Pursuit of happiness: Menswear embrace exuberant designs for new fashion season

Models present creations by designer Dries Van Noten as part of his Spring/Summer 2025 collection show. It is his last showing, having announced his retirement last month. Photo: Reuters

The menswear fashion week presentations last month showed that clothes can indeed help boost one’s mood.

Watching the Spring/Summer 2025 runways, you can’t help feeling just a little happier – especially with all the bright colours, plus the razzle dazzle of opulent fabrics.

Dopamine dressing (a trend based on the belief that what you wear is capable of positively affecting your mood) has been around for a couple of years, but this time, it feels a lot less forced.

Unlike in 2022, the year after the full lifting of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, the key message of optimism is subtle – although Louis Vuitton’s recent runway did take over the Unesco headquarters in Paris, calling for a “unified world”.

Even Dries Van Noten’s swansong show (pictured on the cover) proved to be a cheerful occasion. It was no weepy retirement party for the designer.

“Tonight is many things, but it is not a grand finale,” Van Noten stated in his show notes.

Instead, it was a celebration for him. A giant disco ball emerged at the end, where he then took his exit walk to the euphoric sounds of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love.

Similarly, trends of the season embodied lightheartedness.

Vibrant shades, glittering fabrics, eye-catching prints, striking graphics and easy breezy silhouettes mark Spring/Summer 2025 as a period of good cheer – at least in the fashion world, that is.

Read more: Dries Van Noten's swan song fashion show in Paris a dazzling affair

Pops of pink

It was last year that the world went wild for hot pink. With the Barbie craze, the colour appeared everywhere – both on the red carpet and runways.

The trend is enduring, but now it appears as accents to prop up demure dressing.

Quiet luxury is staying strong, as well. The colour pink is then used to inject a little energy into all those classic pieces and minimalist designs.

The Dries Van Noten label showed overcoats in a sweet pink shade, while Prada paired a bright pink epaulette jacket with other black separates.

Barbiecore (which hinges on hyper feminine clothing) may be pretty much over, but the associated shade is here to stay. Yes, this is true even in the realm of menswear.

Prada plays with contrasts, pairing a hot pink jacket with a black outfit. Photo: Reuters

Creative knits or embroidered pieces take on a more art deco feel. Photo: Reuters

Pretty graphic

If you think of fashion as a form of art, then it is only natural that you would expect clothes to carry the same visual impact as paintings do.

The use of patterned fabrics is one thing, but graphic embroidery and visual knits can help draw all eyes too.

At Dior, the whole show became centred around art. Five giant cats, based on the work of South African ceramicist Hylton Nel, stood on the runway, and the first model even carried a ceramic ornament instead of a bag.

According to Vogue, one design (the Nel floral jacket) even took a whopping 600 hours of hand beading embroidery to complete.

How’s that for artisanal craftmanship – and making sure that a design is indeed a creative showstopper?

High-vis outerwear, like this shiny one from Hermes, is among the favourites among brands this season. Photo: AP

Gucci uses a graphic print to draw attention, along with the short shorts. Photo: Reuters

Razzle dazzle

For a few fashion labels, the metallics trend is still something to be reckoned with. Mylar-like jackets, satin shirts, bedazzled bags and more appeared on the runway.

Louis Vuitton showed off a suit that shimmered in the lights, almost like it was crafted from some sort of liquid.

Hermes sent out a few reflective pieces that look like high-vis technical gear, more than what they are supposed to be: chic city wear.

For something a little different, look to Moschino. The label styled a model with a loose shirt unbuttoned at the top, paired with what seems like a silk sarung.

With metallics, the idea is to offer a futuristic or glamorous edge to outfits. Think sci-fi or urban grittiness, whichever floats your boat.

Read more: Men are upping the ante in style stakes when it comes to their dressing

Relax, take it easy

The fashion seasons are blurring – if the Cruise collections no longer give off that vibe of relaxed vacationers, then Spring/Summer fashion can take on a beach-y attitude.

Dolce & Gabbana’s collection, according to the description, “channels the essence of the Italian summer of the 1950s”.

Slightly sheer, short-sleeved polo shirts were paired with nautical striped, loose pants for the high-summer feel, and blousons came crocheted in open-work natural raffia.

Even a sarung appears on the runway, highlighting how fashion is focused on a casual chic appearance for the season. Photo: Moschino

Dolce & Gabbana models look like they are ready for a holiday on an Italian island. Photo: AP

Over at Giorgio Armani, men came sauntering out dressed for a holiday at a beachside cabana.

Shorts were also everywhere on runways. Gucci showed an easy-breezy surfwear-inspired collection.

Creative director Sabato De Sarno was inspired by Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, a Pulitzer-winning memoir by journalist William Finnegan.

“He spends his 20s traveling around the world surfing, having many experiences and encounters with different people, and these are what help him to discover his own sense of freedom,” read De Sarno’s statement to the press.