Boys to Men: My SS26 Runway Favorites

Let’s talk about menswear. Because while everyone else is busy watching what women wear to dinner, the men just walked some of the most intelligent, sensual, and surprising shows we’ve seen in years. SS26 delivered a spectrum—from cerebral minimalism to decadent glamour—and each designer had something to say. Below are my personal highlights from the season, straight from the runways that mattered.

DIOR HOMME – Jonathan Anderson’s Tender Revolution

Jonathan Anderson’s debut for Dior Homme didn’t roar. It whispered—and that was its genius. This wasn’t Dior Homme reinvented with a sledgehammer, but reshaped through softness, sensibility, and storytelling. Tailoring was unstructured yet intentional; trousers puddled gently at the ankle. Knitwear hugged the body like a second skin, while jackets came sculpted yet undone.

A palette of sage, rose, and sand gave the whole show a muted poetry, and accessories (yes, men’s brooches are back) added an emotional depth rarely seen on menswear runways. Anderson’s Dior is less about assertion and more about contemplation—masculinity as style, not performance.

DRIES VAN NOTEN – The Final Bow (and It Was Brilliant)

If this was Dries Van Noten’s final menswear season (as the rumors suggest), he left on a poetic high. The show was saturated in color, textures, and sensuality. Embroidered jackets, washed silks, floral motifs—it was Dries in full bloom. But it wasn’t nostalgic. It felt vital.

He reminded us that menswear can be romantic without being cloying, decorative without being costume. A celebration of individuality, and above all, emotion.

HERMÈS – Everyday Luxury, Re-imagined

Hermès delivered a masterclass in quiet confidence once again. Véronique Nichanian knows her man: he’s elegant, tactile, and completely unbothered by trends. This season played with layering, mesh knits, and weightless outerwear—all in a signature Hermès palette of terracotta, cream, and ink blue.

It wasn’t flashy, but that’s exactly the point. The details—looped closures, buttery leathers, whisper-light linens—are what separate real luxury from loud logos. There was ease and restraint, and in 2026, that’s as modern as it gets.

DOLCE & GABBANA – Tailoring with a Roman Holiday Twist

Domenico and Stefano continued their ode to Italian craftsmanship and old-school sensuality—but made it breezier. Gone were the corseted, hyper-masculine vibes. Instead, SS26 offered lightweight tailoring, sheer shirting, and almost monastic white-on-white styling.

It was a Mediterranean dream—clean, soft, sun-drenched. There were nods to Sicilian tradition, but pared down for today. And yes, the men looked impossibly good.

PRADA – Uniforms of the Future

Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons continue their exploration of uniforms—but this time, they played with absurdity. Think sculpted shortsuits, exaggerated sleeves, and ties that looked slightly off. The beauty was in the tension: familiar shapes rendered strange through volume, proportion, or materials. There was a touch of schoolboy rebellion, but elevated.

What Prada always gets right is intellect. These are clothes for men who think about what they wear—and why. SS26 added a surrealist twist to that philosophy.

SAINT LAURENT – The Power of Silence

Anthony Vaccarello brought back the drama, but make it silent. Saint Laurent SS26 was austere, architectural, and absolutely mesmerizing. Monochromatic looks in black, olive, and sand moved like shadows under the Paris night sky. Shoulders were sharp, pants fluid, and necklines daringly open. Think: 1970s Marrakech meets modern-day existentialist.

There was a cinematic masculinity here—one that whispers luxury rather than shouting it. For the man who wears sunglasses after midnight, Saint Laurent is still his church.

ZEGNA – Material Innovation Meets Desert Minimalism

Alessandro Sartori’s Zegna is no longer just “the tailoring house.” It’s an ecosystem of tech-textiles, forward cuts, and extreme refinement. SS26 was inspired by the desert, and it showed in its sand-dune palette and weightless fabrics.

Suits were deconstructed to the point of abstraction. Vests replaced jackets. Leather sandals grounded the whole thing. If the future is quiet, this is what we’ll be wearing.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Menswear is having a moment—and not in the traditional, “finally catching up” kind of way. Designers are experimenting with vulnerability, utility, and beauty in ways we haven’t seen before. This season, masculinity wasn’t a code to follow—it was a language to rewrite. And these collections? They didn’t just speak. They sang.