GENUINE QUESTION: is this the best year for menswear at the Met Gala to date? While it’s always a bit of a running joke that while the ladies serve, the men’s looks can be a bit of a snooze, this year’s theme seems to have inspired a break away from the mould. Titled ‘The Garden of Time’, it relates to the Metropolitan Museum’s exhibition ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ – which, while you wouldn’t know it amid the crazy of the gala, is the whole reason the event happens in the first place.

While you could forgive the guys for avoiding the ‘garden’ element of the theme in favour of the ‘time’ component – fastening a watch to the wrist and calling it a day – men on this year’s red carpet (which was actually yellow and forest floor-green) leant into the bucolic vibes. Of course, there’s always the risk of erring on the side of gimmicky (we’re still thinking about Jared Leto attending last year in a furry cat suit as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette), but instead, the theme called for men to get in touch with their inner dandy, by way of dainty, ethereal details. And while there was some on-the-nose referencing, there were also great thematic interpretations from some totally unexpected stars.

With the entire internet tuning into the occasion, it’s at the Met Gala that our favourite famous men can make the boldest fashion statements. But there’s always a few key trends that stand out above the rest. Here, we count down our top six.

Met Gala 2024: The biggest menswear trends

The bro-och revival

Carrying on from this year’s Oscars red carpet, it’s safe to say that the humble brooch is this year’s biggest menswear move. After all, pinning a little accessory onto your jacket lapel can show people that yes, you have personality, and no, you’re not afraid to jazz it up. Jeff Goldblum, Leon Bridges, Adrien Brody, and Omar Apollo were just some of the celebrities who donned serious brooch bling. We’re taking notes. 

Unconventional florals

‘Florals for spring? Groundbreaking’. Miranda Priestley had a point when she uttered these words in The Devil Wears Prada – how many ways can florals be reinvented? Turns out, there are still plenty. Sam Smith and Christian Cowan integrated their choice of flora (the English rose) into their matching tailored looks, which were skewered by their jackets as a closure. Photographer Tyler Mitchell was another star to rethink the classic code, stepping out in a look from Prada’s spring/summer 2024 collection adorned with tactile floral applique in a militaristic cut.

Handmade touches

Small details like embroidery and beading were key for the winning menswear looks this year. Adding a touch of the handmade brings texture and heart to an otherwise conventional suit, as we saw from Jonathan Groff in Simone Rocha and basically every guy who wore Loewe.

Waistcoats

The theme of a garden party brought to mind traditional English tailoring, so it’s no great shock the waistcoat played a starring role in the 2024 Met Gala. On high rotation, it leant some drama to otherwise traditional looks, as attendees like Barry Keoghan, Jon Batiste and Jamie Dornan spruced things up with textures and patterns for sartorial panache.

See-through

Sheer and lace detailing has been creeping into the menswear vocab, offering an avenue for something more risque. But celebs like Eddie Redmayne and Damiano David showed us the trend doesn’t have to be naked dress-levels of revealing, but rather, it can add some fun texture to a fit.

Monochrome – but not as you know it

How do you add intrigue to a monochrome suit? Although it offers a clean and sleek look, playing around with textures can give monochrome fits some dimension. Case in point: Jeremy Strong wore custom Loro Piana (a wink to his Succession character, quiet luxury enthusiast Kendall Roy), but jazzed up with floral appliques. New Zealand actor/director Taika Waititi’s all-brown suit was crafted from leather, which leant it a rich, chocolatey sheen.