More Bla Bla on "Paris Manzie"

Q. What is a Manzie?
A. A Manzie is not a Pansy or a Dandy. A Pansy doesn’t necessarily dress effeminately in order to be teased by a bunch of blokes. A Dandy dresses like a proper gentleman adding a special touch of avant-garde styling. A Manzie is a guy desperately trying to be “on trend”. He can be a straight man trying too hard to be stylish or a straight-acting-gay guy who acts extra butch to compensate for his quirky fashion choices. Bottom line: A Manzie will wear any of the outfits featured here. … Read More »

New Word Alert: prada v. prada-ed, prada-ing, prada-s a. To go crazy, to  flip often used with out. b. To react strongly and especially enthusiastically: She pradaed over the new men’s collection from London. Nothing has made me happier  than when I was pradaing (see above) from the images at London Men’s Fashion Week only to discover that the long, lost Manzie is back… and potentially with a vengeance. Only time will tell though as we prada through Milan, Paris and New York. Let’s face it, menswear has become one bland sea of plaid and quasi-butch-realness. Coupled with the horrible… Read More »

Please note: This Entry First Appeared July 12, 2009 Who’d have thunk that when I MEAN…WHAT?!? coined the phrase Manzie Report, and pointed out the horrendousness of some of the things that everyone’s favorite Manzie is wearing, that lo and behold, Time Magazine, yes, that magazine that puts Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or Sarah Palin on the cover, has an entry about Mancessories. So, now that the Manzie has been adulated by the general media, I am thrilled to say my prescient observation of this uncanny trend has now been substantiated and I am officially anointing Time Magazine with… Read More »

“They’re baaack!” Remember Poltergeist II (see clip below) and to quote another line from the film here, “You are gonna die”, but only in the way that Rachel Zoe dies…as in I D-I-E. Manzies are back with a vengeance. Just look at what Marc Jacobs more to his Louis Vuitton after party in Paris. This updated Muu-Muu gown could very well be a Miu Miu gown, since he and Miuccia are palsies. But, hey, bless his heart for walking around as comfortably as he looks, complete with Priscilla Alden Pilgrim shoes, and not an ounce of flab. I’d kill to… Read More »

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to bid a fond farewell to The Manzie*. (*See below meaning of Manzie for those of you new comers.) What was once a vibrant, hysterical fashion statement that captivated the runways of Milan and Paris—heck and New York for that matter—looks that left us speechless, or gagging anyway, have now gone to that great fashion graveyard beyond… Ebay. Who won’t miss those retarded styles by Thom Browne, or some of those collections from Rick Owens and Walter Van Beirendonck’s Big Bird ensembles from Spring ’10? And surely we can never forget that madcap John… Read More »

The Jean Paul Gaultier collection was fantastic and one of the funner elements was his inclusion of couture menswear, for those rich Manzies out there who want to wear a skirt or dress and are not feeling the recent collection by Rick Owens. Not sure if anyone saw some of the comments from my recent Paris menswear shows, but some anonymous person really has it out for me for being a hack. This person does not seem to think that we are all entitled to our own opinions. And (B), hack, is what I was doing (hacking) when I saw… Read More »

Let’s get off the Manzie Report for one minute and focus on the grooming during the recent Paris men’s shows. The iconic references were almost palpable. Some of the looks were clearly inspired by the biggest icons from our youth, be it movies, television, or books. There they were, front and center, sashaying down the runways like the ghosts of Christmas past. Follow us on Twitter.com/imeanwhat or Sally Field Us on Facebook.    … Read More »

Two years ago I coined the phrase Manzie in response to the men’s runway shows in Paris, Milan and New York. That phrase caught on like wildfire within the industry and in a short time after that, the looks being thrown down the runway became increasingly butch. Designers like Billy Reid set a new tone and standard for what men should look like and all was well in Glocca Morra. That was then and this is now. There is something in the air and it is living up to Lord Alfred Tennyson‘s poem, Locksley Hall when it says, “In the… Read More »

Q. What is a Manzie? A. A Manzie is not a Pansy or a Dandy. A Pansy doesn’t necessarily dress effeminately to be teased by a bunch of blokes. They can have a sisssing “S” in their speech, run with their arms flailing or cheerleaders. A Dandy dresses like a gentleman with a touch of avant-garde. A Manzie is desperately trying to be “on trend”. A Manzie can be a straight man trying too hard to be stylish or a straight-acting-gay-guy who acts extra butch to compensate for his quirky fashion choices. Comprende? Some runway looks fall under the umbrella… Read More »

The Spring 11 shows came to a close in Paris, as is the case in Milan, there were great, sexy, safe collections sprinkled in with those few designers that love…and are committed to…Manzies. Naturally, the free spirits of Paris saw more mandals, more drama and sadly, more quirky man-hats. The Paris Manzie Report ends by showing a few looks that could have been edited out…had they hired me.… Read More »