Fall menswear tends to have its usual suspects: flannel shirts, suede or leather jackets, beefy boots, tweedy blazers. Once the thermostat starts to drop, it’s only a matter of time before the tiny beanies are unleashed upon the world. But every year brings a few wild cards (approach shoes, anyone?), and judging by this season’s runway offerings and fashion-y celeb sightings, the surprise contender this fall is a roomy pair of deep-blue denim jeans.
The rigid, inky indigo style has been gaining momentum for a while now, but. within the last week, three stylish men from three very different corners of culture stepped out in the same unlikely combination of stiff, dark-blue denim and wildly generous proportions.
The biggest fit of the trio belonged to John Malkovich. The 72-year-old actor—a documented style icon (and certifiable denimhead) in his own right—was in Paris last week for the Chanel spring womenswear show. In yet another instance of a high-profile guy wearing Chanel, Malkovich sported a full look by the French luxury house, which played up baggy proportions that run concurrently through menswear and womenswear: an oversized Chanel x Charvet dress shirt, a large leather bag, a bowler hat, and a pair of booming jeans with the world's daintiest cuffs. (Truly the opposite of the jumbo cuffs we’re used to seeing worn with covetable denim.)
John Malkovich attends the Chanel womenswear spring 2027 show in Paris on October 5.
Jacopo Raule/Getty Images
Detroit Pistons point guard Cade Cunningham heads into a preseason game in Detroit.
Chris Schwegler/Getty ImagesThat very same day, halfway across the world in Detroit, 25-year-old NBA star Cade Cunningham walked through the preseason tunnel in a particularly strong autumnal fit: a patterned Louis Vuitton sweater, riveted double-knee jeans, and baby-blue Air Force 1s. While Malkovich went full “dressed by the house” with his double C ensemble, Cunningham wore the jeans like he’d just pulled them from his closet. A sweater, some sneakers, and some denim—a low-effort outfit with a high sartorial return.
Mahershala Ali, center, after a screening of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother at the New York Film Festival.
Michael Loccisano/Getty ImagesAnd then came the third jeansman, the always-stylish Mahershala Ali. The two-time Oscar winner (and recent guest on GQ’s One More Question interview series) was in New York to promote his new movie, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. His jeans were shorter and wider, with a deliberate cropped fit that left plenty of room for the rest of his outfit to do the talking. And there was plenty to say: a striped shirt, a candy-apple-red jacket and beanie, patterned socks, penny loafers, and a printed scarf. The dark denim provided a quiet foundation for all those colors, patterns, and textures.
It’s not every day that a single garment can unite a Gen-Z basketball star and two actors over the age of 50. But that’s part of the appeal of these enormous dark jeans. Malkovich can wear them with an oversized pink shirt and a funny little hat; Cunningham can throw them on with a cozy sweater and sneakers; and Ali can use them as the base for an outfit with more vibrant colors and patterns than most guys wear in a week. And while menswear insiders and recent collections have pointed toward a return to slightly less baggy pants, the wide-leg jean clearly isn’t ready to go anywhere. Three guys, three different outfits, and not a single skinny jean in sight.