No matter what city you were in, SS27 menswear was HOT. While it could be easy to dismiss this season’s overarching theme as heat, there was a hell of a lot else happening at the shows amid branded fans, water bottles and paramedic standbys. The trends set to shape the way we dress for summer were prominent, whether it was dressing for the heaviness of the world around us or cinching your jeans so tight you looked like you could be in a 00s music video. Here’s the debrief…

There was a distinct airiness to this season across the board, perhaps a reaction to the rising temperatures and the heaviness of the world around us, garments were delicate in the face of turmoil. At Saint Laurent a series of breezy windbreakers were paired with tailoring, or shirting was rendered entirely translucent. Dries Van Noten took the idea of lightness into the sublime with a collection centred on The Faun’s Afternoon, a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé, penned in 1876 as “a tribute to the simple beauty of a rest in nature.” Sturdy wardrobe staples were reimagined with softness, as trench coats were transformed into transparent pieces and parka jackets were fashioned in a delicate, washed pongé silk. Kiko Kostadinov followed suit with a collection inspired by Agostino Bonalumi, taking the painters fluid forms and translating them into garments which billowed on the runway.

We get it, the ‘dressing for the everyday’ doesn’t sound all that exciting, but this season the idea of a core wardrobe was paramount. Acne Studios’ cast of characters’ everyday office attire was reshuffled and blended with their weekend wardrobe, subverting boardroom meeting attire for out-of-office, while Michael Rider continued to reposition Celine as a brand to be worn day-to-day, building an elevated wardrobe of key pieces to be cherished, worn again and again. Reinforcing the principles of dressing, Rider is “making do with a few great things” and “desiring it ourselves, all of it, the clothes and the characters.” Everything on the runway felt accessible and above all, desirable. As each look appeared, you could immediately see a way in which individual pieces would slot into a day-to-day closet. Usually one to do things on a large scale, Willy Chavarria turned to the domestic for this season’s inspiration, as prints were reminiscent of the wallpaper adorning your family home or the linens found in your kitchen drawers. Elsewhere, Pharell took Louis Vuitton surfing, in sun-faded tailoring and DIY jorts sliced with raw spontaneity.

Trinkets galore! This season was all about keepsakes. Pinned to your lapel, clipped to your belt loop or chained to your bag, those mementos aren’t leaving your side. Celine saw sentimental pieces adorn garments as Rider found inspiration in “heirlooms and good time shirts,” or string beaded thread reminiscent of a friendship bracelets refashioned on the runway into belts cinching blazers and structured shirting. Louis Vuitton’s surf-inspired collection saw jackets adorned with patches collected from imaginary surf spots, while in Milan, Paul Smith’s suiting was accented by pennies, sailing boats and seashells – a nod to the designer’s fascination with everyday objects and souvenirs passed down through generations. Wooyoungmi followed suit as trinket-style accessories were inspired by Korean art techniques and leather keychains swung on belt loops or bandanas picked up on travels adorned models’ heads.

Knicks fever isn’t just taking over New York City, since the team took home the NBA trophy for the first time in 50 years, it seems that the Knicks players are everywhere. Jordan Clarkson took to the runway at Willy Chavarria, having also sat FROW at Saul Nash in Milan and at Rick Owens’ Trocadero extravaganza the day before. Clarkson wasn’t the only team member in town as Aaron Gordon attended Louis Vuitton, and Tyler Kolek made an understated appearance at Junya Watanabe and Comme des Garçons – a good fit for the athlete whose style veers into the realm of ‘quiet luxury’, often dressed in The Row and Chanel.

It’s happened, we’ve come full circle and skinny jeans are officially back. Don’t blame us, blame Prada. Miuccia and Raf presented a procession of skinny, drainpipe silhouettes in varying shapes and colours, be it an all yellow denim co-ord or a cropped leather jacket and pants combo. Saint Laurent, Dior and Celine also got in on the action, delivering trousers cinched tight to the waist and cut slim all the way down to the ankle, often paired with form-fitting knitwear or jerseys casually defined by cummerbunds.

Maybe the heat is making everyone a bit crazy, but this season seemed like everyone was ready to party – in gold, nonetheless. At Dior, it felt like the morning after the night before as Jonathan Anderson’s guys returned from a wild night, only to be on the hunt for another, in shimmering sequin embellishments throughout. Amiri transported us to nocturnal Los Angeles, referencing Old Hollywood glamour with a series of silky suiting, 70s leather and decadent eveningwear. Anthony Vaccarello’s last procession of looks at Saint Laurent appeared in varying shades of gold, as trench coats were belted at the waist or skinny blazers were paired with slender trousers, gilded and impossible to miss.