GIORGIO ARMANI, one of the world`s foremost fashion designers, introduced a new concept in menswear last season when he presented an entire line of suits, sportcoats and outerwear seemingly devoid of shoulder pads and constructed linings.
By combining faultless fabrics with beautiful tailoring-which has always been Armani`s stock-in-trade-and then taking out the stuffing-he launched a revolution in menswear.
The new idea, called ”soft dressing,” has caught on with a number of designers, including three young and innovative ones in this country, Isaac Mizrahi, Andrew Fezza and Ronaldus Shamask.
It`s called ”soft dressing” for good reason. Think of a nice, soft, knit cardigan sweater. That`s the idea: suits and sportcoats that are constructed in such a way-with minimal lining, padding and ”innards”-so that they drape and feel as comfortable as a cardigan.
Some are loose enough to accommodate a beefy sweater, but because of their soft construction, the layers can slip easily under an overcoat.
To some observers, this will smack of the poorly executed, unconstructed or ”baggy” look of the early `80s, but to the fashion-conscious man, it`s new, something he certainly doesn`t already have in his closet. (And, as far as some men are concerned, if Armani did it first, it must be right.)
American men have always been great proponents of comfort, and here we have clothes that feel great and, at least to the fashion aficionados, look great too. But other men might simply think the new look looks . . . well, sloppy.
Is the average man ready for ”soft dressing”? Will it go mainstream?
Will it filter down so that the guy who pays $300 to $500 for suits and $50 for shirts can afford it too?
”Definitely,” designer Andrew Fezza says. ”Men have for too long felt restricted, not only by the way their clothes fit but also by the restricted attitude their clothes portrayed. They want clothes that fit like a second skin rather than like a straitjacket.”
Meanwhile, retailers are asking the same question: Will the new look sell? At Bloomingdale`s, fashion director Kal Ruttenstein thinks it is
”definitely the comfortable, relaxed way of the `90s. We`ll see some of the soft dressing this fall, but it will be featured increasingly in the spring and summer line.”
