Despite much being made of the return of the suit and the exit of relaxed dressing, anecdotal evidence suggests that men are not so easily giving up their casual-Friday mode.
At the recent men’s shows in New York, suits took a supporting role. Center stage was the casual way designers put even tailored looks together.
Style changes proceed at a glacial pace in men’s clothing, but there were some obvious directions. In addition to the suit and the tailored-casual mix, designers pointed to athletic influences, textured fabrics, daring color and understated luxury.
HIDDEN LUXURY
While clearly there’s a man who likes to wear his wealth on his sleeve, many more–even Donald Trump, who wears conservative Brioni–prefer to just smell like money. The new Menichetti collection is designed with them in mind.
Roberto Menichetti returns to fashion after leaving Burberry two years ago. Menichetti, a former Jil Sander designer and the creative director behind the revival of Burberry, has a penchant for understated luxury. Cashmere pullovers are as soft as baby’s hair. Jackets with the lightness of a sweater must be viewed up close and touched to be appreciated. They are feats of tailoring and modern technology.
Similarly, Michael Kors’ rugged, bulky sweaters, on close inspection, are actually fine cashmere. And John Varvatos trims an espresso-color suede jacket with just a hint of fur and fills it with down.
AMERICAN WITH A EUROPEAN ACCENT
Since designers can’t get American men out of their jeans, they’ve hit upon a way to keep them in denim yet still move the needle toward something dressed up. Enter the blazer or suit jacket with jeans, a look favored by stylish men in France and Italy. Jeans are pressed and worn with dress shoes like Oxfords or with leather loafers.
Like the striped shirts from Tommy Hilfiger and Faconnable, which have caught men’s fancy, this is a look that most men should have no trouble adapting to.
ATHLETIC PANTS
The American man’s wardrobe now consists of jeans at the core flanked by sweats on one side and suits on the other. And, for some, there isn’t even the in-between of jeans. Recognizing this, David Chu of Nautica and Ron Chereskin pair athletic pants with suit jackets. It appears a little awkward at first but the eye adjusts. It wasn’t so long ago that sneakers looked odd worn with khakis or a suit.
TAILORED SUITS
A surprising number of American men wear Gucci. Not so surprising is that many more are wearing a slimmer suit these days, because of Gucci designer Tom Ford’s influence on menswear in general.
Brands like Nautica offer a slim three-button suit this season, flattering yet comfortable for most men. More unforgiving is the stylish two-button suit by John Varvatos, a designer who caters to the edgy urbanite.
TRYING ON COLOR
The old saw among veteran sales clerks is that when men say they want color they mean gray. But with men now wearing pink shirts and pink furs, clearly we’ve come a long way, baby. Rich shades of red in coats, pants and sweaters were a popular theme for everyone from Zang Toi to Ralph Lauren.
GOING FOR TEXTURE
Tweed for daytime and velvet at night. Tweed jackets thrown together with wool slacks or with jeans are a far cry from your college English professor. So is velvet, for that matter. Designers pushed the velvet envelope with a sleek black velvet tuxedo from Perry Ellis and a claret red velvet jacket from Kenneth Cole.
WILL REAL MEN WEAR FUR?
The fluff stuff turned up in a lot of menswear collections. But unlike in women’s styles, it was barely noticeable. All ethics and politics aside, are men afraid of fur?
Actually, yes.
Years into fur’s comeback, men remain reticent, despite the example of such trendsetters as Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
To be sure, rappers and ballers have had an impact. Fur-trimmed parkas are de rigueur among young men. But one who wears a fur coat or jacket, real or fake, is viewed with suspicion by other men, and not a few women.
Is fur emasculating? Joe Namath, at the height of his popularity as the embodiment of American manhood, wore fur.
But, let’s face it, fur on a man retains a slightly tawdry connotation.
So here’s where we seem to be:
Men have embraced shearlings and everyone owns a leather jacket.
But not a leather coat.
Not unless you want to be mistaken for Tony Soprano.
