What are the biggest, brashest, buzziest men’s fashion trends of 2023? Your guess is as good as ours, pal. In compiling these vibe checks at the start of ever year, we’ve landed on a couple of hard-won truths: 1) unless you’ve got a Minority Report-type gizmo synced up to your PC, predicting the future is more trouble than it’s worth and 2) who really cares, anyway? At GQ, we’ve never been in the business of kowtowing to the fickle whims of the fashion gods—we make trends, dammit, not follow them, and in 2023, that’s exactly the energy we’d encourage you to cultivate.
The sheer variety of men’s fashion trends aggregated below reflect that sentiment. Is everything here going to tickle your fancy? Eh, probably not—but that’s totally okay. Think of this list less like commandments handed down from on high (thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s sweater, indeed) and more like a snapshot of the freakiest, flyest menswear moves we’re itching to give a try this year, from the fluffy toques keeping our noggins cozy now to the weirdo slip-ons we’ll be nestling our piggies in all spring. Let’s leave the soothsaying to the hapless number-crunchers in Cupertino, shall we? There ain’t an algorithm in the world able to approximate this pizzazz.
Sleeker Trenches
What, you didn’t have Inspector Gadget on your 2023 moodboard? The propellor-hatted PI swore by the classics, but the trench coats we’re talking about here are more like heavy-duty macs: long, single-breasted, and mercifully devoid of the epaulets that used to define the silhouette.
Zip-Up Hoodies
Consider the pullover’s reign officially over. Zip-ups are back, baby—and they’re here to revolutionize your bodega-run fits.
Freaky Fleece Hats
You know what’s better than a freaky beanie? A freaky beanie that derives its innate freakiness from a Frankensteined mashup of plush, pillow-soft fleece.
Tanks + Trousers
A ribbed white tank looks good with pretty much everything. But the swerviest way to wear one in 2023? Tuck it into your trousers, and then accessorize with a flashy gold chain and a razzle-dazzle belt.
.png)
.png)
Capital-D Dress Pants
Break the news to your double-knees gently: the pants you’ll be wearing most this year are a heckuva lot dressier than any pair already in your closet.
Fuck-You Flip Flops
Your slides had a great run. Flip flops—the final frontier in so-bad-it’s-good fashion—are really, truly cool again.
Boxy Bombers
The MA-1 isn’t going anywhere. But the bombers we dig most right now are closer relatives of the CWU, an early-‘50s silhouette defined by its neat point collar, cropped body, and big, puffy sleeves. Bonus points if it looks like you grabbed it off a rack at your favorite vintage spot—the more patinated the better.
Silkier Scarves
Mea culpa, Serge Ibaka. The Bucks forward was onto something: when your neckwear is this sick, you don’t have to do much to build an all-star fit around it.
De-fussed Button-Ups
Remember those starched dress shirts your old man used to shimmy out of the second he got home from work? These ain’t them. They might look similar, but their attitude lets the world know you’re wearing one because you want to, not because some dead-eyed corporate apparatchik circulated a memo banning polos in the office.
Dainty Footwear
After years of shoes that look like they could transform into Optimus Prime clomping down the runway, the footwear silhouette poised to dominate the menswear conversation is slim and a little bit delicate, a riff on the ballet flats brands like Miu Miu are putting back on the fashion radar—and the slip-ons uptown power brokers have worn for decades.
Boss-Level Blazers
For a while now, the prevailing look in men’s tailoring was soft, languorous, and unstructured. So the next time you suit up, why not reach for a baller double-breasted blazer—with brash lapels, strong shoulders, and a nipped waist—and make like ‘80s-era Richard Gere?
Tucked-In Everything
In 2023, tucking in your tees (and shirts, and sweaters) isn’t pointerdexter-y—it’s the quickest way to make everything you’re wearing look a little more artful…and show off your rad new belt.
