“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

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 »

Milan continues to show great collections, many are strong and colorful and leaning toward manly-man. One can only be happy for companies that design to be sold. Naturally, a few nelly ditties slip through to the cracks of better judgment to create some magic or drama or giggles. Here they are some Manzies by proxy. 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 »

Now that you are getting the drift of what a manzie is, what better way to honor these bold, confident individuals than by creating the First Annual Manzie of the Year Award? Hereby I have started the list of nominees and invite you to join me by submitting your own suggestions. As New York Fashion Week is just around the corner, the streets will be chock full of manzie’s…in all shapes and sizes…sporting their new fall purchases. We at I Mean..What?!? will be out en force looking for candidates. It’s easy to participate. Simply grab your iPhone, B-Berry or Mino… Read More »

The least of Pakistan’s problems is the recent discovery that Osama Bin Laden was living high on the hog in the midst of their military retirement village. As Bill Maher so eloquently put it on Real Time this past Friday, “Let’s not call Bin Laden’s compound a mansion, it looks more like a five story tenement in Van Nuys.” One would have to agree there. No, what the Pakistanis have to be far more concerned about are their dueling Fashion Weeks. Yes, as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week has inspired even third world countries to get on the fashion stick, Pakistan,… Read More »

Fresh from Paris and Milan, we have the Manzie Report featuring the latest trends, mistakes and mishaps for Fall 2011. The over-arching story for men is luxe, sophisticated, elegance. There were boxier shapes and shorter skorts. No, I am not kidding. Since Marc Jacobs wears nothing but kilts, Parisian menswear designers took that look to the next level and hiked up the length of skorts for men. Let’s face it, the kilt length is not all that flattering, and men’s legs are just as lovely to look at as women’s…especially when they are long, lean and muscular. Collections from Hermes,… Read More »

Well, you didn’t think a season would go by without me making at least one little reference to that much loved and admired creature…the Manzie. What good would I serve if I did not stick in my two cents and and point out the one look from each of the men’s spring ’11 collections that could have easily been edited out? Huh? If you don’t know what the Manzie Report is by now, then you just have to look at these images from this week’s men’s shows/presentations to recognize that certain kind of man that would wear these ensemblays. Actually,… Read More »

As we continue with the Manzie Report in Paris, I had to first mention this little story that applies to the first designer being mentioned today. I was at Penn Station (don’t ask) and noticed this guy wearing Bermuda length shorts, a suit jacket, tie and white collar shirt with leather wind tip shoes. Now as quasi-acceptable as this look is, the guy was such a nelly queen as he scurried through Penn Station, that I wondered, “Could these Bermuda suits ever take off and go mainstream?”… Read More »

Thom Browne took to the bike lanes with a breezy, cool collection for spring. As a long time bike rider, his homage to cyclists everywhere was refreshing and welcome. Usually I find more things wrong with Thom’s runway collections than right, but I am happy to report that this time around there were more wearable looks than not. Naturally, what’s a Manzie Report without a few good manzies, and with Browne’s theatrical penchant for showing more looks than necessary, there has to be a few bombs in the line-up and here they are. Calvin Klein had a few doozies, too.… Read More »

The Milan Men’s Shows are under way and we are off to a “two snaps up” start. The few looks by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen are very promising indeed. There is one trench coat (above) that is really great, but coupled with my father’s Long Johns, well, it’s her first outing so I will be kind. Today let’s just trash look at the new collection by Haider Ackermann, whose collection was inspired by the film Lost In Translation…only in that the models are lost in gobs of fabric. Lost being the operative word here. And we’re off. Stay tuned… Read More »