3 Major Spring Trends to Supercharge Your Wardrobe In 2025
StyleLooking to jumpstart your wardrobe in 2025? Give these GQ-approved trends a try.By Yang-Yi GohPhotography by Bowen FernieJanuary 29, 2025Prada’s electric Collapse Re-Nylon shoes herald the return of slimmed-down sneakers ($975). Pants by Prada. Socks by Falke.Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.Wales Bonner: Courtesy of the brand.Torpedo SneakersYup, even your sneakers are on Ozempic these days. After years of designer kicks growing ever more ankle-breakingly gargantuan, the silhouette of the moment is suddenly—jarringly, even—a whole lot svelter. The uppers are barrel-shaped, like the snout of a borzoi, with a retro-ish aesthetic that lands somewhere between a bowling shoe and an F1 racing shoe. The outsoles, crucially, are hardly there at all. It’s a look that’ll require you to rethink the always precarious footwear-pant relationship—you’ll want a wider leg that accentuates the sneakers’ slim profile, but not so wide that it completely envelops them—and potentially force you to be honest with yourself and your Hinge dates about your actual, non-Hoka-inflated height.McQueen by Seán McGirr, and Tom Ford: Courtesy of the brands.Wild BeltsThe quickest way to supercharge your standby jeans? Strap on a belt with some serious oomph. We’re talking about getting genuinely weird with your waistline: imposing hardware, punchy palettes, and uncommon widths. It’s simplest, of course, to keep the rest of your look clean and minimalist to let the belt really sing, but an accessory of this magnitude is also the ideal anchor for louder, braver ensembles. And if the leather is a showier shade like forest green or cobalt, just forget that old adage about matching your shoes to your belt entirely.Plaid on the Louis Vuitton runway, and on the street worn by Travis Scott and Matty Matheson.Hermès, Cartier, Ami Paris, Louis Vuitton spring-summer 2025: Courtesy of the brands. Travis Scott: Getty Images. Matty Matheson: Raymond Hall/Getty Images.All Plaid EverythingTartan, madras, buffalo, glen: If it’s covered in checks, it’s sick as hell right now. It isn’t just the familiar grunge-era flannels and country-club shorts that are back again either. Designers are plastering everything from drapey trench coats to delicate dress watches in big, bodacious plaids. Our advice for pulling ’em off? Pick a couple of pieces with disparately sized patterns—some vibey microplaid trousers, say, with an exploded Black Watch jacket—and then pile them on top of each other and let it rip.Carter YoungCarter Young Red Kowalski Knit Polo$355 $277 SSENSEOne Good Buy: A Retro Sweater-Polo HybridA wardrobe upgrade from GQ.com’s team of shopping experts. Hit “add to cart” pronto.It didn’t take long for Carter Young—the brainchild of Detroit-born, New York–based designer Carter Altman—to mint a menswear classic. Altman founded the label in 2020, but his lullaby-soft wool-blend polo oozes retro swagger, from the contrast paneling to the ’70s collar. Throw it on beneath a tweedy blazer, layer it over a thermal long-sleeve, or just raid your dad’s closet for the finishing touches—chances are he’s owned a few sweaters exactly like it. —Avidan GrossmanA version of this story originally appeared in the February 2025 Issue of GQ with the title “Three Major Style Swings to Take This Spring”PRODUCTION CREDITS:Photographs by Bowen FernieStyled By Brandon TanProp Styling by Barbara Eisen at Mark Edward Inc.
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Torpedo Sneakers
Yup, even your sneakers are on Ozempic these days. After years of designer kicks growing ever more ankle-breakingly gargantuan, the silhouette of the moment is suddenly—jarringly, even—a whole lot svelter. The uppers are barrel-shaped, like the snout of a borzoi, with a retro-ish aesthetic that lands somewhere between a bowling shoe and an F1 racing shoe. The outsoles, crucially, are hardly there at all. It’s a look that’ll require you to rethink the always precarious footwear-pant relationship—you’ll want a wider leg that accentuates the sneakers’ slim profile, but not so wide that it completely envelops them—and potentially force you to be honest with yourself and your Hinge dates about your actual, non-Hoka-inflated height.
Wild Belts
The quickest way to supercharge your standby jeans? Strap on a belt with some serious oomph. We’re talking about getting genuinely weird with your waistline: imposing hardware, punchy palettes, and uncommon widths. It’s simplest, of course, to keep the rest of your look clean and minimalist to let the belt really sing, but an accessory of this magnitude is also the ideal anchor for louder, braver ensembles. And if the leather is a showier shade like forest green or cobalt, just forget that old adage about matching your shoes to your belt entirely.
All Plaid Everything
Tartan, madras, buffalo, glen: If it’s covered in checks, it’s sick as hell right now. It isn’t just the familiar grunge-era flannels and country-club shorts that are back again either. Designers are plastering everything from drapey trench coats to delicate dress watches in big, bodacious plaids. Our advice for pulling ’em off? Pick a couple of pieces with disparately sized patterns—some vibey microplaid trousers, say, with an exploded Black Watch jacket—and then pile them on top of each other and let it rip.
One Good Buy: A Retro Sweater-Polo Hybrid
A wardrobe upgrade from GQ.com’s team of shopping experts. Hit “add to cart” pronto.
It didn’t take long for Carter Young—the brainchild of Detroit-born, New York–based designer Carter Altman—to mint a menswear classic. Altman founded the label in 2020, but his lullaby-soft wool-blend polo oozes retro swagger, from the contrast paneling to the ’70s collar. Throw it on beneath a tweedy blazer, layer it over a thermal long-sleeve, or just raid your dad’s closet for the finishing touches—chances are he’s owned a few sweaters exactly like it. —Avidan Grossman
A version of this story originally appeared in the February 2025 Issue of GQ with the title “Three Major Style Swings to Take This Spring”
PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photographs by Bowen Fernie
Styled By Brandon Tan
Prop Styling by Barbara Eisen at Mark Edward Inc.
