Styles · An idea under Avant-garde

Maximalist fashion for men

Bold outerwear, loud prints, sculptural cuts, and heavy silver jewelry from independent boutiques for men and women who dress with more.

Maximalist fashion is an expressive way of dressing built on exaggerated volume, dense layering, vivid colour, and ornate decoration. Sculptural cuts, heavy wool, and rich velvet combine with bright red or yellow against deep black fabrics to produce high visual impact. Balance holds the look together through deliberate silhouettes where wide leg trousers anchor heavy outerwear rather than competing with it.

Fashion swings back to it after spells of minimal dressing: the colour and big shoulders of the eighties, and from the middle twenty tens the crowded prints of Alessandro Michele's Gucci. Chrome Hearts began in Los Angeles crafting leather motorcycle gear for riders before expanding into heavy sterling silver rings and pendants. Balenciaga exaggerates proportions with oversized outerwear and chunky sneakers, while Rick Owens adds outsized sneakers and heavy cargo trousers.

Pillars of this style include wide leg pants, textured skirts, heavy sneakers, and ornate sterling silver bracelets. Wear oversized velvet coats over relaxed cotton trousers, then finish the silhouette with stacked rings and statement pendants. Utopia, Due West and WDLT117 in Toronto carry these chunky sneakers, heavy trousers and silver.

Common questions

How do you style maximalist fashion without clashing?
Anchor loud patterns or heavy textures with a dominant tone such as black or cream. Pair wide leg trousers with structured outerwear to establish a clear focal point.
Where does maximalist fashion come from?
It returns whenever minimal dressing has had its run: in the eighties, and again from the middle twenty tens with Alessandro Michele's Gucci. Wearers pile on colour, print, volume and jewellery.
Which designers make maximalist fashion pieces?
Balenciaga makes chunky sneakers such as the Triple S, and Rick Owens outsized sneakers and heavy cargo trousers. Chrome Hearts makes ornate sterling silver jewellery.