Tag Archives: menswear
UK prom style – it’s all about the boys
Some interesting info just arrived in my inbox from Debenhams on the rise of the UK ‘Prom kings’. According to Debenhams, boys are spending 24% more on Prom prepping than last year, although still not as much as girls. While Prom has been a big deal in America for, well, ever, it’s only really taken off in the UK in the last 10 years. But jeez, has it taken a long time for retailers to catch on.
When I worked at CosmoGIRL!, we would do a big Prom issue every May. The main fashion shoot would be a huge Tim Walker-esque extravaganza (we wished) involving major locations and props galore. Could we find the clothes to match? Hell no. The high street didn’t really start embracing Prom until a couple of years ago, so we would have to scrape around at Coast, Monsoon and Debenhams for frocks more suited to frou frou bridesmaids. But thanks to the rise of red carpet culture and – I guess – customer demand, there are now vast marketing campaigns around Prom from the likes of Topshop and Oasis every spring.
These days Prom is treated like a mini wedding. Parents go all out to pamper their teens (God help them if they have more than one at a time) with outfits, limos, spray tans and facials. In particular, male grooming products and treatments are on the up, with the number of men booking spray tans nearly doubling in the last month as well as a marked increase in male eyebrow threading appointments. Debenhams spokesman Ed Watson says, “Budding Prom kings want to achieve a polished, groomed look and are looking to celebrities such as David Beckham and Daniel Craig for their ‘promspiration’.” Here are some of the stats from Debenhams…
Boys spending: Suit £110, shirt £28, pocket square £10, cummerbund £15, spray tan £20, eye brow threading £14, facial £35
Girls spending: Dress £160, shoes £30, false lashes £65 (sixty five pounds!), jewellery £33, make-up £25, nails £35, eye brow threading £14
We didn’t have prom when I was at school, did you? I would love to know what you wore and what the whole thing was like. Was it fun or was it just another big pressure to fit in and conform (and line the pockets of Philip Green and co)?
[Top image: Teen Vogue; bottom image, Debenhams]
Bright ‘n’ tight
JUMPER, GARY HUME FOR MOTHER OF PEARL///SHORTS, AGI & SAM///T-SHIRT, NIKE Continue reading
Remember when…Hedi made these golden boots?
Wonder if he’ll do them again for Saint Laurent?
Laurence Airline lands at Agnes & Lola
Oooh look: some of the spring shirts from menswear brand, Laurence Airline have just landed at Agnes & Lola! Perfectly timed to coincide with this weekend’s promised heatwave (er, where it is btw?), I spotted them at the MAN trade show in Paris last June and loved the distinctive prints and colours… Continue reading
Human Made X Coca-Cola for Beams
Nigo has been off-radar for me for a long time but he’s popped back on since these pictures dropped in my inbox. The ex-owner of A Bathing Ape has dug deep into his extensive workwear and memorabilia archive to produce this teeny-tiny capsule collection for his latest brand Human Made, in collaboration with Japanese store Beams. Continue reading
Buy it now: Mr DRG picks his top gentlemen’s classics
All my girlfriends are envious of Mr DRG’s taste – in clothes I mean. He’s a very good shopper for both me and him, but when it comes to him it’s all about the gentlemanly classics. And he loves to talk detail. Here’s a little spring edit from him…
TOP ROW
Suede chukka boots, Common Projects
It’s rare that anything stacks up against a pair of vintage Chuck Taylors in the casual footwear stakes for me, but these could well be the exception. Ideal for not-too-smart, not-too-formal, meetings, I think these will likely prove a very useful addition to the wardrobe.
Quote of the day: Charlie Porter on ‘newness’
“For menswear, the shows coincide with delivery. When the men’s editors arrive in Milan, on Friday afternoon most people go, straight away, to Prada and it’s the Prada fight. Who can buy it first? Then we go and see the new show. You have to do it before the new show, while the old show is still ‘the new show’.”
Charie Porter discusses ‘newness’ at the menswear shows in BON International
Everybody loves Raf…
…Or maybe that’s just me. I certainly love Raf Simons’ passionate and considered approach to everything he does. Example: his latest collaboration with Fred Perry. Launching on 22nd Feb in all Fred Perry Laurel Wreath collection stores and online, it’s an ode to collage, juxtaposing “very different materials, prints and colours, therefore giving the wearer a possibility to combine the garments in different ways,” says Simons. Continue reading
First look: M&S launches Made In Great Britain heritage menswear for AW13
Hands down, one of the biggest menswear trends for AW13 is all things traditional, homespun and British. So think Harris tweeds, Scottish cashmeres and Savile Row-style tailoring using textiles from our oldest mills. Nicely timed then, is Made In Great Britain from Marks & Spencer, its heritage line that will be launching in selected stores in the autumn. Continue reading
London Collections: Men AW13 – from highland heritage to city subcultures
Can you forecast next season’s trends based on three days in one city? A little. Two stood out for me at London Collections: Men this week – neither very surprising. Menswear trends are a bit more predictable than womenswear because (as a rule) men like to shop for the familiar rather than the new. So we saw a ton of youth subculture references, plus many nods to Great British heritage and manufacturing. Continue reading
