The Best and Worst Style Trends of 2024, According to GQ Staffers

Well, folks, 2024 is just about in the books. And with so much transpiring in the world of menswear this year, we convened our staff to weigh in on the trends, fits, products, and people that have defined the past 12 months. Welcome to the first annual GQ Style Questionnaire.

What was the defining trend of 2024?

Samuel Hine, senior fashion writer: Not even indie sleaze could halt the tide of menswear inflation this year—that is, the phenomenon where everyone's clothes seemed to grow a few sizes. On the runways and in the malls, coats achieved Brobdingnagian proportions, trousers ballooned in volume, and Balenciaga somehow made even bigger sneakers. It even became hard to find a button-up that didn't look like a tunic. Perfect for a year when life felt like a nonstop series of memes.

Raymond Ang, associate director, editorial operations: Male sluttiness. Another stop in the mainstream's embrace of queer culture.

Yang-Yi Goh, style editor: A return to elegance. It was really nice to see so many sport coats and ties in the GQ offices on the regular again.

Anthony O'Baner Jr., executive assistant to the global editorial director: Western dominated this year, and I credit Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter for that!

Matthew Roberson, GQ Sports staff writer: The seeds of it were planted a few years ago, but this feels like the year that light wash jeans really came back in a big way.

Avidan Grossman, senior commerce editor: Scummy swagger.

Doug Branlund McClenahan, Discord community manager: There were multiple trends that really popped off this year: Cowboycore, the tail end of blokecore, quiet luxury. Overall, though, the defining trend of 2024 can be summed up as “cosplay.”

Joel Pavelski, global director of content strategy: All the good pants are high-waisted now.

Cam Wolf, watch editor: In my world: smaller, zestier watches.

Frazier Tharpe, senior associate editor: Cropped everything.

Eileen Cartter, staff writer: In my life, the trend of 2024 was "girlypop synchronicity," which I am coining to mean when you and your friends all see the same "niche" "micro" trends on our Explore feeds or For You pages and then execute them at the same time. This holiday season, that's meant everyone putting little ribbon bows on top of their Charlie Brown Christmas trees.

Ernesto Macias, entertainment editor: Ties, both casually and at the office. And cheetah print.

Gerald Ortiz, style commerce writer: The generic “TikTok guy” look.

Which trend are you most ready to leave behind?

O’Baner: All of them.

McClenahan: I think in the quest for perfect pants, we have strayed too far from the light. Pants are rapidly approaching “too big” status. Let's dial it back to a healthy range. I'll give you anything between a 501 and a 550.

Wolf: Cheap, disposable clothing.

Michael Nolledo, associate commerce director: Lookalike contests. The first few were entertaining, but now they're just kinda sad?

Ang: The return to skinny worship.

Grossman: I really, truly can't remember the last sneaker I really, truly wanted. Buy a pair of high-top Chucks and be done with it.

Goh: Sorry, Gen Z: It’s time to find a new haircut.

Roberson: Tiny sunglasses.

Pavelski: We’re post-trend.

Ortiz: The generic “TikTok guy” look.

What will be the biggest trend of 2025?

Cartter: Not having veneers.

Grossman: I can't speak to menswear at large, but I'm especially bullish on Divorced Hamptons Daddy.

Ang: Irrational clothing.

McClenahan: I fear a strong attempt at a skinny jean resurgence, but I’m holding out hope that it will be defeated. That said, I do think that we will see denim back like never before. Those “Is raw denim back?” conversations will be answered with a fervent YES, and we will see jeans return to their rightful place as the king of pants. I also hope to see people play with their denim a bit more. More slubby jeans and less 3D-printed ridiculousness.

Goh: The crewneck cardigan wave is just getting started.

Roberson: White Vans Authentics.

Wolf: Treat-me watches. The culture at large seems to be embracing selfish indulgence, and I predict this will result in watches going even gaudier, sexier, and more colorful.

Macias: Male sluttiness, in all aspects of dressing. And shopping IRL. Visit stores!

Hine: Change. There's so much upheaval in luxury fashion right now that new ideas and energy is inevitable.

What did you enjoy wearing the most this year?

Goh: I got married in October, and my pals at The Anthology in Hong Kong tailored me the swaggering '70s suit of my dreams for the ceremony. Deep brown wool with faint blue-and-red stripes; double-breasted silhouette with a 4x1 button-stance; lapels the size of Cleveland. I paired it with a crisp almond Husbands dress shirt, a navy cashmere tie from Singapore's Vanda Fine Clothing, a slick Morjas leather belt, my beloved Savas cuban-heeled boots, and my dad's vintage Rolex. Oh, yeah, and I finished the whole thing off with the most special thing of all: My wedding ring, which was designed by the jewelry geniuses at Good Art HLYWD in collaboration with the legendary crew at Goodfight. Eternal gratitude to all y'all—it felt incredible to wear so many things made by friends on the best day of my life.

Loreto Caceres Photography

Grossman: From top down, like a true sicko: sweat-soaked Nike hat, fluttery Armani trench, droopy YSL crewneck, tattered JCPenney flannel, skintight mil-spec thermal, blown-out Carhartt double-knees, dainty Paraboot loafers.

Ang: A pinstripe shift jacket I bought from Commission. The perfect office uniform.

Hine: My Husbands Paris flared jeans.

Claudio Lavenia/Getty Images

Nolledo: Lady White Co.’s jersey lounge pants. Hands down the most comfortable thing ever. Exemplary wide-leg silhouette and just the right amount of structure to be worn out. I loved them so much and wore them in every conceivable scenario in 2024, from the office to the airport.

Tyler Chin, associate commerce editor: Baby made his first big designer purchase on a recent trip to Madrid. In the land of Loewe, it made sense that I copped the brand's Puzzle Fold tote. It's my everyday work bag, a seemingly endless blackhole for all of my things: snacks, water bottle, laptop.

Roberson: My black Uniqlo pullover hoodie.

Macias: I bought a Vaquera rosette from my friend Alex Roth's first closet sale. I wore it to the Met Gala, a book reading event I hosted, and a YSL dinner party. Carrie Bradshaw, eat your heart out.

Ortiz: I love a weird shoe. And this year, there were no shoes weirder or more beloved than my Troentorp clogs. They're grossly bulbous but also kind of punk. My girlfriend says they look like Spongebob's shoes, so there's that. They work for almost every pant in my closet and give me a temporary boost out of Short King territory. Most importantly and existentially, when I look at them, I see myself.

Wolf: My Lady White & Co. white T-shirts. (Related: While on a trip for a wedding, I stumbled into an Old Navy in need of an undershirt and hurriedly purchased one of the retailer's white tees, which I discovered were perfectly skimpy for the summer heat. I ended up buying, like, five more—to be worn not as an undershirt—and rotated through them almost daily.)

Pavelski: This fluffy Stussy sweater.

O’Baner: I'm obsessed with wearing a pair of jeans I purchased this summer: The Row's “Ross” jean in black. As someone who said in college that they'd never wear jeans in their adult life, these completely changed how I approach my everyday style. They're simply perfect.

McClenahan: It took me until the fourth quarter to lock it in, but I feel like for the first time in a long time, I’ve established a true foundation for the majority of my outfits. Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans with either 3sixteen square toe boots or Paraboot Michaels. The Cowboy Cuts are the ideal silhouette for my body, and paired with either of the footwear options, it’s a base that I can dress up or down at my leisure for basically any occasion. I have also seen the light on quality knitwear—Howlin' changed my life this year—and Fishtail’s shaggy beanie has kept my head warm since the weather turned.

Tharpe: Towards the end of my first full year of not being a New Yorker for the first time, I found myself drawn to exclusively wearing Air Forces and then, perhaps inevitably, to Timbs, no doubt to subconsciously stay close to my roots. There's something funny about regularly wearing Timbs around LA, but regardless of trying to make a statement or stand out, they just really, genuinely pull a good fit together. Aside from that, though, as a big T-shirt guy, I've gone all the way in on random vintage shops being the best source more than almost any new stuff from any brand.

What was your favorite look you saw on someone else this year, celebrity or otherwise?

Chin: Paul Mescal in cropped everything. Hell, he's my style inspo for 2025. Long live the Irish.

O’Baner: Zoë Kravitz wearing all black, easy slides, and a very fabulous leopard tote from YSL while leaving The Row's New York store in October 2024. That look spoke to me. She gets it and she gets me.

Roberson: I am obsessed with these Matty Healy pants.

Macias: Troye Sivan for Gap. Small white T-shirt, baggy jeans, a black belt, and a chain. I started wearing chains again.

Wolf: John Mulaney’s GQ Men of the Year shoot features a Perfect Outfit: buttercream yellow Prada sweater, vintage Banana Republic Pants, and a Cartier Tank. It’s what I want to wear every day.

Ortiz: I remember seeing a stylist wear a thick, knitted wool zip hoodie with some baggy cargos on some late-'90s Abercrombie type beat. That photo sent me down a months-long rabbit hole, digging through eBay, Etsy, and thrift shops hunting for a similar hoodie. I did eventually find one, but I don't think I could ever look as good.

Hine: Justin Bieber wore so many unbelievably genius outfits this year that I can't possibly choose just one, but this one might be his best.

Goh: I mean, did you see my wife in her wedding dress in that photo up there? Sheesh.

Tharpe: Kendrick's Harper's Bazaar look.

McClenahan: My look of the year came from Ha-Neul Lee three days into 2024. Discovering this guy's account coincided with my own personal deep dive into both tailoring and vintage military pants, so seeing a fit which combined the two has stuck with me ever since.

Ang: The translucent shirt Drew Starkey wears in Queer.

Grossman: We need more men like Matty Matheson.

Pavelski: All the styling in the "Back on 74" video by Jungle, but also George Cortina snapped with this one.

Nolledo: Ellie the Elephant, game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

What was your favorite fashion release of the year—be it a specific bag, sneaker, jacket, or runway look?

Ang: Willy Chavarra's spring-summer 2025 collection.

Tharpe: The Noah x Timex collab.

Hine: I have to salute Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello for going all in on the super dramatic tailoring from Vaccarello's men's show in March. Rather than water down the cinematic silhouettes for retail and push a more commercial offering, the same—incredibly specific—suits are hanging in your local YSL boutique now.

Roberson: The Seattle Sounders’ anniversary kit.

Nolledo: That one Kartik Research striped shirt with the crystal and faux-pearl detailing along the front yoke.

Goh: Auralee fall-winter 2024.

Grossman: Simone Bellotti's Bally gets better and better every season, but I'm still thinking about the runway bow he took to debut his vision.

McClenahan: The Schoolboy Jacket by Bryceland's.

Pavelski: These Loewe pants, in every color. Razor-sharp and impeccable.

Macias: Any bag or leather coat from The Row.

O’Baner: Ami Paris's alpaca mohair brushed polo in fawn. I've been wanting to add it to my wardrobe since I've laid eyes on it. It's the pièce de résistance of the year, honestly.

Name an emerging brand that impressed you this year, or one that you’re keeping an eye on for next year.

Hine: I'm hoping to get my hands on some A. Presse. The Japanese brand is starting to trickle into US stores like Ven Space, but by the time I made it over there it had all sold out.

Tharpe: Does Commission still qualify as emerging? Just feels like they're on the precipice of really blowing up.

Pavelski: In love with Egonlab.

Grossman: I really dig what the Stockholm boys at Rubato are doing, but it's hard to give this honorific to any brand but Auralee.

Nolledo: Forever lurking hard on whatever Factor’s is on. Because suits.

Ang: I'm excited about the New York-based brand Ouer, which reinvents good ol' American staples like cardigans and polo shirts with playfulness and a joyful queer bent.

Goh: Carter Young feels like it's on the verge of a career year.

O’Baner: I'm keeping a very watchful eye on California Arts. I've never been one for brands I discover on social media, but they have a very clear brand vision and identity that has piqued my interest. And, now that I'm open to being a bit more casual with my style, they align with the direction I'm going.

Roberson: about:blank.

McClenahan: I'm keeping a close eye on Samuel Falzone in 2025. He's doing incredible work with re-soling vintage soccer cleats and other obscure sportswear shoe silhouettes.

Macias: Commission.

Wolf: Toledano & Chan. Super collector Phil Toledano created a totally-new watch that immediately resonated with collectors. The brand has already put out a few one-offs for auction that have done really well, and I'm excited to see how it continues iterating on this shape.

Who won menswear in 2024? Define “winning” however you like.

O’Baner: Me.

Pavelski: Aaron Levine. He's quietly dressing American men in a way that's finally getting the spotlight and his influence extends far beyond the Abercrombie resurgence, though that is real and massive, especially outside of NYC and LA.

Macias: Men. The options are plentiful, allowing the expression of one's identity to flourish in very specific and exciting ways.

Grossman: The same dude who's been winning it since that fateful buying spree in the '80s: Bernard "The Terminator" Arnault. Frankly, it feels like he kind of won life this year.

Wolf: Jonathan Anderson. In addition to running two of the biggest brands in the world—and probably the one holding the top spot in Loewe—his impact was felt up and down the luxury spectrum. He designed a hot shoe with On Running, made meme history with his "I Told Ya" shirt from Challengers, and then capped off the year by also designing the costumes for Queer.

Hine: Jonathan Anderson. No contest. And I would say that even if he hadn't expanded his immensely creative output by becoming Luca Guadagnino's go-to costume designer.

Goh: Willy Chavarria.

McClenahan: I think anybody who evolved their style in some way this year “won menswear.” Fashion is a journey and I think we lose when we stop exploring and discovering.

On a more traditional note, here are three winners from the menswear world in 2024:

1. Our Legacy got a bag.
2. Mark Cho of The Armoury gets a trophy from me for being consistently excellent all year.
3. If you joined an online fashion community (like the GQ Discord), you won the year.

Roberson: The girl reading this :)