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More men are learning the value of dressing well.
You could be forgiven for thinking that men don't exist on planet fashion. When we talk about the latest collection by high-fashion leaders, such as and Louis Vuitton, we're almost always referring to frocks, the new hemline, the new shoe. Men's fashion was largely invisible at the recent Australian fashion week.
Men's high fashion rarely rates a mention. It could even be considered an oxymoron. What kind of man, aside from Latexfetish Hollywood stars and rich bankers, coughs up $ 500 for a sweater, $ 1000 for a shirt, $ 2000 for a casual jacket or $ 5000 for a suit?
As a rule, men have not been targeted by
high-fashion designers and luxury houses. As a demographic, it's women, apparently, who are most brand-conscious and more likely to spend big to secure a piece of the dream. Women, so we're led to believe, are seduced by branding and advertising. They're the ones who put their names on waiting lists for this or that cult handbag and scour the stores for this season's must-have jeans.
Not so for blokes. They've got better things to do than follow fashion. And they'll wear anything. Right?
Well, not all of them, according to the handful of Sydney retailers who are doing a nice trade selling to (gasp!) Aussie men with a taste for international high fashion. We're talking serious labels here Dolce & Gabbana, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, Comme des Garons and Paul Smith. Labels where the price of a shirt can exceed your weekly mortgage repayment.
Who are the members of this male high-fashion society? "There's no typical profile," says Robby Ingham, the veteran retailer, whose two Sydney stores stock men's ranges that include Comme des Garons, Dries Van Noten, Paul Smith and Stone Island (which account for almost half of his total sales).
"He could be anything from 25 to 60 years old," says Ingham. "He could be the mechanic down the road or a billionaire. What he does for
a job and what he earns makes no difference. Men rarely shop here just because they have the money. It's more because they've got an interest in clothes and fashion."
David Bush, general manager of men's apparel and accessories at David Jones agrees. "I don't think it has anything to do with a man's salary. Men buy these types of labels because they are interested in looking their best. It doesn't make any difference whether they're a banker or
a waiter."
There are more male fashion followers than there were a decade ago. Then, David Jones carried 50 men's wear labels. Latex Fetish Today it stocks more than 200, including new additions this season such as Marc by Marc Jacobs.
So much for the image of the beer-swilling, board-short-wearing bloke who thinks "fashion" is something his wife wastes money on. Across the board, men have become more fashion- and brand-conscious. Cultivating a good sense of style is seen as a worthy and important attribute for a man, rather than something poncy or effeminate.
Peter Holder, editor of Men's Style magazine, reflects on how the Australian male has changed. "I look at the average 28-year-old guy now and, compared to how I was at that age 11 years ago, the difference is huge. I didn't give a s - - t about how I looked. If I looked OK that was good enough.
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