The more dapper economists have noted how hemlines rise and fall with the state of the world’s finances. However, the same may not be true of men’s fashions – indeed there seems to be more of an inverse effect, with suit jackets becoming boxier and trousers skimming the ankles in recent seasons. But while menswear for next spring/summer may not be dour, it is decidedly understated compared with previous seasons’ efforts. That makes it less show- stopping but more till-filling, as some of the biggest and most longstanding names in the sector (from Roberto Cavalli and Kenzo – both celebrating their 40th anniversaries next year – to Dolce & Gabbana, marking its 20th) have plainly recognised.

LONG AND LOOSE

After seasons of the skin-tight, it is a relief to any man of a certain age that a roomier, more comfortable and forgiving cut is making a return. Alongside a softer, simpler tailoring, from the likes of even Alexander McQueen and the experimental Maison Martin Margiela – whose suit jackets are lapel-free but otherwise entirely wearable – comes a silhouette that is wide and loose and sometimes excessively long. Dior Homme, once the king of skinny, has a baggier fit in single-breasted suits, Viktor & Rolf nod to the zoot suit, while Yves Saint Laurent’s high-waisted trousers echo the Hollywood elegance of the 1940s. John Galliano takes baggy to the extreme with a Charlie Chaplin- inspired collection. The cane and moustache are optional, apparently.

STRIPES

If the bold prints above are too much for most men, the spring/summer 2011 collections are not without the fallback position of menswear designers needing to add graphic interest without scaring the horses. The answer is the stripe, albeit in a more progressive, less City shirt way. That, indeed, is the last permutation to consider. For one thing, the stripes are rarely vertical. Instead, the likes of John Galliano and Junya Watanabe have gone for the horizontal. But stripes just as easily shoot off at slanting angles, from the likes of Neil Barrett, with a drip effect at Balenciaga and shiny from Comme des Garcons.

THE PRINT SUIT

It’s not going to cut it in the office, but with the rise of social suit-wearing – often among workers in industries that don’t have a formal dress code – the print suit may be the biggest advance in tailoring for a decade. Designers dabble with a suit’s structure at their peril (the merely playful can quickly look awkward) but the use of fabric remains wide open. Lanvin’s brocaded and embossed suits are among the most strikingly crafted, and Givenchy’s leopardprint the most arresting, animal prints being a popular new season accent. Floral versions from Yohji Yamamoto and monochrome prints from Etro are more accessible. Expect this boldness to filter into the mainstream in more subtle but distinctive weaves and stripes.

FUNCTIONALITY

It is a sign that fashion brands are seeking more surefire sales when they revert to menswear’s default position: functional, utilitarian clothing inspired by work, sport and military uniforms. Some have compared Prada’s forthcoming look to that of hospital scrubs, but it points to the male love of the practical and comfortable. Lanvin’s zipped jackets and Bottega Veneta’s olive and khaki parkas, ankle-strapped trousers and dishevelled suits also play to this theme. The camp shirt – as in Boy Scouts rather than frilly fronts – is a key piece from Pringle, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Salvatore Ferregamo. For toughness, leather and suede add a luxe rocker element, with Emporio Armani, Hermès and Gucci among the skin traders. And for those who can never have enough pockets, even cargo pants make a return, from the likes of Missoni and Alexander McQueen.

BLACK AND WHITE

Could anything speak of sobriety more than a summer collection of black clothes? There are splashes of colour on the way – positively neon hues, in fact, from Jil Sander and DSquared – and splashes that are quite literal too, an accident-during-decorating effect employed by the likes of Dries van Noten, Kris Van Assche and Jean Paul Gaultier. But the key palette for the new season is monochrome. Dolce & Gabbana returns to its iconic Sicilian peasant style of black suits and white shirts, Comme des Garcons nods to its part in reviving black as a fashion colour during the 80s with plenty of the dark stuff, and Hermès goes for the white option. Ann Demeulemeester – among the Antwerp designers offering a European counterpart to minimalism – drives the point home. Her catwalk collection comprised 20 looks in top-to-toe white, followed by the same in black.

THE SKORT

We take it back: actually, hemlines have gone up. Every season has its left-field moment: spring/summer 2011’s is the skort. A way station on what menswear designers keep pushing as the inevitable journey from shorts to skirts, this hybrid of the two – shorts with a skirt-like front section – is touted in various arrangements by Raf Simons (in pink), Givenchy, Comme des Garcons and Thom Browne. Browne has already made a signature of his suits with tailored shorts, an idea that dates back to Brooks Brothers in the 1930s. Examine the Bayeux Tapestry and you’ll see hard-as-nails medieval soldiers wore skorts too. Maybe we’re no longer man enough to embrace what only time has deemed feminine.