Harry Styles just made a great argument against the biggest menswear trend of the moment

Forget whatever anyone's been telling you about super-tight this and skinny jeans that

By Zak Maoui

Published: Aug 27, 2026

YOU MIGHT HAVE heard that a new – but also, naturally, pretty old – menswear silhouette is emerging. Everyone’s banging on about how slimmer fits, jeans and trousers in particular, might actually be back.

Brands such as Prada, McQueen, The Row, Fendi and Dior have been championing close-cut clothing, from rib-hugging blazers to drainpipe trousers, in their catwalk collections, and it seemed the spring 2027 runways had all but ushered in the return of skinny jeans for men. But it wasn’t just on the runway that we saw a return to fitted clothes. Bonafide fashion guys like Josh O’Connor and Kit Connor have been doing it. Joe Keery went super-tight at the Stranger Things premiere, wearing Gucci: a muscle-hugging leather jacket and thigh-squeezing jeans.

Which is all well and good, but one guy, with the fashion chops to do so, is going against the menswear grain. He’s decided that, actually, he’d rather stick to what he knows best. That one guy is Harry Styles. Photographed in New York City this week, the Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally hitmaker and Pleasing co-founder swerved whatever we’ve been seeing on the catwalks in favour of a billowing, oversized fit comprising a painterly white shirt (stylishly half-tucked, and probably from The Row), slate-grey trousers and a pair of equally relaxed leather loafers. It was all so delightfully big. Not silly big, by the way. Just effortlessly and elegantly drape-y in all the right places.

It was a silhouette we’ve all become accustomed to over the past few years, and one Styles clearly isn’t ready to shake off. It’s a baggy look that brands such as east London-based Studio Nicholson (check out the Line trousers below), effortless Scandi label Filippa K and luxe Nigerian label By Ola still make central to their aesthetics, regardless of what the catwalks say. The only things tiny about Styles’ outfit were his belt and wired Apple earphones.

It’s a big hit for the skinny-jeans revival, and the slimmer silhouette in general. If Styles says baggy, you can sure as hell bet that designers will be heading back to the drawing board to rethink their upcoming collections, while TikTokers and Pinteresters will be gagging for looser clothing. And while I’m no trouser policeman – I’ll leave that to Al Pacino’s Lefty – I am all about a wider fit, and would only go as slim as a pair of Levi’s 501s. So seeing Styles in a fit like this is very pleasing (excuse me).

Fancy joining Styles in the revolt against skinny? Here’s what you need…