The New Androgyny

By Michele Orecklin

Men Get Shopping

It wasn't bad enough that the tech boom brought the scourge of casual dress to corporate America. When the dotcom companies eventually imploded, they also managed to depress the rest of the economy and, with it, the already defeated spirits of menswear retailers. Men jittery about their jobs were hardly inclined to purchase new khakis and polo shirts, let alone suits, which, because they cost more, are far more lucrative for the industry. But after several straight years of decline, the menswear industry is showing signs of improvement.

Optimism seeped into the clothes themselves in July at the spring 2005 menswear shows, where blazing colors drenched the runways in pinks, yellows and greens. Gucci sent out tops patterned with butterflies; flowers cropped up on shirts and jeans at Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein, among others. Glimmers of hope are also discernible at the cash register. In the past six months, sales have risen 5.6%, the first increase in the sector in 3 1/2 years, according to Marshal Cohen of NPDFashion World, which tracks the apparel industry.

The improved outlook can be attributed in part to a tentatively improving economy as well as the fact that, as Cohen points out, three years is a long time to go without buying new clothes (especially since as men age, they also grow, generally going up a size every two years after the age of 35). But it is also being driven in some measure by a group of men heeding another trend from the collections. At Gucci, for example, menswear designer John Ray presented brocade jackets and ornate tunics adorned with beads and coins. At Miu Miu, coats dripped with small mirrors. For this winter, Hedi Slimane at Christian Dior Homme is offering floor-length kilts. A similar sense of indulgence, if not flamboyance, was evoked by clothes that went in the other direction. Suits that were spare and sleek were also impeccably cut in plush fabrics. The unifying notion was the acknowledgment that just as for some women, there are men who appreciate and enjoy wearing well-made, chic clothing for their own edification, not that of their boss or wife.

Such men, who have emerged as a notable force in the past year, cannot necessarily be characterized as gay or straight, nor can they be written off as dandies. Usually under 40, well groomed and fit, they eschew khakis in favor of expensive jeans, like those from Paper Denim & Cloth, worn with brightly striped shirts or blazers. They are also buying suits--not because they have to but because they want to. And in perhaps the biggest shift, they are shopping by themselves, not with a wife, girlfriend or partner loitering outside the dressing room to offer an appraisal.

"I've been in this business for over 30 years, especially in the men's sector, and in the past five years, there's been a radical change with how men approach fashion," says Gabriella Forte, president of Dolce & Gabbana USA, who reports that the company's menswear sales increased nearly 40% over last year. "This segment, particularly among 30- to 40-year-olds, is shopping on its own." Among D&G items, Forte says vibrantly colored and striped shirts as well as jeans are selling best.

Jeans, whether ripped, dark, white or low slung, were the mainstay at both the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G Men's shows, and, according to Michael Macko, head buyer for menswear at Saks Fifth Avenue, expensive jeans are the foundation for the style-conscious man's wardrobe. Macko says sales of casual designer clothing are up among young men who, unlike their elders, "grew up without the stigma that only gay men went shopping by themselves or with other men." For this new generation, Macko says, "it all starts with a premium denim, whether it's Levi's Premium or Seven; a great shoe, maybe Tod's; then a great shirt; then a blazer. We're doing a huge business in blazers."

Also doing well with blazers is Thom Browne, 38, the American who launched his label of hand-made suits nearly three years ago. His custom-designed creations are known for their slim trousers and short, fitted jackets, which, he says, look sharp and young. Browne, who wears a suit every day, whatever the weather or occasion, describes his typical client as "the guy who was wearing khakis and polo shirts the past couple years but who understands the quality of hand-made clothing and is willing to spend extra money to get it." (His suits usually start at $3,000.)

Browne is quick to point out that his customers are not foppish but confident and discerning. He says his suits evoke such effortlessly masculine figures as Steve McQueen and John F. Kennedy. "It's so much more attractive when you see some guy who's not screaming a trend but has a timeless piece of clothing that fits well," he says. It's a similar distinction made by Forte about buyers of Dolce & Gabbana, which she defines as a luxury brand rather than a designer label.

Whatever the health of the economy, it seems unlikely that outside certain financial companies and law firms, the office dress code will ever snap back to the formality it had before the 1990s. Even so, high-end retailers are hopeful that a certain population of men will continue to shop like women. --By Michele Orecklin