The 10 Best Style Trends of 2014

The argument can go on and on about what are the best brands in men's style, but even the most popular ones wouldn't be anything without starting and perpetuating what the people want. Labels are important (or not, depending on your personal opinions), but the biggest trends are what drive the market and the consumer landscape, from high-fashion houses to accessible retailers.

Whether it's driven by celebrities, specific designers, or even nostalgia, trends transcend the brands themselves and take on a life of their own. The most influential ones can affect aesthetics and behavior across the board, and there were plenty of trends that took over in the past year. Whether in the worlds of #menswear bros, streetwear disciples, or the undefined grey areas that are ever-broadening, these are The 10 Best Style Trends of 2014.

If nothing else, athleisure (athletic-leisure, get it?) was the trend of 2014. A combination of gear that is both comfortable and can perform along with you, this trend saw a proliferation of high-tech fabrics as well as reliable cozy materials like fleece and loop-wheel cotton. Evolving from the cozy boy trend of last year, athleisure was seen across both streetwear and high-fashion runways, and took form in brands as diverse as Under Armour, Isaora, Cottweiler, and even Rick Owens.

The widely successful Alexander Wang x H&M collaboration was the epitome of this athletic fusion of fashion and sport, and the niche emergence of Health Goths showed how the fringes of the trends were popping as well. But basically, if you found yourself dressing like an off-duty model who was either heading to the gym or about to take a four hour nap, you were on-trend this year.

In 2014, if you didn't have at least one pair of ripped-up and ravaged denim in your rotation, you were throwing up a brick. With obvious influences stemming from rock 'n roll and punk rock, this look emerged last year but absolutely proliferated in the past 12 months. Everyone from Saint Laurent Paris to Gap emerged as purveyors of pulverized jeans, allowing the entire spectrum of dudes—businessmen to sneakerheads—to infuse some rockstar edge to their fits.

Sneakers themselves are not a new trend, but 2014 is certainly the year everyone became a “sneakerhead.” Look at the high fashion’s obsession with Stan Smiths and Air Force 1s that saw homages and collaborations from designers like Phoebe Philo of Céline and Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci. Meanwhile, adidas' roster was only strengthened with new, highly-coveted designs by Raf Simons and Rick Owens, while O.G. Yohji Yamamoto gave adidas' revolutionary new Boost sole an upscale take in his Y-3 line. Meanwhile, shops like KITH, Patta, size?, and Concepts sold dudes more about the shoes on the idea of spending just as much time on their appearance and wardrobes as they did with the expensive kicks—after 2014, let's hope #NTDenim never gets retroed.

Moving away heritage and replica brands like Alpha Industries, the bomber jacket got some dope remixes this year. Whether it was graphic additions that evoked the DIY ethos of early punk rockers, unique materials like the white Tyvek version from Our Legacy, or addition no one saw coming like Stampd's signature strapped piece (sup, Helmut Lang reference?), to extended interpretations from Rick Owens and Fear of God, bombers were the preferred blank canvas of innovating designs. While it isn't disappearing from guy's closets anytime soon, 2014 was the year the bomber jacket really let its freak flag fly.

Leave it to Kanye to make Beatle boots swaggy again. These laceless kicks are most commonly associated with London rockers in skinny suits, but the style's sleek minimalism allows it to look dope beyond its suiting origins. Today, the preferred way to rock them is with stacked skinny jeans and an oversized coat. And with both high-end brands like Haider Ackermann and accessible labels like COS dipping their toes into this trend, you won't miss out no matter what your budget is.

Suits are boring, but no one can deny a great topcoat. Bold pieces from Our Legacy, Burberry, Trés Bien, and even Supreme got a lot of shine this year, mostly because it's the type of layer you can throw on over just about anything—especially Nike Tech Fleece and side-zip hoodies. Fur-lined parkas and snorkel jackets had their moment in 2013, but in an era where dudes are all about dressing down 24/7, the topcoat was a way to instantly make any kit look more handsome and wealthy.

2014 was the year your dad and your corny older brother managed to be on the forefront of style. Basically the epitome of “anti-fashion,” normcore is effectively dressing like you don't care about fashion…but with this troll-friendly trend, you're putting a lot of effort into executing this non-look. A study in irony, a normcore look may include such things as a Gap hoodie, general release New Balances, North Face fleeces—essentially, Jerry Seinfeld of the '90s was the style icon of this mini-movement.

Forget hemming your jeans; this was the year of the stacked skinny jean. Unlike straight denim, skinnier jeans like Dior 17 cms, Saint Laurents, or Kanye's A.P.C. collab just look better when guys let the fabric pile on top of itself. High tops like Air Force 1s and Jordan 1s were no longer hidden by sneakerheads' penchant for #NTdenim, but the stacking aspect made sure no one could knock you for wearing jeans that might also be your girl's. Damaged, super washed, or lighter denim led the charge, and the real heads knew to rock them over a pair of suede Chelsea boots or Timbs.

Side zips, double zips, full zips. If a brand was going to add something to a piece of clothing, odds are it was a zipper. High-end labels like Balmain to younger brands like John Elliott + Co. have made the side zip hoodie and sweatshirt a menswear staple, while BAPE's full-zip hoodies remained popular amongst streetwear heads. Double zip hoodies and jackets spread out as well, with everything from to Rick Owens to Uniqlo's Urban Sweats line incorporating two-way zippers so you could let the bottom flare out a bit for "dat drape." Button-down shirts weren't safe either, as Our Legacy, Hood By Air, and Trés Bien all released some form of the denim zip shirt, which was quickly copied by fast-fashion giants H&M and Zara.

In 2014, graphics made the move from a front-and-center placement to shirt sleeves. Some brands preferred a subtle marking, like armband stripes, and other times the sleeves were flooded with text, logos, and other visuals. If you were fucking with either classic or new-wave streetweer brands in the past year, it's highly likely you had something dope up your sleeve this year.