At the Heart of Menswear ... is the Man

Still bamboozled about Henry Bucks being Australia's favourite menswear store, I've been questioning just how far menswear can be pushed.  Are we stuck in a menswear cycle of standard fits, basic shirts and functional foundations?  Is experimental menswear part of the future of mens fashion or are menswear traditions too dominant for men to adopt a more unique or individual sense of style?

In a lecture this week, a leading designer in a giant Sydney fashion label sent out a warning to any of us designing for men.  She recommended that 'at the heart of menswear is the man'.  One of the problems of experimental and innovative menswear is that it can occasionally forget about the man that has to wear the clothes.  While there is a current trend toward a more feminised male, this is not to say that he has given up his masculinity.  He may be more aware of fashion than previous generations, more willing to take fashion risks and certainly more comfortable in adopting a more individual style - but underneath this is still a man who probably wants to be recognised as one.  He will still pick function everyday and select garments that reflect, while not necessarily following, menswear traditions.

In the preface to Fashion Now 2, an i-D magazine encyclopedia of designers, editor Glenn Waldron pretty well sums it all up.  Menswear focuses "on the substance of 'style' over the transient nature of 'fashion'."  A nice approach really in what can sometimes seem a rather frenetic and frivolous industry.  Menswear is more about an evolutionary process than the quick turn over of new trends in womenswear.  So while the classic black suit will never be 'out', hopefully experimenting with it will become more and more 'in'.

Raf Simon's take on the suit for Fall 2010.  Image at http://www.gq.com/fashion-shows/complete/F2010MEN-RSMEN