What did you say about men wear..??????? The birds are tweeting, the weather's annoyingly inconsistent, the stores are full of pretty, feminine frocks. So, where does that leave all you stylish men out there? Frankly, we weren't sure. So we called Eric Jennings, director of menswear (and many other things) for Saks Fifth Avenue. He had some surprising things to say. For example, economic doldrums or not, men aren't shying away from buying color right now.
Qwhat is the biggest trend out there for men right now?
A. Sharp, strong pops of color. Novelty is selling, anything colorful. Need is about basics. All the basic things, people are not replacing. What's selling is things people respond to emotionally, like big pops of color. It has to make you feel something.
Q. What about ties? Color there?
A. Traditional, classic ties are not selling quickly, but narrow ties are. Younger customers are wearing narrow ties and bow ties with jeans, khakis, cardigans. . . . I love to see young men taking an interest in accessorizing. . . . We're also seeing a lot of non-silk [ties]. Ones made from suiting material, from leather. And then we're back to novelty.
Q. Speaking of novelty, let's talk about these shrunken suits for men. They look cool, but what can you do if you don't have the body for them?
A. It's not about buying a suit that's smaller. The key is to get a suit that fits you, one that's a little bit closer to the body. Getting a shoulder that is closer to your shoulder, not hanging over the shoulder. Just a bit more fitted.
Q. What about the pants?
A. Wear them without a break, or with little or no break.
Q. Whoa. No break. Really?
A. Even for me it takes a while to get used to wearing them without a break or with a very small break.
Q. What's the biggest problem you observe with men and the way they dress?
A. Fit. It drives me crazy. A larger guy feels that he has to buy bigger clothes but that just makes you look sloppier. Conversely, you have men who refuse to go up a size, and they end up looking like a stuffed sausage.
Q. What about shoe trends?
A. The dress-up sneaker does very well for us. It's an instant update to your wardrobe. Patent leather, metallic finishes, suede. Of course, saying that, my fear is that someone will take a white athletic sneaker and pair it with a suit.
A. Sharp, strong pops of color. Novelty is selling, anything colorful. Need is about basics. All the basic things, people are not replacing. What's selling is things people respond to emotionally, like big pops of color. It has to make you feel something.
Q. What about ties? Color there?
A. Traditional, classic ties are not selling quickly, but narrow ties are. Younger customers are wearing narrow ties and bow ties with jeans, khakis, cardigans. . . . I love to see young men taking an interest in accessorizing. . . . We're also seeing a lot of non-silk [ties]. Ones made from suiting material, from leather. And then we're back to novelty.
Q. Speaking of novelty, let's talk about these shrunken suits for men. They look cool, but what can you do if you don't have the body for them?
A. It's not about buying a suit that's smaller. The key is to get a suit that fits you, one that's a little bit closer to the body. Getting a shoulder that is closer to your shoulder, not hanging over the shoulder. Just a bit more fitted.
Q. What about the pants?
A. Wear them without a break, or with little or no break.
Q. Whoa. No break. Really?
A. Even for me it takes a while to get used to wearing them without a break or with a very small break.
Q. What's the biggest problem you observe with men and the way they dress?
A. Fit. It drives me crazy. A larger guy feels that he has to buy bigger clothes but that just makes you look sloppier. Conversely, you have men who refuse to go up a size, and they end up looking like a stuffed sausage.
Q. What about shoe trends?
A. The dress-up sneaker does very well for us. It's an instant update to your wardrobe. Patent leather, metallic finishes, suede. Of course, saying that, my fear is that someone will take a white athletic sneaker and pair it with a suit.
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