So here’s the difficulty. You want to look stylish, not fashionable. Or to put it another way, you want your clothes to reflect who you are, but you don’t want your clothes to reflect what everyone else is wearing. So you try to avoid paying too much attention to “fashion” or to “trends.” 

Yet putting too much effort into avoiding what is fashionable or trending can lead to poor clothing choices. Guys who pay too little attention to what other guys are wearing wind up appearing dated, not stylish. Fashion-avoiding men can look old-fashioned, rather than classic. They can appear foppish or foolish or both, because by shunning what’s trending they wind up wearing clothes that call attention in all the wrong ways.

Consider suspenders, for example. Once a staple of men’s wear, they had faded in popularity starting a century ago or so, surviving only as something worn with a tuxedo. Then came the 1980s, when suspenders were all the rage – part of both young adults’ weekend wear and investment bankers’ high-end suits. In the 80s, suspenders were very fashionable. But you could wear them without appearing to be a slave to fashion because they were so popular. By choosing a pair that worked for you – there were a wide variety of materials, colors and fastening systems available – you could make your suspenders part of your personal style and still blend in at the office. A pair of suspenders in the 80s allowed you to look clean, put-together and stylish. They didn’t make you stand out. They let you fit in while being yourself.

Put on a pair of suspenders today, however, and the opposite will happen. You’ll look like you’re attending a 1980s-themed costume party. Or you’ll look like some clueless child playing dress-up with items from Dad’s closet. Because suspenders are so very, very, very out of fashion today, even the most stylish of men can’t pull them off without looking a bit silly.

Understanding this is the key to dressing well in 2024 (or any year.) A stylish man knows what is and isn’t in fashion in any given year and then uses that information to inform his clothing choices. Adhere too closely to what is in fashion and you’ll look nondescript (think finance bros in their monochrome fleece vests). Drift too far away from what’s on trend and you’ll look a social misfit (think incels wearing the same Star Wars t-shirts that Mom bought for them in high school.)

If the advice above seems too vague, don’t panic. Being stylish and dressing well in 2024 won’t be particularly difficult. This year the trends are pretty clear and easy to follow. More importantly, there are no major departures in style from recent years. Things are changing in men’s apparel – they always do – but they are changing slowly. 

More importantly, nothing is entirely new. Men’s clothing in 2024 is best understood as a trip down memory lane. This year the stylish man will be sporting looks from across decades. Much of what you need is already in your closet or readily available through subscription-rental services like Taelor.

Here’s a look at the themes, silhouettes and clothing pieces that will determine what’s stylish this year.

“Cardigans are huge now,” according to Melissa Slavick, a Taelor stylist. “Men are getting a little bit of inspiration from women's clothing now, and Taylor Swift brought cardigans back hard. So girls started wearing cardigans. And now men are gravitating towards cardigans as well,” she said, noting that cardigans are now one of the items most requested by Taelor customers.

You can wear a cardigan in a variety of situations. They’re perfectly suitable for the office or a casual date. And they are nearly a must-have item if you’re heading to the golf course.

Corduroy jackets and jean jackets are also back in style in 2024. Here too the driving force seems to be a desire to return to the comfortable clothes worn by men a few decades ago.

“Taelor has a lot of corduroy jackets which I absolutely love,” Melissa said. “My husband purchased a blue corduroy jacket recently and that's his favorite. Even my kids are like, ‘Oh, Dad's wearing his corduroy jacket again.’ It's just so comfortable and soft and it just adds a little bit of texture to an outfit. And definitely jean jackets are coming back. We’ve had a lot of requests for black jean jackets, acid-washed jean jackets. They all add a little bit of a different tone to an outfit.”

Bomber jackets, which tend to come in and out of style every few decades, will remain popular in 2024, Taelor stylists say. That’s largely because bombers are now available in such a variety of materials and colors that they can be worn in numerous settings throughout much of the year.

The staple pant for most men this year is the same as it has been for quite some time: the chino. The versatility of chinos make them as appropriate at the office as on a date. If there is a shift in chinos this year, it is a subtle one.

Relaxed, straight-leg chinos are quite stylish in 2024. Skinny chinos (and skinny jeans) are not. 

In fact, straight-leg pants of all types seem to be returning to men’s wardrobes. It seems likely that by summer we’ll see lots of guys wearing carpenter pants. They’ll look fine on the weekend. But this is as good a time as any to state the obvious: if you don’t use a hammer at your job, your work pants don’t need a loop to carry a hammer.

Similarly, cargo pants are making a comeback. But they too will have a different silhouette. 

“They’re more of a straight-fit cargo where there's not a million pockets on them,” Melissa said. “And the pockets are more strategically placed so you don't look bigger than you actually are. They’re a more elevated look.”