7 Street Style Trends From The Men's AW2016 Fashion Weeks

Crowds have dispersed. Collections have been dissected. And street style photographers everywhere are finally nursing their battle wounds. Menswear fashion month is – with the exception of New York’s addendum next week – done and dusted. And while AW16 wasn’t without its on-runway moments, we’d be lying if we told you style outside of show venues wasn’t equally impressive.

So, if you’re more likely to take your cue from a big-time buyer than a 16-year-old boy getting paid to wear a skirt because he was told it was ‘career building’ (bless him), then get a load of this, your guide to what men are actually wearing in Florence, London, Milan and Paris.

Showstopping Coats

Well, maybe not showstopping, but certainly striking enough to delay one while photographers stall you for a snap. Statement outerwear, from patterns to primary colours, colour-blocking to exaggerated cuts, hit hard for AW16, with most of menswear’s dons covering up in eye-catching styles.

Granted, this is fashion week, and you’re (understandably) probably not all that hot on the idea of shelling out wads of your hard-earned cash for a coat you could only get away with wearing a couple of times a year. Nodding your head in agreement? Then swerve the photographer bait for something less brash: like one of the several forest green styles, or the Woost’s colour-block design. Boss.

Yu yang for Fashionbeans

Key Pieces

• Brioni Single Breasted Coat
• A.p.c. Wool-blend Overcoat
• Reiss Banks Checked Tonal Overcoat Black
• Haider Ackermann Double Breasted Corduroy

How To Build A Solid Streetwear Wardrobe

Before we dig into the specifics of what those staples are, here are a few signposts to get you started on the streetwear path:

On Fabrics: Above any other material, cotton is king. You’re looking for classic cotton textiles – jersey, Oxford cloth, chambray, twill and one more essential that we’ll cover in more depth shortly. Some of the more ‘decorative’ fabrics like herringbone and seersucker are nice, but they technically skew more #menswear than straight-up streetwear if you ask me.

On Shape: See me, I’m a classicist. I’m enamoured of that early 1990s Ralph Lauren-led interpretation of streetwear: slightly loose-fitting chinos, baggy shirts, beanies, you know the look. But if you want something more contemporary, then longline cuts and dropped crotches should be your go-tos.

On Consistency: As you’ll have gleaned from the points above, definitions of ‘streetwear’ are several and, despite my own preferences, all of them are perfectly valid. But once you’ve made your choice, stick with it. Mixing styles can be a winning combo, but trust me when I say your double-layered street Goth shorts won’t work with those Wallabees. Just here to help.

Now we’ve covered off the basics, let’s survey that list, shall we?

‘A Good Pair of Dark Blues’

Frank Ocean knows what’s up. If your streetwear wardrobe doesn’t start with a decent pair of jeans, then someone’s led you astray. This is the very guts of any solid streetwear line-up, and the piece you’ll likely bolt everything else onto. While selvedge isn’t vital, the tell-tale strip running up the leg has become commonplace in the streetwear landscape, and is generally a mark of superior quality and durability when it comes to denim.

Then it’s a question of wash. And in most circles, it isn’t even a question: raw denim all the way. Menswear mythology has turned the gradual fading and distressing of denim into a personal journey of self-discovery which you may or may not entirely endorse (cough), but I’ll at least admit that wearing my first pair almost daily and refusing to wash them (until a dog came up to me on the bus and started licking the stale sweat, food stains and god knows what else off my leg – true story, feel my shame) was something of an experience.

For cost-per-wear, my money’s on Edwin ED-55s or A.P.C. New Standards – if you’re plumping for the former, consider buying 2 inches under your normal waist size to allow for stretch.

Selected Homme Jeans 2014

Key Pieces

Army Outerwear

While menswear pieces have been lifted from other areas

The World's Most Stylish Stuff This Week

Paul Smith Ant Motif Backpack

Creep out your fellow commuters with Paul Smith’s myrmecological backpack. From a distance, it’s simply a smart, monochrome way to ship your stuff to work. Up close, the durable nylon is encircled by a trail of worker ants, giving a consummate lesson in dedication to the day job.

Available at Oki ni, priced £425.

Czech & Speake Zebrano Wood Shave Set

We’ve already rung the beard’s death knell, but for those still lingering, it’s time to invest in something that turns your daily shave from chore to much-needed me-time. Queue Czech & Speake’s luxurious new shave set.

The badger hair brush lifts and softens your beard hair, making for a smoother shave, and the shaver is handcarved from the same Zebrano wood favoured by early skimakers for its imperviousness to moisture. So it won’t gunk up on your sink.

Available at Czech & Speake, priced £395.

Larose Paris Zip Fedora In Navy

Thanks to Olly Murs, hats are tricky. So upgrade your