The trend cycle moves at a breakneck clip, and keeping up with it can be a royal headache. That’s why, at the start of every new season, we love to wipe the slate clean and start fresh, completely setting aside last year’s trends — sorry, flip-flops and butter yellow — in order to free up some mental (and wardrobe) space for all the style changes to come over the next few months.
To predict the men’s fashion trends that await us this summer of 2026, we scoured runway stills, street style shots, and our own personal mood boards to see where the state of our highly exclusive union might be headed next. We also challenged ourselves not to predict anything obvious: Yes, we expect flip flops to make a comeback, and button-up shirts to be relevant again, but really this story is a place to take some big gambles.
Below, you’ll find a pretty comprehensive list of all the weird, wild menswear moves we’re expecting to see over the course of the year — as well as a handful of the brands doing them best — hand-picked by the GQ recommendations team.
colorful socks
After a long hiatus, it looks like funny socks are back. Fashion editors and influencers everywhere are abandoning their reliable plain white crew socks and turning to hosiery with a little more personality, especially as the summer heat forces us to bare our legs. This trend is part of a larger trend where people are slowly opening up to more color and moving away from the dusty colors we’ve been so comfortable wearing in recent years. If you’re not ready for a fire-engine red Harrington jacket, experimenting with your sock collection is a great way to dip your toes into this moment. -Gerald Ortiz, business writer
