If you want to see what a year of Zoom calls has done to menswear, you only have to look at the Golden Globes.
The women's Red Carpet has long meant DRAMA: colour, feathers, sequins, big silhouettes, sleek silhouettes etc, for men it has always been more subtle. The difference between a good or bad tux is in the cut so what can you do when you will be attending the ceremony from the comfort of your sofa? And what does it tell us about the current direction of menswear?
Peak Performance
Winners, Josh O'Connor and Daniel Kaluuya both focussed on what you could see - the top half, or more specifically, the lapels. O'Connor channelled Klaus Nomi in angular monochrome from Loewe, with the peak lapels folded down on themselves creating glorious geometric shapes. While Kaluuya chose slightly less formal styling, pairing his navy tux with a black t-shirt. the gorgeous white detailing on the lapels met his chain so flawlessly that the overall effect was very polished and deliberate, as opposed to: I couldn't find an ironed shirt so I thought a t-shirt would do.
What this tells us:
The upper half of the body is going to get all the focus this year. With so much of our social interaction continuing to take place from the waist up, now is the time to invest in great pieces with eye-catching details around the collar and necklines, so neatly framed by the zoom window. It is no surprise that pie-frill collars and pussy-bow blouses are dominating the women's style columns. Expect shirt collars to get bigger, longer, pointier and more contrasting.
Are you sitting comfortably?
With so much time spent sitting, the only factor for lower half purchases is are they comfortable? Elasticated waists reign supreme even for the Golden Globes. John Boyega may have been done up to the nines on his top half but as he accepted his award he exclaimed "I'm so shocked. I've got trackie bottoms on and I'm comfortable but this is exciting,"
What this tells us:
When even tailors renowned for structured formalwear are developing their own version of elasticated slacks and chinos, it is safe to deduce that comfort will be leading the way in tailoring for a long time to come.
Spring is Sprung
I don't know if it is a reaction to the sun finally bursting through, or a sign that people are done with hibernation stations but there was an explosion of colour from the men last night.
What this tells us:
That tailoring is fun. Tailoring has ceased to be a uniform for humdrum white collar jobs this year. So if you don't like wearing a suit, you don't have to. Which means the people who are wearing them are choosing to. And that is so much more fun for me. People are realising how much scope there is to inject your own personality into a suit. Gone are the days of plain navy single-breasted notch lapels in shiny fabric from staid shop floors. Enter the age of the pink double-breasted suit, of multiple shades of green on a red carpet, of menswear and costume colliding harmoniously.
I'm so excited for what is to come.
