“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

For those of you who have been reading I Mean…What?!? for a while, you might recall in my many Manzie Reports from last year and my observation that Gina Lollobrigida Orange was the new black. Naturally, I was being facetious because the way they were showing orange on the men’s runways in Milan and Paris, you would have to be insane to be caught dead walking the streets in half of these get ups, rather, you would get the shit kicked out of you by a pack of homophobes. Fortunately, orange in regards to menswear, never really took off, but… Read More »

When the global economy took a nosedive back in September 2008, the whole world changed. The perception of what is cool and the reality of what is sellable had to be revisited. At that time, the mens runway shows in Paris, Milan and New York featured a look that catered to what I called Manzies, and it was the end of an era. For those of you who don’t know, or want a refresher course… 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… Read More »

No one is more excited about this week than moi. The Men’s Fall Collections are launching in Milan and New York City. For the next few days, I will feature my seasonal Manzie Report, only this year, in an effort to tone back the rhetoric and vitriol I will report on the Best of as well as the Worst of, just to show you how politically correct I can be…ish. Over the past few seasons, men have gone from being enormously effeminate to overly butch and this season, I am predicting that the the two worlds will collide. At ENKNYC,… 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 »

The Milan shows bring out the masculine guns of the fashion industry. Armani, Zegna and Gucci lead the charge in sophisticated, sexy, masculine clothes. One can consider it boring (some of my readers, you know who you are), but it is at the core of the business and must be respected as such. There is less frills on the runways in Milan, than let’s say, it’s sister fashion city, Paris. The shows got off to a hootenanny of a start here in the City of Lights. Once again, we were presented with the quirky man-hat, a look that I was… Read More »

Dame Vivienne Westwood is a force of nature. She presents her avant garde collections in virtually every market on Earth. Mens’ in Milan, women’s in Paris, combo platter in London, Hong Kong Fashion Week and, if I’m not mistaken, she has featured the Anglomania collection in the United States. Last season her theme was “The Homeless” and judging by some of the looks from Spring 11, that message carries through. Homeless or perhaps even a bit crazy? You tell me. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBbVdiqK20… Read More »

Jil Sander was always the epitome of cool, chic, sophisticated, clean lines, muted palette. Perhaps that was when Jil Sander was actually Jil Sander. That story has turned upside down. The German-born designer, Sander, is now designing for Japan-based Uniqlo and Belgian-born Raf Simmons is at the helm of the Milan-based headquarters of Jil Sander, who sold out to Muccia Prada, which ultimately pissed off Jil Sander, causing her to split, hence her current deal with Uniqlo. The saving grace for Jil Sander in this scenario, as opposed to what happened to Halston when he sold the rights to his… Read More »

Hello my fearless flock of fashion following friends. What I love about World Fashion Week is that we get to see so many beautiful collections from all over the world such as New York, Milan, and Paris. Sure we also see lots of nonsense from other ports of call such as Madrid Fashion Week, Australia, Brazil, Lakme Fashion Week (India) and assorted Middle Eastern countries. But today, let’s discuss Paris. With the economy still in turmoil, many of the collections have been fiercely edited, and buyer optimism is reflected on increased orders. And frankly, the blogosphere is having a positive… Read More »

Y’all know by now that I love a good laugh when it comes to the Emperor’s New Clothes school of fashion, be it for men or woman. The word is out that I.M.W. has people laughing out loud at the commentaries. (I do too, shh.) However, not every day has to be riddled with the bashing of people, places and things, which I do in the most loving way. If you are a steady reader, you would know that I do throw in serious items and opinions, and now that my horizon is expanding, as I’ve become a correspondent for… Read More »

Pack your bags kids. It is time to move off this continent and go to a place, any place in this world, where you will be safe from the prying, vomitous eyes of the media that gives us the endless stories about wanna-bes, never was-es, and nobodies galore. Today I have read a story that has made me so nauseous, that I am beside myself. Let me just list the cast of characters in this item and surely you will agree and run to start packing. Jon Gosselin, Michael Lohan, Jill Zarin. Should I stop now? And wait, this trifecta… Read More »