“I Mean…What?!?” – Abe Gurko

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 »

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 »

There are so many viable inclusions in the Manzie Report: Paris, that I can’t even write individual comments because it is Gay Pride weekend in New York City, we got the Gay Marriage Act approved last night and I’d rather participate in some festivities than sit here and yattle on about Walter Van Beirendonck’s Bird Bird ensembles or his pastel cotton candy numbers that double as topiaries. Just click through these images and you will see a plethora of nelly galore ditties from leather sports bras…yes…for men…and Givenchy’s bouquet of Bird of Paradise skirts. Alexis Mabille seems to have tried… Read More »

The Paris shows have barely gotten underway and already have not disappointed. Seems like Marc Jacobs has been wearing skirts long enough to have fully inspired designers like Rick Owens and Yohji Yamamoto, who featured more skirts in their Spring collections for men than any collection Jil Sander did for women, when she had her own eponymous line. SIDEBAR: Now that Jil and Uniqlo have parted ways, perhaps Ms. Sander can figure her way back to regaining control of her name and getting rid of Raf Simons, who besmirched and nellied up the brand, especially this season. Now that women… Read More »

Italian men have the reputation for being sexy, brooding, manly and the overall Spring ’12 season from Milan held steady to that notion. I just barely squeezed enough juice out of the fruit (as it goes) to quench your thirst for a Manzie Report. One can only hope that Paris will have far more tasty fruits in the offing. With that, I give you the final looks from Italy.   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 »

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 »

Tom Ford, that handsome renaissance man, went on record with a few of the by-laws that make up The Tom Ford Doctrine. Jefferson Hack interviewed him for AnOther Man about being a gentlemen. Let’s just call it the modern day Gentleman’s Agreement. I must say, we do see eye to eye on most things. He believes that: You should be the best that you can be. Check. (I took that suggestion from the Army ad song.) Gentlemen should work. (Check. Even if I had a Sugar Daddy, I would continue with I Mean…What?!?) Manners are very important such as opening… Read More »