Depending on your current level of body positivity, designers at the menswear shows in Milan and Paris delivered thrilling or terrifying glimpses of the season ahead.

Wearing socks without loafers or crumpled linen is no longer enough to seem fashionable. Unless you’re willing to feel the heat in a pair of double-zipped leather shorts with an exposed jockstrap and suit jacket with cut-outs, are you even trying?

The menswear shows break boundaries: Short shorts at Prada; Shooting from the hip at Mowalola; Jockstraps and bralettes at Thom Browne.Credit:AP, Getty

Once dominated by a procession of staid suiting, designer brands have embraced the playfulness of gender fluidity and eccentric extremities of women’s luxury brands. Bikini tops, exposed underwear, mini-skirts and copious cut-outs are now familiar territory for unsmiling male models.

At Prada, the former domain of slim suiting and black ties, co-designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, mixed basics with sixties check coats, boyish ribbed knits and high-waisted, groin-grazing shorts.

“So much that is the base is really a conceptual choice—a coat, jeans, a suit,” Prada said in her notes accompanying the show. “They appear simple but are the result of a process, of choice – there are hundreds of coats, why is this the right one?”

When will we see leather shorts at Bondi Beach and a hint of jockstrap in the crowd at an AFL game?

Choices abound, with Thom Browne’s branded jockstraps creeping out of tailored shorts and short skirts. It’s a bold statement but how many Australians are ready to speak up? When will we see leather shorts at Bondi Beach and a hint of jockstrap in the crowd at an AFL game?

“The timeline depends on the hype around each product and how long production takes after each season,” says Sinead Cutts, style director for The Outnet. “It can be anything up to a year since the product was first shown at fashion week before it begins trickling into the mainstream market, which will then happen if the desire is still around the item. For designer brands, this process usually takes around six months, whereas fast fashion brands have a much quicker turnaround.”

Menswear buyer Jeremy Molcanovs from Australian boutique Incu is currently at appointments with labels in Paris, sifting through the runway attention-grabbers to find what will appeal to Australian customers.

“Although many collections were really bold, there was a nod to utility and functionality,” Molcanovs says. “At Craig Green jackets transformed into tents, and pants became sling bags on the runway. For his second collection for Kenzo, designer Nigo created a jacket with a built-in backpack that may have been missed among the cartoon prints, sailor theme and flag motifs.”

Functionality in focus: At Craig Green tents trailed jackets; Loewe showed jackets with built-in phone holders; Backpacks were attached to jackets at Kenzo.Credit:Getty, Supplied

“I think the demand will be higher than ever for more special pieces. This year’s shows were so exciting and so many designers showed up in a big way that it’s hard to not want to go on the journey with them.”

That journey is rockier for some retailers. Catering to a broader customer, David Jones buyers use attention-grabbing pieces at the menswear shows to inform the purchases you will eventually see in-store. That means you shouldn’t expect to see leather shorts replacing the cuffed cotton variety too soon.

“The high-waisted leather short is a niche trend we see on the runway that we draw inspiration from as we create edits for our customers,” says Scott McManus, David Jones menswear buyer.

“For example, I draw reference from the high-waisted style in pants and shorts. This trend comes from the increasing nostalgia designers are leaning into from the 1950s with boxier fits in shirts and jackets. The idea of leather is also topical as designers include it in jackets, shorts, shirts and pants.”

“The runway shows are always the extreme version of trends and a designer’s creative outlet to the world.”

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