hot man summer.
men’s fashion is finally freeing itself.
You might not know it yet, but I am using substack for my minor intentions from now on, which are improved newsletter layouts. Nothing hurts my eye more than an inconsistently designed layout that is supposed to bring my intuitive fashion thoughts on fake paper.
I worked last week on a youtube video that carries the title hot man summer in which man means actually the totality of mankind, but men don’t know this, so that’s important for the watch time. As always all tiny little learnings, which editorial press will likely call out as a trend forecast or summer essentials list from the spring/summer 2026 menswear runways, are interchangeable and implementable for everyone.
Here are my favourites with the according options you can find on the market:
I am starting with one of my favourite and very cost-savy trends that i’ve seen watching the Stein and Kiko Kostadinov show. Stein went for the elegenat silhouette, Kiko meant it literal, in a beautiful, almost agnostic way:
Pants tucked into socks
I am starting with one of my favourite and very cost-savy trends that i’ve seen watching the Stein and Kiko Kostadinov show. Stein went for the elegenat silhouette, Kiko meant it literal, in a beautiful, almost agnostic way:
The only trend that requires two items, a pant and a sock. I am a firm believer, that the mentioned pants have to be slightly on the wider side, for the sophisticated pyjama effect, which has been translated in a not careless, but careful way.
I do like these pants for that slouchy look, I also think white pants have some kind of weird magic about them, because they always look great. If you want to go all the way with a very similar model for triple the amount because you might just feel better than anyone else, here. Another version here for a very literal execution or here, because Auralee almost does the job for you with the tapered elastic bottom.
I will not sit here and find applicable sock alternatives for you, but if you would put a gun on my head and ask me, I’d go for these ones.
It’s not the snatched waist anymore, it’s the snatched ankle in 2026.
2. Flip Flop’s
Since Scandinavia decided to take over the streetstyle world in about 2017, none of us complained, especially none of the current wearers of flip flops.
Thank you to every single island of yours that has shown us how easy it is to have fun in the summer, made by and made cool by Brazilians.
It’s not only the tortured skin between the toes or the sides that turns them into dismissed summer shoe alternatives for many, it is often also rooted in the quiet discomfort towards one’s own feet.
The runways say bring feet love back (you read that Rick interview right?) and I say that too. No shoe, yet sometimes painful, has made my life and styling decisions easier by doing the absolute minimum. I am not kidding; there was not a single show I didn’t see a flip flop at. Hermès, Giorgio, Auralee, Kiko, Dries, LV, Prada and all the others. They are everywhere and at this point you should just get ready for some healthy nail kit.
I have about 6 pairs at home, havaianas win against every single high-end brand, but if you feel like you need to have restaurant appropriate ones, you can pull out this for the contemporary you, but these for grown up you and these for old comfort you.
3. Anoraks
Years have passed, you finished school, but your stylistic dream life of wearing the finest fabrics paired with wool coats and funny loafers died, because you’re riding a bike now.
An anorak, windbreaker or whatever type there is that wraps around your torso and in many cases protects you from the sun and rain is that thin short jacket with a hood which you now should prefer as your outerwear instead.
When thinking about reaching out to new silhouettes without completely changing ones aesthetic, lightweight but voluminous pieces can be a great tool. I wouldn’t mind the Hed Mayner ones, Auralee does not disappoint as usual and Craig Green (colours!) is for the expressive ones among us.
I just bought this Uniqlo ultra lightweight something for the sake of red colour, it's amazing and a great styling trick, when you want to add layer but stay thin with your fabrics. I really like this Auralee one too, I feel like it goes with everything and adds the perfect amount of technical crunch to the look. If I could choose, this Dries is a must too. Shock everybody with your ability to wear colour next season, I know you can do it.
4. Fringes on shoes
We’ve had it before, but now we see more hybrid forms of the conventional loafer with its tiny fringed carry-on’s. Wales Bonner won this game this season, closely followed by Craig Green.
We are still not as experimental as in the latest shows, but you can experience your Minnetonka nightmare here, here in the best way possible by Mamma Miuccia and here just to irritate the opponents.
5. Cummerbunds
An inevitable force of tailoring appeal must have come over the menswear designers this season, since no accessory, but the rarely pulled out cummerbund got all the spotlight.
Julian Klausner’s first debut collection with a runway for Dries van Noten can be considered an homage to the elegant man’s small friend. And as accurate as an homage to Dries can only be, the cummerbunds and similar looking elastics on shorts were chosen in vivid jewel tones and fine satin fabrics.
Since finding your size of a cummerbund at your local store might appear more difficult than maybe a thrift store (!), you should try out the tube top trick, which fundamentally is the exact same thing, a piece of eternal fabric around your waist.
The best thing that happened to menswear in the last years. My favourite is unfortunately this one here, but there are tons like the Hereu classic, the last remains of Simone Belotti’s Bally or another chic version here. I prefer the ones that have a heel and not a plastic sole, I know comfort wins, I lose.
the looks & alternatives
