Men's Tops & Tank tops

Sporty or baroque, very low-cut or full of details. Welcome back to men's tank top that, with its sporty lines, represents the most casual soul of male wardrobe and that this year is colored with bright shades and very fancy prints.

From sport to casual style, but not only. The tank top surprises us with always different combinations

It’s been a long time since there were so many men's tank tops on catwalk, just returned this year as protagonists of the more casual male outfits, but also for the most unusual and trendy ones.

Tank top was born as a sporting garment, worn especially for boating and outdoor activities since the early 1800s. This extremely comfortable and casual piece has had various moments of glory over the years. Such as in the 50s and 60s, when it was used for leisure time even by the most elegant men, maybe in combination with a partially opened shirt.

But it’s especially since the 1980s, that this piece of clothing began to influence youth culture. From the basketball courts and the most popular sports, tank tops slowly began to appear even in the big cities’ streets. From the most famous sports champions to rapper musicians and freestyle dancers, it was a very short step. Tops and tank tops left the world of sport to influence indelibly the street-style.

A trend that today is more alive than ever, with tank tops and sleeveless tops that invade the contemporary man’s wardrobe, lightening the mood of its elegance and becoming perfect for numerous combinations.

But the trendiest designers don’t forget the sporty origins of this garment, indeed they are re-launching on catwalk a sportswear trend that sees tank tops as absolute protagonists of the male style.

All the sporting uses of the tank top are back in fashion, that’s why it should be extremely comfortable. There are, for example, the Olympic-style raceback tank tops with calligraphic prints proposed by Yohji Yamamoto, or those inspired by sea proposed by M.S.G.M., with underwater prints and dangerous animals like sharks.

The long and oversize basketball tank top returns to its origins in the hyper-colored models by Alexander Wang, Nike, Gucci and Just Cavalli. But sport could also becomes an ornamental motif through the use of fitness-style symbols like those used by Plein Sport and MCQ. Or it could give a creative input to tank tops made with hi-tech and performing fabrics, such as nylon, lycra and micro-net, used for example in the Dsquared2’s creations.

The newest idea to combine these tank tops and sporty sleeveless tops is creating a contrast between their ultra-casual look and even the elegance of a tailored jacket.

Oversized or super slim-fit? Discover the tank top model that best suits your style

Fashion trends are always a lot, for better adapting to every men’s tastes. For this reason, on men's fashion catwalk we could find oversized models, like the tops tops proposed by Les Hommes, Rick Owens and Y-3, but at the same time also both super close-fitting silhouettes and traditional lines.

This is the example of the white ribbed tank top, usually used as underwear under the shirt, which now is brought under the spotlight by international designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Haider Ackermann, Calvin Klein and Comme Des Garcons.

Tops and tank tops could have various necklines. Those by Calvin Klein, for example, are very low-cut, while Saint Laurent and Golden Goose propose models of tops more similar to sleeveless t-shirts.

But it’s on details that the designers focus their attention. There are, for example, the multi-pocket tank tops by Diesel and AMI Alexandre Mattiussi, those with front zippers proposed by Nike and the decidedly street-style ones that Brunello Cucinelli completes with hoods. All models that match perfectly with casual or sporty trousers.

The most extravagant proposals are by Maison Margiela, who creates transparent effects for plastic-like men's tops, combined with 40s-style wide tailored trousers made in traditional fabrics, but also with eccentric vinyl gloves reaching the elbows.

Prints and colors are the real new-entry for the most modern men's tank tops

Tank tops are not only decorated with sporty details or symbols. Now they are the perfect surfaces on which applying imaginative prints and bright colors:

• Ann Demeulemeester decorates her tank tops with hyper-realistic and photographic prints
• Dolce & Gabbana and Maison Margiela give a touch of romance to the male sporty look through bright floral prints
• Great return of animal prints, with leopard motifs coloring in a bold and wild way the men's tops by Dsquared2, Yohji Yamamoto and Roberto Cavalli
• For who loves a luxurious style, there are the Versace’s baroque printed tank tops
• Rebel and rock soul, instead, for those with skulls and Punk music idols created by Givenchy, Raf Simons and Dsquared2
• Maxi logos for Philipp Plein, Adidas, Kappa and Balmain

And what about colors? They range from the classic black of Issey Miyake and Helmut Lang, to strong tones like the fluorescent yellow and orange proposed by Jacquemus and Y-Project, to arrive at the extremely lively color-block effects proposed by M.S.G.M., to match tone-on-tone with other colorful and modern accessories.