More Bla Bla on "Billy Reid"
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 »
And The Winner Is…Billy Reid?!?!
Billy Reid. (Silence) Billy Reid. (Thump, he fainted and fell to the floor) Billy Reid. Well, maybe he didn’t faint, but the immediate surprise in the room was surely palpable. One would have expected him to get up to the podium and say, “Awww, shucks.” Perhaps Billy Reid received the prestigious CFDA Award ($300,000 bucks) because fashion, as in politics, is turning it’s other cheek to the conservative right. After all, Billy Reid is based in Florence, Alabama, the Bible Belt or is it the new fashion capital? Yes, Billy Reid’s clothing line is cool, but is it Earth shattering?… 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 »
Return of the Manzie
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 »
Manzie Alert: Spring ’11
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 »
Yes kids, I am a lady who lunches and was in full regalia yesterday at the Hearst Tower for the 7th Annual Anti-Counterfeiting Luncheon. The illegal knock-off industry is growing, becoming increasingly more sophisticated and difficult to police. The rise of on-line sales is creating a new set of challenges beyond the Canal Street hustle. The task to harness the illegal trafficking of these fake designer goods is daunting, to say the least. The bottom line is we all must do our part to curtail, seize, not support, not purchase and monitor our ports. The list of things we all… Read More »
