter 2015.

Why? Because pretty much everyone, from Stuart Vevers at Coach to Brit brands Hackett and Burberry Prorsum, offered a take on this classic jacket. And because well-built outerwear is the single most important addition to your wardrobe once the leaves start to yellow and the breeze gets brisk.

Promising warmth (this is, after all, the sartorial equivalent of a sheepskin rug, faux or no) and an air of Steve McQueen, a shearling jacket looks just as handsome thrown over a simple T-shirt and jeans combo as it does a button-down Oxford and sweater pairing.

If you’re planning on getting involved, don’t skimp. Better ignore shearling altogether than pick up a subpar style that might save you a couple hundred quid but looks unmistakably bargain basement.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• J. Crew Wallace & Barnes Sherpa-collar Italian Leather G-1 Flight Jacket
• Belstaff New Falmouth Leather Biker Jacket
• Mcq Alexander Mcqueen Shearling Biker Jacket
• Acne Studios Abel Shearling-trimmed Leather Bomber Jacket
• Tomas Maier Shearling Bomber Jacket
• Belstaff Ashworth Shearling-trimmed Suede Biker Jacket

2. Keep It In Check

Even the most savvy sartorialist can find himself stumped when it comes to styling all-over busy prints and patterns. But this season, some designers are suggesting a more accessible take on visual impact, swapping digital prints for subtle checks.

Hackett and Dunhill layered check tailoring for a standout head-to-toe effect, while Hentsch Man and Shaun Samson took the trend to the street with grunge-inspired checked outerwear.

If you’re looking to break out of the metaphorical block-colour cell block, then checks are your best bet. Timeless and versatile, this pattern instantly adds interest to any outfit and works across everything from a casual plaid flannel shirt to smartly-cut separates.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• Libertine Libertine Bomber Jacket Mono Large Check
• Asos Harris Tweed Overshirt With Check
• Sisley Check Suit Jacket In Slim Fit
• He By Mango Slim-fit Madras Check Shirt
• Ted Baker Sabines Tight Lines Checked Wool Blazer
• Ted Baker Piitro Checked Tonal Trousers
• River Island Red Check Zip Through Shirt Jacket
• Topman Grey Oversized Check Stretch Skinny Chinos
• Topman Selected Homme Brown And Blue Check Trousers
• A.p.c. Button Down Check Shirt Multicolour
• Etro Unstructured Check Wool-blend Blazer
• Outerknown Hemisphere Windowpane Check Wool-blend Peacoat

3. Got Green?

To say military’s trending in menswear is a bit like branding the Pope a Catholic: from cuts to utilitarian details, battlefield uniforms have come to set the foundation of the contemporary wardrobe.

But this season it wasn’t buttoned cuffs and epaulettes that strengthened the military-menswear bond, but the colour of fatigues themselves.

Whether olive drab or hunter, fern or artichoke, subdued shades of green were worked across everything from technical tailored pieces (Christophe Lemaire) to smart-casual separates (Michael Kors).

With shades to suit every skin tone, green’s worth putting at the core of your cold-weather looks. Use it to pull together neutrals like black, beige and grey, or pair it with complementary colours like burgundy and navy.

For more formal looks, try emerald and jade for a little opulence that will catch eyes but won’t raise eyebrows.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• Polo Ralph Lauren Oxford Shirt In Slim Fit
• Asos Bomber Jacket With Asymmetric Zip In Green
• Topman Olive Grid Stitch Crew Neck Jumper
• Topman Khaki Relaxed Tapered Chino
• River Island Dark Green Smart Double Breasted Trench Coat
• Topman Khaki Roll Neck Jumper
• Acne Studios Ace Skinny-fit Cotton-blend Corduroy Trousers
• Folk Loopback Cotton-jersey Sweatshirt
• Barbour Kirktown Cable Crew Neck Olive Marl
• Uniqlo Men Packaged Dry Crew Neck Short Sleeve T-shirt
• River Island Green Smart Wool-blend Peacoat
• River Island Green Flannel Long Sleeve Shirt

4. Keep Rollin’

Rakishly elegant, supremely comfortable and extremely easy to dress up and down, this simple piece of knitwear is arguably the hardest worker in your wardrobe.

With variations on the theme provided by Margaret Howell, Kris Van Assche, Kenzo and more this autumn/winter, it’s hard to imagine we only re-discovered the roll neck a few seasons back.

Choose from thin or thick gauges, plain colour or vividly patterned. Use yours in place of a shirt under a suit for a debonair take on tailoring (thin gauge recommended), or team with a simple pair of well-cut wool trousers and trainers for an off-duty ensemble that still looks luxe.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• He By Mango Stand-collar Merino Wool Sweater
• Ben Sherman Peat Green Roll-neck Shirt
• Selected Homme Turtle Neck Jumper With Fleck
• Burton Dark Green Roll Neck Jumper
• River Island Ecru Chunky Roll Neck Jumper
• Topman Camel Roll Neck Jumper
• John Smedley Richards Merino Wool Roll Neck Jumper Port
• Charcoal Merino Roll Neck Jumper
• Gieves & Hawkes Roll-neck Fine-knit Sweater
• John Smedley Belvoir Merino Wool Rollneck Sweater
• Etro Slim-fit Cable-knit Wool Rollneck Sweater
• Howlin Moonchild Roll Neck Navy

5. Graphic Knitwear

Show your statement sweatshirt the door, gentlemen – it’s time to get acquainted with an all-new line-up of punchy knits.

Some were kitsch (Christopher Shannon’s intarsia plastic bag styles) and some were camo (Pringle of Scotland’s maroon/grey/beige/white option); autumn/winter 2015’s runways were awash with graphic knitwear, suggesting a new, much smarter alternative to the slogan-emblazoned sweatshirt that’s reigned supreme in recent seasons.

To really take this trend by the horns, opt for a multi-coloured style as the focal point of your look, surrounding your knit with comparatively sober pieces to really play up its effect. Alternatively, for something less attention-grabbing, try teaming a monochrome style (like Corneliani’s refined triangular take) with tonal pieces.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• Asos Jumper With Aztec Design
• Edwin Crew Jumper Stroke Fine Knit Jacquard Stripe
• Next Red Check Crew
• Gant Jacquard Crew Neck Jumper Multi
• Ted Baker Bluwall Ombre Pattern Wool Jumper
• River Island Ecru Woven Colour Block Jumper
• Ted Baker Carguy Zigzag Pattern Wool Jumper Dark Purple
• Reiss Bruge Contrast Weave Jumper Black/off-white
• Reiss Church Printed Lightweight Jumper Bordeaux
• Christopher Kane Geometric-intarsia Knitted Sweater
• Saint Laurent Geometric-intarsia Wool Sweater
• Ps By Paul Smith Jungle Camo Cotton Sweater

6. Leg Room

Yes, they’re here. Again. Roomier trews are – judging by designers’ offerings – set to make serious waves this season. But while other style bibles might be lauding them as the hero piece to start hauling, we say don’t bin your skinnies just yet.

Oliver Spencer, Vivienne Westwood Man and E. Tautz all widened their trouser styles’ widths, taking care to tweak appropriately in each case: Spencer’s came cuffed at the bottom and teamed with a duffle coat, Vivienne Westwood’s were cropped and worn with monk-straps, while E. Tautz offered a modern-day take on the zoot suit.

All a cakewalk to pull off if you’re a runway model, less so if you lean more towards mere mortal. Thankfully, labels like Joseph and the previously skinny-steering Versace showed takes that struck the balance between wearable and clown-like wide-legged.

If the idea of a little more legroom appeals, remember to always balance your bottom half’s size with a snug fit up top – a slim-cut shirt, thin gauge knit jumper, or both, for example.

Lookbook Inspiration

Key Styles

• Uniqlo Men Regular Fit Selvedge Jeans

Cillian O'Connor

Cillian O’Connor is a freelance writer, editor and consultant, best known for his ability to sort the wheat from the chaff in the world’s of men’s style, grooming, lifestyle and design. Once named the No. 1 Blogger by Vogue, Cillian also contributes to The Sunday Times, The Business of Fashion and Metro.