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The trend cycle moves at a breakneck clip, and keeping up can be a royal headache. So if you’re already stressed waiting for the fashion circus to migrate across Europe, we’ve got the cure for your whiplash. Below, you’ll find a not-quite-comprehensive list of all the weirdest, wildest menswear moves we’re itching to make this spring—along with a handful of brands doing them best—hand-picked by the GQ Recommends squad. Are these the only things we’re going to wear for the next six months straight? Probably not. But they’re definitely the only things we want to wear right this very minute, and if you’re looking for a quick rundown on how to dress like a GQ staffer this season there’s no better place to start.
Five Spring 2024 Fashion Trends We’re Eyeing
Ginormous Shorts
After years of 5-inch-inseam dominance, the shorts pendulum is swinging in the other direction. And what a swing it is! In 2024, hemlines are dropping faster than voter confidence, soaring past the knee, flirting with (gasp) capri territory, and generally offering a welcome course-correction to that one picture of Harrison Ford in Cannes you keep seeing online. Go full ’90s skate rat in a pair of calf-grazing jorts, or make the quiet luxury crowd blush in Jil Sander’s exquisitely swishy boxing-inspired joints.
Hol(e)y Tees
Fellas, we’re in for another slutty spring. You already know the wife pleasers are coming out, but that’s only scratching the surface: tees and tanks are finally getting the see-through treatment, too. The holier the shirt, the better—and the more wind buffeting your torso, the hotter you’ll feel. You could layer a less revealing top underneath, but why not fly that freak flag high and let those nipples breathe?
Monitored Ankles
Come spring, a bare ankle is a terrible thing to waste. Spicing up your sock rotation is a wise move (see below for more), but the elite-level swerve involves adding a little bit of hardware. Yes, we’re talking about anklets, the jangly, dangly accessories that add flavor to your blandest fits more ably than a dash of nutmeg. If you don’t want to buy a new bracelet for your feet, just slide one you already own off your wrist.
Fishy Sandals
It’s going to be a huge season for fisherman sandals. The geezer-adjacent slip-on has always been cool—your grandpa probably wore a pair on his honeymoon—but its vibe feels just right for this particular moment: dressy enough to class up a vintage tee and jorts, casual enough to make that breezy linen suit feel beach wedding-ready. The venerable French cobblers at Paraboot make a version that looks like a close relative of your cap-toes, but you don’t have to drop generational guap to get your feet into a pair: Gardenheir sells a screaming, fire-engine red riff for less than 200 bucks.
Cowboy Cosplay
Sincere apologies to the BeyHive, but menswear’s current western kick started long before Cowboy Carter topped the charts. That said, it’s tough to name a more influential cheerleader than the Queen, so if you had lingering doubts about the trend’s staying power, now might be the time to quash ’em. Expect to see a whole lotta ranch-ready shirts, flared jeans, and big ol’ studded belts at your local saloon this year.
Suckered, Puckered Shirts
Seersucker—once cornered by thigh-baring frat bros and Gatsby-cosplaying prepsters—is poised for a big menswear moment. Frequent GQ-verse brands like Mfpen and Our Legacy are churning out stylish, puckered button-ups in droves. All signs point to seersucker being the fabric du jour this season…sleep with one eye open, linen.
Tiny Dancers
On the last few seasons of Menswear Trends Live (2024), the shoes were as big as they could possibly get: hulking derbies, beefed-up loafers, cartoonishly gargantuan sneakers. But if the ballet flat craze is any indication, a smaller, daintier silhouette looms on the horizon—and if you’ll forgive the mixed metaphors, it’s poised to go from fan-favorite guest star to main character in record time.
Low-Key Hikers
If ballet flats represent the more formal end of the tiny shoe spectrum, approach shoes—the sleeker lace-ups hikers rely on to get to and from the mountain—land squarely on the opposite side. Approach shoes might be designed for the trails leading up to the big climb, but they’re as rad as any other Gore-Tex-encased silhouette, and promise comfort and style in equal measure.
Sequincing Techniques
Shine bright like a…sequin? The sparkly accent that dominated the discothèques of the ’70s has returned with a glittery vengeance. Chalk it up to Realtree fatigue or a collective yearning to sweat through our going-out shirts (heck, maybe we all just want to feel pretty), but the world looks a little more joyous with some strategic embellishing. Diamonds are forever, sequins are for right now.
Grandma Cardis
We know, we know—this isn’t what you picture when you think of a cardigan. But in a sea of conventional alternatives modeled by fashion bros hellbent on jacking Cobain’s drip, this once-matronly, Jackie O.-coded silhouette feels way more fresh. Better yet? Thanks to designers like Hedi Slimane (and style gods like Tyler, the Creator), there’s nothing prim or proper about them.
Papal Hosiery
You know that ‘pop of color’ menswear heads are always going on about? According to GQ’s eagle-eyed fashion team, the quickest way to add one right now is mercifully easy: swap your white socks for red. For hosiery stamped with the Vatican’s seal of approval head straight to Gammarelli, the centuries-old Italian tailoring shop famous for outfitting a pew’s worth of Supreme Pontiffs.
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