Fifty shades of beige
Colour is out, neutrals are in. Time to dig out the khakis
In the series three finale of Succession — the one with the Italian wedding — the craven simp-turned-arch Machiavel Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) eschews his usual wardrobe of drab business tailoring and golf-casual knits for an easy, breezy suit in cream linen. Narratively, he blossomed from a worm to a backstabbing butterfly; sartorially, from a mark to a master of the universe. Pitchperfect styling because, for some time now, neutral shades have been the reserve of the super-rich. But this spring, beige and its spectrum have made the shift from millionaire-wear to high fashion.
It’s often the case that runway shows agree on the definitive shades of the season, but rarely is it so definitive. In June of last year in London, Milan and Paris, scores of designers decided that dressing for spring/summer 2023 would be a decidedly dusty affair. From Armani to Zegna, the runways were jammed with biscuits, creams, sands… It spoke to a vibe of low-key, vaguely nostalgic glamour that seems to have permeated menswear.
“Coming out of the past few years, we are seeing people quickly become tired of shrunken, fitted tailoring and even athleisure,” says the American designer Todd Snyder, whose S/S’23 collection is almost exclusively populated with neutral colours (give or take a few blues and greens) and serves to typify the trend. “People have re-emerged with a desire to dress better. There’s a major return to sophisticated menswear and tailoring, but in a way where the texture, drape and volume are most important, reminiscent of the 1980s. There is a touch of American Gigolo that leans into the sex appeal of this collection.”
That Richard Gere loucheness — courtesy of Giorgio Armani — is indeed prevalent. At Hermès, it materialised as billowy beachwear, the kind of thing you’d lose to a gale in Amagansett. At Zegna, it’s baggy tailoring with delicate, almost sheer shirts. And at The Row — among the signature brands for high-net-worths with a head for menswear — it is present in baggy pants, ribbed knits, wafty overcoats and even penny loafers. All perfectly suited to the mean streets of West Hollywood, c.1980.
“I came across this exquisite vintage Moroccan rug, which had the most beautiful earth tones woven together in sophisticated patterns,” says Snyder of how his collection came to life. “This brought me to looking at photographs of Tangier in the 1950s, and I became inspired by the way the American expats mixed their gentleman’s clothes with rustic, bohemian ones.” And that Paul Bowles look is prevalent across the board. At Massimo Alba, Officine Générale and Brioni, tailoring is soft, textural and desert-shaded, and at Dior there are wide-brimmed hats, safari shorts and suiting best suited to direct sunlight.
The question is whether there is, in fact, too much beige too soon. “The one thing I know is that as soon as you think nothing will change, it does,” says Snyder. “That’s the interesting part of fashion — the trend is set with a sense of scarcity, but quickly it becomes ubiquitous. Once that happens, the pendulum will shift again to something else.” So, like Tom Wambsgans, you should enjoy it while it lasts.
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