Men's Style Lessons to Learn from Australian Fashion Week 2024

In accordance with Boss huntof some of the most “relevant” fashion shows (see our recap of Pitti Uomo 105), this week we decided to try to translate some of what we saw on and off the catwalk. at Australian Fashion Week 2024.

With the cost of living looming large in the national discourse and the current slowdown in global luxury (Burberry is the latest F-capital fashion house to report a +10% drop in annual revenue since beginning of this year), you would be right. thinking there was a somewhat subdued atmosphere at this year's AFW festivities.

Fortunately, for those of us playing at home, that means the gap is narrowing: between a significant portion of what was shown on the Carriageworks runways and what you'll find flowing into the wardrobes of well-dressed men in the parade. streets of Australian metropolises.

RELATED: 13 Australian menswear brands for your wardrobe

Whether it was the Giedi Prime explosion of Michael Lo Sordo's Machine Hall show, or a Albus Lumen collection that captured designer Marina Afonina's childhood nostalgia (in a frayed, distressed, post-apocalyptic way), one of the great metatexts hidden in plain sight was that fashion, in 2024, can still be assimilated to a coherent vocabulary.

Sure, the words may have become longer, and certainly harder to pronounce, but in the cold, harsh light of day, what are pageboy tights and a ruffled polo shirt (both deployed by Alix Higgins, member of the AFW), otherwise a new version of the faithful. a shirt and pants combo?

With that in mind, here are some moments from the runways (and streets) of Australian Fashion Week that are worth saving for your personal style inspiration.

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(Wearable) Trends Spotted at Australian Fashion Week 2024

To the above Michael Lo Sordo curated in the dark, cavernous corners of Sydney's Kent Street, the successful local designer reintroduced a handful of menswear amid a collection crafted largely from the same skin-tight midnight fabric used to dress Parisian clubs.

Shirts with covered tabs, baggy pants with drawstrings, stylistic codes that evoke a life spent flitting between the gym and the solarium… this is an aesthetic that will seduce you. feel familiar to a particular type of well-dressed Sydneysider.

Truth be told, the most complicated piece of menswear seems to have been the double-breasted blazer: reinvented but in volumes of crinkled leather that convey all the animal magnetism for which Lo Sordo tailoring is so famous.

If the notion of cosplaying as a leather daddy/Russian mobster seems a little difficult, there are a few more easily accessible lessons to guess from Albus Lumen. This Monday saw the unveiling of the brand's 2025 resortwear collection, rich, in both feminine and masculine contexts, with loose silhouettes that were put to the test.

A matching indigo shirt and shorts set (which appear to be made from garment-dyed terry cloth) is a stylish answer to poolside dressing next summer; And even if you're not in the market to upgrade your casual clothing rotation, channeling the Albus Lumen color wheel that embraces subtle, tonal variations on a single shade is an easier maneuver to execute than it seems .

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Street Style Highlights from AFW 2024

Aside from the actual show, there were a handful of clothing lines that we highly recommend you experience personally.

In a move precipitated by similar developments in British and American menswear, fashion appears to have become an unlikely savior of the tie. Once a notorious symbol of corporate hackdom, they've been popping up in notable numbers around Carriageworks this year: often with playful geometric patterns or wilder prints, sometimes even in calfskin ( the Ferragamo FW24).

Elsewhere, “anti-suit” suits continue to appeal to lovers of refined basics. With that in mind, one of the best looks of the week consisted of a trucker cap, tapered wool pants and a matching wool jacket (editor's note: you can actually buy this last piece at Venroy).

Likewise, Jeremy Arshan's outerwear seemed to be a favorite among fashion insiders and journalists. Certainly, some may bristle at the idea of ​​shelling out $700 for a varsity jacket, but designer Haulier's proto-70s aesthetic can be explored without incurring financial ruin. This winter, consider oversized outerwear with a rugged graphic design element; or the denim jacket, often underestimated (to wear, for maximum effect, with matching jeans).