In 2026, what men expect from a luxury apparel brand has evolved dramatically. Today’s consumer is not only searching for quality, fit, and craftsmanship but also for a subtle way to express personality through clothing. There is a clear duality emerging in men’s style—a term first popularized in Great Britain, where “rakish” describes a carefully cultivated edge, a casual disobedience layered over the conventions of refinement. Rakishness is not chaos; it is a confidence that respects tradition while hinting at individual flair.
Across the Atlantic, American men are increasingly drawn to this style. They want garments that speak to both heritage and rebellion, tradition and modernity. Take, for example, the bold combination of a leather bomber jacket worn over a structured sports jacket. Twenty years ago, such layering might have been considered a sartorial faux pas. Today, it signals confidence, creativity, and the freedom to experiment with silhouette and proportion. This is the era of individuality, where menswear is no longer prescriptive but expressive. Yet, this freedom does not mean the rules of formality have disappeared. Dressing for formal occasions still demands respect for cut, proportion, and occasion; what has shifted is the breadth of choice within those boundaries. Men now have access to garments and combinations that allow them to make a statement that is simultaneously personal and elegant.
As a menswear expert and editor, and as a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I have observed this shift over the past decade. The key to understanding modern menswear lies in recognizing that luxury today is defined by the tension between tradition and individuality. Men are no longer content with mere replication of classic looks; they seek garments that accommodate their lifestyle while maintaining an unmistakable refinement. The Spring/Summer 2026 collections exemplify this duality with precision.
Dunhill’s SS26 campaign, for instance, captures this tension through imagery that balances the elegance of English dress codes with a disobedient ease. The campaign draws upon a dual heritage: the rarefied composure of the English aristocracy and the cultivated rebellion of British rock icons. This pairing of restraint and attitude is not just aesthetic—it reflects a philosophy about how modern men move through the world. The campaign, photographed by Ethan James Green and featuring models Orfeo Tagiuri, Jon Paul Phillips, and Adam Sattrup, situates tailoring, texture, and proportion front and center, removing any unnecessary distraction.
Tailoring remains the anchor of the narrative. A stone-colored high-twist linen suit paired with a cotton-silk Bengal striped shirt and bold striped tie illustrates formality worn with ease. Here is where the rakishness enters: a pale grey trench coat casually draped over the ensemble, inspired by the earliest motoring garments from Dunhill’s archives, evokes both utility and nonchalance. The campaign celebrates the ability to mix structure with movement, showing that elegance need not be rigid
“Rakish elegance is the defining trend in luxury menswear for 2026. The modern gentleman thrives in the tension between classic tailoring and rebellious edge—think structured suiting layered under a leather bomber, or mixing textures and silhouettes in unexpected ways. This duality empowers men to curate a wardrobe that is utterly personal, versatile, and effortlessly modern, where heritage meets attitude and every piece tells a story.” — Joseph DeAcetis, Editor at Stylelujo.com and Menswear Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology
Dunhill’s re-interpretation of its archival driving jacket further exemplifies this modern approach. Originally a toffee-colored sheep leather piece crafted over 120 years ago, it returns as a soft, neutral suede jacket in British khaki. Unlined, lightweight, and intentionally modern in attitude, it epitomizes how heritage fabrics and silhouettes can be translated for contemporary sensibilities. Likewise, classic British tailoring is revisited through the Bourdon suit in House navy wide pinstripe wool woven in Huddersfield. The suit’s lightly roped shoulders, full canvas construction, and summer-ready half lining reflect Savile Row discipline while softening for seasonal wear.
Shirts, too, contribute to this dialogue. Mixed stripe cotton-linen blends belted with silk ties, pastels softened into lavender, rose, and indigo, all convey a subtle Gatsby-esque air. The careful manipulation of texture, color, and layering allows men to explore personality without compromising refinement. Even outerwear embraces this balance: a dark brown French lambskin bomber jacket worn over a wool-silk glen check seersucker Cavendish jacket demonstrates that casual and formal can coexist instinctively, producing an unexpected yet elegant layered silhouette.
Eveningwear continues this conversation. Midnight navy hopsack tailoring in lightweight merino wool introduces both structure and breathability. Double-breasted jackets with contrast lapels paired with hand-screened bow ties and softly structured double-pleated trousers reflect a careful attention to detail, while referencing the house’s Art Deco heritage. Robe-inspired jackets in wool-silk houndstooth paired with pleated trousers further blur the line between formal precision and relaxed attitude, creating garments that are functional, visually striking, and flexible for a modern gentleman’s lifestyle.
Leather goods in the Alfred collection reinforce Dunhill’s philosophy of luxury with purpose. Each piece—crafted in hand-burnished patina calf, with subtly engineered hardware—combines durability with elegance. The briefcases, wallets, and accessories demonstrate how functional objects can simultaneously serve as expressions of personal style, completing the sartorial narrative without overshadowing the clothing. It is this seamless integration of form, function, and personal expression that defines the SS26 offering.
From my perspective, this campaign exemplifies the key trends in contemporary menswear. First, the concept of rakishness has gained currency beyond the United Kingdom. American men, long drawn to practicality and understated elegance, are now exploring the expressive potential of layering, texture, and unexpected silhouette combinations. Second, individuality has become a central concern in luxury apparel. Men seek garments that accommodate their lifestyle, allow for personalization, and communicate identity without appearing forced or performative. Third, the interplay of tailoring and casualwear—sports jackets under leather bombers, structured trousers with soft linens, classic pinstripes with pastel shirts—defines the modern wardrobe as a space for experimentation within limits.
Yet, luxury remains aspirational, even in this era of expressive freedom. The principle of dressing appropriately for the occasion has not diminished; it has been refined. Men are learning that rakish does not mean careless. Subtlety, proportion, material intelligence, and the interplay of color and texture remain critical. What has changed is the vocabulary available for expression. Now, more than ever, men can combine heritage and modernity in a way that produces both comfort and style, merging the best of British elegance and global sartorial innovation.
The SS26 campaign also underscores the importance of provenance. Fabrics sourced from historic mills, partially lined garments for summer comfort, and the use of high-twist linens and merino wools are not mere stylistic gestures—they are affirmations of the values embedded in the modern gentleman’s wardrobe. Every garment tells a story, whether it is a nod to early motoring jackets, Art Deco eveningwear, or archival tailoring. When these references are married to contemporary fit, layering techniques, and palette experimentation, the result is a wardrobe that is timeless yet immediately relevant.
Layering has emerged as a particularly potent tool for menswear experimentation. A jacket thrown over a suit, a lightweight trench over tailored trousers, or a bomber atop a sports jacket redefines proportion and silhouette, allowing for combinations that would have been considered audacious twenty years ago. These are deliberate acts of self-expression that maintain sophistication while signaling personal style. The modern man is no longer confined by the rigid dictates of past formalwear; instead, he navigates a landscape of options, mixing heritage and innovation to reflect his life, environment, and personality.
In practical terms, these developments point toward a broader evolution in luxury menswear. Brands that recognize the duality of refinement and rakishness, and that integrate this philosophy into product design, marketing, and storytelling, will resonate most effectively with today’s consumer. Dunhill, through SS26, demonstrates a mastery of this approach, creating a collection that respects tradition while embracing experimentation, structure while encouraging freedom of movement, formality while enabling attitude.
From morning engagements to evening soirees, the modern gentleman can inhabit multiple stylistic roles without abandoning coherence. Linen suits in pale lavender or washed pinks for garden parties, double-breasted navy tailoring for evening events, and soft suede jackets for daytime layering illustrate how flexibility and elegance can coexist. Accessories, too—handcrafted leather goods, silk ties, and bow ties—play a central role, reinforcing the concept that luxury is as much about intelligence, detail, and story as it is about fabric or cut.
Ultimately, this era in menswear celebrates choice. The modern man has at his disposal garments that allow for both confidence and nuance, rebellion and restraint. The SS26 campaign is a masterclass in illustrating how duality—refined yet rakish, structured yet relaxed—can coexist within a single wardrobe. It is also a reminder that luxury is not static; it evolves in dialogue with culture, technology, and individual identity.
For me, observing these developments is both professionally exhilarating and personally inspiring. As an editor and menswear professor, I see how a new generation of consumers is redefining elegance on its own terms. They embrace garments not solely for heritage or status, but for the story each piece tells and the freedom it allows. In this context, Dunhill SS26 is more than a collection—it is a blueprint for understanding modern masculinity: confident, expressive, and infinitely adaptable.
This balance of duality, tradition, and individuality is the hallmark of menswear in 2026. We are witnessing a period in which personal style is no longer a strict adherence to historical codes, nor a reckless rebellion against them. Instead, it is a careful, studied negotiation: tailoring informs freedom; heritage informs attitude; structure enables creativity. This is the luxury menswear landscape today, and for men navigating it, the possibilities have never been more compelling.
In conclusion, the SS26 campaign frames the wardrobe of the contemporary gentleman as one of possibility. Through careful cuts, refined fabrics, and intelligent layering, it shows that elegance can coexist with personal expression, that rakishness need not compromise sophistication, and that heritage need not constrain innovation. In short, men in 2026 are free to define themselves through clothing—and the best brands are those that provide both the canvas and the tools for this expression.
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